# General > General Chat >  Pictures Taken By you...

## miss tenderness

hello ,

I'd love if we post some pictures taken b our own camera :Smile: 

here's one I took on the beach>>>my cell phone Camera, so don't expect high quality picture:




any pictures??

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## SleepyWitch

wow, that's a lovely pic  :Smile: 
booohoooo  :Bawling:  I've got lots of nice pics of Cornwall we took this summer.
But I can't load them up from my harddrive because they only look good in high resolution and the stupid programme makes them look pixelish when you shrink them  :Frown:   :Frown:   :Frown:  
Do you know any free webpage thingy were you can upload pictures in original size and were each pic gets a separate URL??? My boyfriend's got this stupid webspace where pics pop up in a smallerr window that's got no URL, so I wouldn't be able to use the [IMG] brackets  :Frown:

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## miss tenderness

oh,that's a pity, we would love to see these pictures. I'll try my best to find a website for uploading picture, I'll let you know if I find. Maybe Kathy or anyother member can help us on that??please do :Smile:

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## Madhuri

Yes Sleepy ask Kathy. You will also see some links in her signature that will lead you to picture posting websites. I think she also started a thread for it, am not sure where it is.

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## miss tenderness

yes, absoulotly>>>I'm googling to find some sites,no satisfying results though, you have to regester before!

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## Logos

Here is the most recent pic I've taken.. my kitty 'helping' me write, errr, type at my desk  :Biggrin:

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## Logos

Sleepy, http://photobucket.com/ is the best in my opinion  :Thumbs Up: 
It's easy to use and gives you the url
.

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## miss tenderness

logooooooo, I fell in love with your kitty, pretty ,pretty and somehow she looks like you :Biggrin: I mean the lovely hair color and the intelligent eyes.

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## Kaltrina

logo you have such a beautiful kitty, so cute...  :Biggrin: 

here are some photos I made in Ohrid, Macedonia. I was there on a seminar the weekend before the last one. the lake was beautiful....



This place was kind of a tower, and you could see all Ohrid from there.


This is an old theater... which is still used...


and this one is what I caught from the balcony of the hotel, and of course a bit of my hand...  :Smile:

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## miss tenderness

amazing pictures, Kal,wow...

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## Kaltrina

thanks...  :Smile: 

I just love the place... it was amazing...  :Biggrin:

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## Logos

> logooooooo, I fell in love with your kitty, pretty ,pretty and somehow she looks like youI mean the lovely hair color and the intelligent eyes.


:blush .. aw thank you miss t.. yes kitty is very smart... she gets *most* upset if I don't pay enough attention to her sometimes, touching the keyboard gets my attention real quick!  :FRlol: 
Kaltrina those are great pics of Macedonia, I always love to see old but preserved buildings in use

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## SleepyWitch

yep great pics Kal.

thanks for the tips everyone.
I'll try and load up some pics this weekend (if I can find the time) or after my exam in two weeks at the latest  :Smile:

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## Nightshade

Miss T that looks just like the beach I used to go to when I was little... you could see dolphins at sunset,.....

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## miss tenderness

Night, this beach is in Al khobar,maybe it's the same as the one you used to go for? imagine! that would be cooooool :Smile:

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## Nightshade

yes it is!!!
OMG, it isnt by any chance the KFU hospita beach?
That brings back soooomany memories :Biggrin:

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## miss tenderness

sadly no! :Frown: 

it's the half moon beach,much dirtier than the KFU beach :Biggrin:

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## Nightshade

half moon huh? never really liked that place mind you their swimming pools are great arent they?
Have you seen the dolphins? though Im not sure you can see them from half moon.

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## miss tenderness

nah :Biggrin:  there are no dolphines in the haif moon :Biggrin:  if there were,they would have died :Biggrin: 
I've seen the dolphines from other private beaches like Aramco's, wonderfull, wonderfull.

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## miss tenderness

look how the laughing faces are ordered! nice one me!

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## Nightshade

youve been to the Aramco beach  :Eek2:  wow! you lucky thing I went thir once with some aramco friends the waves were so high the were like a foot above my head...or thats how I rember it. 
No I think half moon faces the wrong way its on a sticky out bit faacing inland hence half moon...Isnt it? :Confused:  and the dolphins are out there .... 
 :Bawling:  this is all making me wish I was back there, I love the sea.

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## kilted exile

Loch Katrine: the site of glasgow's water supply and the loch in Sir Walter Scott's novel Lady of the Lake.

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## higley

That's so pretty! I'd love to visit Glasgow someday.

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## Idril

That's just beautiful Kilted! 

These are some picture of the trip we took to Table Butte this summer. It's a butte in the middle of nowhere about 30 miles from where my parents live. It doesn't look like much in the first picture but it's deceptively steep, we had to make a couple of stops on our way up, of course it didn't help that it was about 100 degrees that day either.  :Tongue:  It's considered a sacred site to the Native Americans in the area(it's on a reservation) and the second picture is of the shrine where they leave offerings to the spirits, they leave scarves, blankets and there are a few bundles of tobacco there as well. The third picture is the view from the top, notice the teeny, tiny cows to the left.

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## subterranean

Don't trust strangers

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## kathycf

I agree with Logos in her earlier post re: photobucket for an image host. They have worked out well for me and never spam members. And it's free. The link in my sig gives some info on the whole process with links to various hosts, a few of which _don't_ require registration. (and yes, all are free). Also a couple of suggestions for free image and photo editing software (which can resize images) There are 2 pages in the thread, I tried to cover quite a bit. _Anway_... :Smile:  

*edit* I just wanted to mention how striking your pictures were, Idril and Kilted. Sub, your pic offers sound advice :Tongue:  
These are all thumbnails, click on the image to expand. 

I guess this pic is self explanantory.  :Biggrin:  


The gravestone of the founding father of a nearby town.


My bestfriend's little girl imitating a swan. She is very, very smart and beautiful as well.


The swan in question...




In my backyard this past spring


A waterspout thingy at the park. I thought the shape of it looked like one of the swans flapping it's wings, about to fly off.

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## bluevictim

ok, I can't remember if it was actually me who took it or the friend I was hiking with, but here's one of my favorites:

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## miss tenderness

yes,Night! I miss that too :Frown: 

Kilted: I can't see your pic :Frown: 


Idril:nice view :Smile: 

Kath and blue ,can't see yours :Frown:

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## SleepyWitch

thanks for your advice kathy  :Smile:  I've registered for a photobucket acount  :Smile: 

Here are some pics of our Geography fieldtrip to London this summer. Got the Cornwall pics at my bf's place...

Wow, awesome pics everyone! I want to go to the U.S. to see those places  :Bawling:  

Lloyds Building


The Gherkin

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## SleepyWitch

Paternoster Sqare (where the New Stock Exchange is located)

the man at the bottom right whose nose is cut off is our Geo professor  :Smile: 




The New Stock Exchange


a market

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## SleepyWitch

Kew Gardens

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## miss tenderness

wow, the second pic is just amazing,I love it :Smile:

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## Pensive

> My bestfriend's little girl imitating a swan. She is very, very smart and beautiful as well.


Ahhh, so sweet!  :Biggrin:

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## kathycf

> Ahhh, so sweet!


She has quite a personality! I know I am biased but I think this kid is very gifted intellectually. _Amazing_ memory and other skills for her age. 

Speaking of amazing, those are some great looking pics sleepy. I agree with miss t that the second is just great. (glad the advice helped.  :Smile:  )

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## Kaltrina

Wow so many beautiful photos, I just love them... nicely done...  :Biggrin:

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## Pensive

> She has quite a personality! I know I am biased but I think this kid is very gifted intellectually. _Amazing_ memory and other skills for her age. 
> 
> Speaking of amazing, those are some great looking pics sleepy. I agree with miss t that the second is just great. (glad the advice helped.  )


Looks like it. She must be an amazing child.  :Smile:  

And hey, I forgot to comment on these pictures. So wonderful these are, Witch!  :Biggrin:  

Good photos, everyone!  :Thumbs Up:

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## SleepyWitch

> wow, the second pic is just amazing,I love it


you mean the spiral staircase?
how do you like the gherkin on "page 2"? It's being sold as a special offer but nobody wants it  :Smile: 

yep, photobucket is great kathy,thanks  :Smile:

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## miss tenderness

I mean the plants ,2nd picture on page 3. Sadly,the images in page 2 did n't open with me.

Kathy, the little girl is so cute,seems so energetic too :Biggrin:

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## kathycf

Heh, she is a pistol. She is very sweet, energetic (very!) and quite the little brat when she wants to be. Her mother wouldn't let her stay out on the patio by herself and "A" was very miffed because she wanted to play in her wading pool. My friends explained that she did not want "A" to be alone around the water. So little madam goes into the bathroom, turns on the tap and runs out. We ask her why she did that and she says (with a total smirk) "Mummy I couldn't stay in there alone with the water". I had to cover my face so she wouldn't see me laughing (don't want to encourage her but too funny). 

Here she is with my dog Dillon


I know I have posted this previously, but it is one of my favorites...it is ok, he has insurance  :Tongue:  



Having fun with the image editor...I love adding the special effects!

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## miss tenderness

when are we going to see the complete face of the pretty Kath??

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## Kaltrina

here are some more photos...

this one is my primary school.... I love this school...  :Biggrin: 


this one was taken by my sister...those are my hands..  :Smile: 


those are not my cigarettes because I do not smoke, but I do like to make these kind of photos...


and this one I took last year when we had a lot of snow...this is what I saw outside my office window...  :Smile:

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## miss tenderness

wow,nice pictures Kal. Your nails surely fit to the Freanch manicure :Biggrin: , the first and the foyrth pictures are so classic >>>they are amazing.


here's a my sister's little daughter's drawing:

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## Madhuri

cant see the picture, Taleen.  :Frown:

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## miss tenderness

hope this will work..

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## Madhuri

It worked Miss T, what a nice drawing.  :Nod:

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## grace86

The Gherkin is beautiful, so are the Kew gardens...is this all in Germany Sleepy?

I will post some pictures of St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago for all you guys. I think I have some of the Grand Canyon too...though they might not be as beautiful as all your guys'.

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## Neovia

Here is few of mine:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/24863065
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/24862841
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38174240
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38174593

Btw, would you not put those gigantic photos inside [img]-tags, please?

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## Nightshade

I cant see it  :Bawling:

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## Neovia

^What, my photos? I think your web browser needs to support javascript.

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## miss tenderness

they are lovely,the one with the wet leaves is amazing, did you take them all by yourself? wow,you seem an expert.

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## Neovia

> they are lovely,the one with the wet leaves is amazing, did you take them all by yourself? wow,you seem an expert.


Of course I took them  :Smile: . And no, I'm definitely not an expert: I have been photographing only for couple years! I just look around me and try to find something beautiful and when I do, I try to decide a good angle of view. Later I change contrast and saturation a bit (not always, as in the first photo) with Paint Shop Pro (I don't have any better graphics processing program  :Frown:  ).
But thank you.

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## Nightshade

no miss T's  :Blush:  I didnt see the fourth page...

the gerkin is london...

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## miss tenderness

huh? what do u mean ,Nighty?

hey,Night, do n't miss Neovia's picture, amazing.maybe there is another way to look at them! but I dn't know any :Frown:  Kath,help help!

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## Nightshade

:Confused: 
ahh its working


never mind

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## SleepyWitch

> The Gherkin is beautiful, so are the Kew gardens...is this all in Germany Sleepy?
> 
> I will post some pictures of St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago for all you guys. I think I have some of the Grand Canyon too...though they might not be as beautiful as all your guys'.


heehee, grace, nope it's in London, UK  :Smile:  I went on a field trip there for my Geography studies.
I'll post some pics of German places after my exams (have to take some first)

Wow, Missouri and Chicago! Can't wait to see those pics  :Smile:

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## SleepyWitch

wow, Neovia, you're pics rock! I loved the "summer" one and the ice flowers!

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## miss tenderness

Neovia, if you have other pictures ,I'm really curious to see them>>>this girl is talented :Thumbs Up:

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## Virgil

> hope this will work..


Wow, that is nice Taleen. How old is the girl who drew it? She will be an artist.

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## miss tenderness

she was ten years, now she's 16 ,a very very intelligent girl. She always makes remarks that are ahead of her age.

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## Virgil

Has she continued with drawing? I think she's got real talant if she did that at 10.

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## miss tenderness

well,she's more concerend now with her books and H.W,doen't give this hobby a big time,though I sometimes find a real outstanding drawings under her bed :Biggrin: 
she doesn't care to show it to others,I know if I were here,I would've shown it to every single human being I know.
the girls is really talented,has an excellent memory. She memorizes alot of poems and prose quotes . I always tell her parents to give her more attention and develop her talents.
the thing is: she doesn't care about what she has! think them silly and everybody can do them.

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## miss tenderness

isn't the caring thing something that all abnormal people share??!

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## miss tenderness

not abnormal :Biggrin:  I mean the people who excel the people their age?

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## Virgil

Well, I hope she goes on to continue her education in the fullest.

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## Neovia

> wow, Neovia, you're pics rock! I loved the "summer" one and the ice flowers!


Thank you very much  :Smile: .



> Neovia, if you have other pictures ,I'm really curious to see them>>>this girl is talented


http://ladymay.deviantart.com
I have been really lazy in photographing lately  :Frown: .

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## Shalot

> Thank you very much .
> 
> http://ladymay.deviantart.com
> I have been really lazy in photographing lately .


I visited the link and WOW!

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## Idril

Although these pictures were taken by my Dad and not me, I still think they deserve a viewing. As I stated elsewhere, I'm visiting my parents for the weekend and one of the first things I do when I get here is go through all my Dad's photos to pick the ones I want to take for myself and I am often so struck by the nature pictures he takes. All these pictures were taken in what is essentially, his front yard.

This first one is from last winter after a particularly fearsome blizzard.
snow covered tree

This one is the sunrise taken from their front porch one spring morning.
good morning

They live in a cabin by a lake that has been horribly mismanaged by the Corps of Engineers and so now instead of the lake front property they had when they bought the land 35 years ago, the lake is about a good half-mile away, this is a picture of the path to the lake.
road to sakakawea

and this is what the sunset looks like once you're there.
sunset on the beach

The lake is a man-made lake and the area of the lake that we're close to used to be a forest. Now that the lake is so low...due to the gross mismanagment of the Corps of Engineers...have I mentioned that?...bits of that old forest are popping up and it's such an incredibly mournful place.
Black Meadow forest

And finally, although I could post dozens more but I do have to stop somewhere, here is a picture of roses that have been frozen. It's not the prettiest of pictures but there's something about the colors that really strikes me. 
dead roses

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## Pensive

Wow Idril! How wonderful!

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## Madhuri

I really liked the Sunset and Black meadow forest pictures. You lived in such a beautiful place. I especially liked the effect the setting sun had on the water, the colour looks so beautiful. Very nice!

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## Koa

oooh i love to take pics...

took one to day in fact...



it reminded me of The Secret Garden, the book I mean.

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## Idril

> I really liked the Sunset and Black meadow forest pictures.


It was an even more beautiful place before the lake was so low, have I mentioned the gross mismanagement of the lake by the Corps of Engineers?  :Rolleyes:   :Tongue:   :FRlol:  However, Black Meadow didn't appear until the lake levels were lower but that just makes it seem even worse because it reminds you that people used to live there and their homes were flooded by the dam and their way of life was taken away from them and it's quickly becoming all for nothing because the lake is reverting back to it's 'river' state...that's why I find it so mournful.

And Koa, that picture is beautiful, it looks like a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

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## Koa

Nah I was just passing by  :Wink:  I just walked around :P

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## bluevictim

Here is another one I like:

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## miss tenderness

a present for my graduation,I love it :Smile:

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## miss tenderness

I took this lately :Smile: 
any fans :Biggrin: ?

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## miss tenderness

Idril,oh my.........these pictures are professionally taken,amazing.The sunset on beach is my favorite.say Hi to your Daddy,he is really a genius.

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## Pensive

> I took this lately
> any fans?


Cute.  :Smile:   :Smile:   :Smile:

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## SleepyWitch

I've finally started to load up my/my bf's Cornwall pics, but photobucket is playing up. so there's only one of them so far:

St Michael's Mount near Marazion, Cornwall (with a random guy  :Smile:  )

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## Nightshade

This wasnt taken by me but by my friend... I cant find my picture

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## miss tenderness

lovely pictures,witchy and Night.

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## Jean-Baptiste

I'm not much of a photographer, but these are my children. Not my consanguineous children, of course; I'm not old enough for those. (Don't tell my mom I said that, she'll bemoan her lack of grandchildren.) I think it's good enough for now that I've created these, right? 







These are some of the guitars I've built, and a mandolin. The one at the bottom is the best; I made it for my father. The pictures at the top show varying stages of completion. These are all finished now, and I'm working on a few more. I don't find much time for them these days--what with books 'n stuff.

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## Idril

Those are absolutely beautiful, Jean-Baptiste! I am in awe of anyone who can create something like that.

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## subterranean

Some piccies from my working desk.  :Biggrin: ...yea, I was not in the mood for doing anything...










Jean...beautiful children!  :Nod:

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## Jean-Baptiste

> Those are absolutely beautiful, Jean-Baptiste! I am in awe of anyone who can create something like that.


Ah, shucks.  :Blush:  Thank you Idril.

It's only a testament to my excellent teacher. I wanted to be a luthier, in my younger days, so I went to school in Canada to learn. I'm afraid it has become more of a hobby than anything else, especially since I seem to be more willing to give them away than sell. How can I sell my children? One does not sell children; one gives them away. 

Thanks, subterranean! They have my eyes, don't you think?

Someday I'll have a desk like that, with stuff on it.

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## Virgil

> Some piccies from my working desk. ...yea, I was not in the mood for doing anything...


Hey I got the same phone at my desk at work too. They must have sold millions of them. I wonder who makes them? I ought to buy their stock.

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## Virgil

Those are beautiful, Jean-B. You are a craftsman.

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## Jean-Baptiste

> Those are beautiful, Jean-B. You are a craftsman.


Thank you, Virgil. I take "craftsman" as a very high compliment; it seems to be taking on a lower-class connotation these days, which I think is sad.

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## subterranean

> Hey I got the same phone at my desk at work too. They must have sold millions of them. I wonder who makes them? I ought to buy their stock.


My company use Cisco. Pretty fancy thing, I think.

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## Basil

> One does not sell children; one gives them away.


Or leaves them in the forest to fend for themselves! 

 :Banana:   :Banana:

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## Jean-Baptiste

> Or leaves them in the forest to fend for themselves!


Yes, or that.  :FRlol:  But what if the rot? 

Should I fill them with bread crumbs? 

In this case I would technically be bringing them back home, right? Back from boarding school, mature and productive members of cellulose society.  :Biggrin:

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## miss tenderness

Jean you seem a real artist,I'd love to hear you palying on that.

Sub :Biggrin: you're office is so clean!gooooooooooood girl.I like the cup.

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## miss tenderness

I had a nice going out in the desert this weekend,I took these pictures:



me trying to warm my hand,it was cazily cold :Frown: 





a little avy I made for myself :Smile:

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## Jean-Baptiste

These are lovely photographs, Miss Tenderness.  :Nod:  The one at the top is especially/exceptionally beautiful. 

And, I'm afraid I'm not much of a player of the guitar; I used to be, but I sort of forgot how after I started building them.  :Confused:

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## Riesa

miss t, I agree with Jean-Baptiste, that one on the top is incredible, so dramatic and lovely!!! the light of the sun cupping up like that, and the reaching silhouettes of the trees ..thanks for sharing.

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## miss tenderness

> These are lovely photographs, Miss Tenderness.  The one at the top is especially/exceptionally beautiful. 
> :


I'm honored that you like them,Jean,thanks.

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## miss tenderness

> miss t, I agree with Jean-Baptiste, that one on the top is incredible, so dramatic and lovely!!! the light of the sun cupping up like that, and the reaching silhouettes of the trees ..thanks for sharing.



oh,then the first pic wins then, I love 
the way you described it dear riesa,it'll be alwayse great to have commnets from poets.

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## Madhuri

Isnt it amazing that one thinks of litnet even on a outing.  :Biggrin:  I like your avy, Taleen, and is that you in the second picture, on the left?? When are you posting your picture on litnet? Please do.... :Biggrin:

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## miss tenderness

nah,it's not me,I was taking the picture,Maddie :Biggrin:  a person passing by.I have a gift for ye>>>wait for me :Smile:

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## Madhuri

I recieved your gift Taleen. Thanks! 

You are so thoughtful, I am so happy....I have made it my avy too... :Biggrin:

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## miss tenderness

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Maddie's avy is another pic. I made on sand and took a pic. for it>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

what do you think?

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## Virgil

> The Gherkin


Wow, that is a fascinating architecture. I don't usually care for modern structures, but I think I like that. The Gherkin? Where exactly is that Sleepy?

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## AimusSage

> Wow, that is a fascinating architecture. I don't usually care for modern structures, but I think I like that. The Gherkin? Where exactly is that Sleepy?


It's in London Virgil, you can find out more by following this link to a very interesting website for anyone who likes (modern) architechture: Emporis website on the building

Explore that site if you like, skyscrapers from all over the world, old and new.  :Smile:

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## Madhuri

A view from my room when I was in Pattaya, Thailand. You can see the sea, from between the trees.
Sea view.jpg

Coral Island beach
Coral Island.jpg

Alcazar or Tiffany show. All the performers in the cabret were males dressed as females, no one could make that out, unless told so.
Alcazar show.jpg

A beautiful musician at the hotel in Bangkok.
Beautiful musician.JPG

A view of Bangkok city from my hotle room.
Bangkok city view.JPG

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## subterranean

> A view of Bangkok city from my hotle room.
> Bangkok city view.JPG



Hey, Madd, I think we stayed (in different timings, of course) around the same area. I was in Somerset Park Suan Plu for 5 weeks. I remembered those buildings and I also took pictures from my room, which more or less the same buildings...

And I forgot to take the picture of that Johnie Walker building..(Drink Don't Drive)...

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## Virgil

> It's in London Virgil, you can find out more by following this link to a very interesting website for anyone who likes (modern) architechture: Emporis website on the building
> 
> Explore that site if you like, skyscrapers from all over the world, old and new.


Thanks. It says:




> 30 St Mary Axe was officially opened at the end of May 2004.


I can't quite remember when I was there. I think it was Dec 2003, so it wasn't completed yet.

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## miss tenderness

lovely pictures,Maddie,especially the last one.

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## SleepyWitch

> Thanks. It says:
> 
> 
> 
> I can't quite remember when I was there. I think it was Dec 2003, so it wasn't completed yet.


yep, our Geography prof said it was built in 2003.
it was a project to revive the inner city financial district after all the banks/insurances etc have moved to the Docklands.
it didn't quite work out, so the Gherkin is on sale again. It's a special offer becaue nobody wants it  :Smile: 

beautiful pics, Miss T! I wish I could visit a desert again!

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## miss tenderness

I'll take you with me next time,Sleepy!

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## Madhuri

> Hey, Madd, I think we stayed (in different timings, of course) around the same area. I was in Somerset Park Suan Plu for 5 weeks. I remembered those buildings and I also took pictures from my room, which more or less the same buildings...
> 
> And I forgot to take the picture of that Johnie Walker building..(Drink Don't Drive)...


I stayed at Sukhumvit road, its near Asok. Was your place near it?? I dont remember much as I was there for only a night and half a day. I visited MBK mall, and a few other places. I really liked travelling in the Sky train, its the best place to see so many people.  :Biggrin: 

The pictures arent very clear as they are scanned and I had to reduce the quality to post here. I should better learn how to use photobucket... :Biggrin:

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## Themis

Some of the photos I took last summer in Canada.

 
That's in Ottawa.

 
The Niagara Falls seen from the Canadian border.

 
I think that's also Ottawa but my camera got the dates mixed up, so I'm not absolutely sure.

 
Toronto

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## Pensive

Wow! This is a bunch of really good pictures.  :Smile:

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## Madhuri

These are beautiful.... :Smile:  The third one looks like a beautiful painting. You should send it to BBC, to get it published in their weather website. How far were you from Niagara falls? It looks pretty close.

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## Themis

@Madhuri: On top of them.  :Biggrin:  Sort of. There are more than one side to the niagara falls, you can look at them from either the American or the Canadian border. 
I wish I'd had the time to take pictures of the Canadian part of the Niagara falls too but it would have taken too long.

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## Madhuri

This one looks very picturesque, as if taken by a professional photographer.... :Smile:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Great thread, and bags of amazing shots...  :Thumbs Up:  

Now I cannot help myself any longer: Being the photo nerd I admittedly am, I have to post some of my own stuff. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Here goes (more to come later if you like them):


A lizard beside the pool at a lodge in Samburu, Kenya.


Some flower in a large Crocodile farm outside Mombasa, Kenya.


Kloster Church, Eskilstuna, Sweden.


Lion cubs in Masai Mara, Kenya.


View over Stockholm, from The tower of City Hall.


Superb Starling, in an Acacia in Samburu, Kenya.


View from our bedroom window, from last year (No snow to speak of yet, this winter). Eskilstuna, Sweden.


500m from our house, last winter. Eskilstuna, Sweden.


Bluebells in S&#246;dert&#228;lje, Sweden.


/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

Each picture is soooo beautiful. You are too good... :Thumbs Up:   :Biggrin:  You have shot these from such nice angles. Amazing!!

----------


## Themis

I second Madhuri, great pictures!  :Smile:

----------


## miss tenderness

Themis ,amazing pictures, wow.

Cales: you are a professional photographer, oh my! please keep showing your pics here. We'll wait for that.

----------


## Pensive

Great photos, ClaesGefvenberg. I especially liked the one where the bird is sitting on the branch. This one with snowy path is amazing as well!  :Smile:

----------


## miss tenderness

true,pensive. the 2nd one is breathtaking as well.

----------


## Poetess

I adore pictures, but I don`t take them of myself.


I`m not a photographer nor good at taking pictures.
I took this pic in the mountain, village called Hjula, during war.

----------


## Themis

I rather like that picture, Poetess.It's nice.

----------


## Idril

Those are beautiful, Claes! I'll have to show them to my mother, she is obessed with all things Swedish. And it's wonderful to see it's still snowing somewhere because it's certainly not snowing here.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## Poetess

Themis, this is another one, same view and same valley.

----------


## Laindessiel

Hey Claes, has National Geographic hired you yet? They should!!!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Thank you all, for the nice comments. I noted a need to add some brief comments to each picture, and updated the previous post.




> I'll have to show them to my mother, she is obessed with all things Swedish. And it's wonderful to see it's still snowing somewhere because it's certainly not snowing here.


  :Smile:  Please convey my regards to your mother. I'm afraid we have no snow either: Those winter pictures are from last winter.

Anyway: On with the show.. Here is another batch:


Wintery picture from New Years Eve 2004. Eskilstuna, Sweden.


Hare, right outside the window, at work in Torshälla, Sweden.


Tame rodent at Tom Tit's in Södertälje, Sweden.


Slightly outdated steam engine in Mariefred, Sweden.


Bouganvillea (I think) in Hammamet, Tunisia


Gate in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia.


Busy night at Avenue Habib Bourgiba, Hammamet, Tunisia.


George the camel, outside Hammamet, Tunisia. (Two things should be noted: George was quite cranky, and he farted continually during an entire afternoon!).


Lemurs at Skansen Zoo, Stockholm, Sweden. 

/Claes

----------


## toni

Wow, Claes. Your photos are very inspiring! It makes me want to take up photography!  :Biggrin:  Do you work for a magazine?

----------


## Idril

Again, those are absolutely stunning, Claes!  :Thumbs Up:  And I will certainly greet my mother for you, it will make her day.  :Smile:

----------


## franc221

thx for sharing.I love these pics.

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## miss tenderness

wow ,fascinating pics ,Cales, I'm a fan now.

Poetess, great pictures and I'm sorry that they were taken during the war. This virgin nature should never be spoiled.

----------


## Pensive

Again some beautiful photos!

 :Biggrin:

----------


## Madhuri

You do know how to capture real beauty, Claes.... :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Wow, Claes. Your photos are very inspiring! It makes me want to take up photography!  Do you work for a magazine?


Yes please, do take up photography. If I achieve that, you have definitely made my day: I love it when I can inspire others :Smile:  I have never worked for a magazine, but I *have* in fact had some pictures published. As it happens I took up photography in the 70's (only black and white, back then - I even bought 35mm film in 50m batches and loaded the cassettes myself!). I spent many hours in the darkroom.  :Smile:  




> Again, those are absolutely stunning, Claes!  And I will certainly greet my mother for you, it will make her day.


Thank you, and happy to oblige.  :Biggrin:  




> You do know how to capture real beauty, Claes....


I know... I married her  :Biggrin:  

/Claes

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## Laindessiel

Wonderful photos again Claes! I asore those century-old trains and how you captured the animals' activity. Their eyes full of vibrancy, their movements so spontaneous. And a street doesn't look that magnificent. 

Now WHERE IS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC?????

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Time for another batch? Here we go:


A wintery creek in Torshälla, Sweden. I realize that this is not evident from the picture, but it was actually taken inside the premises of a Cold Rolling plant... where I happen to work.


Bottlenose Dolphins at Kolmården Wildlife Center close to Norrköping, Sweden.


Assisi, Italia. We visited it on a business trip to a supplier nearby.


Colloseum, Roma, Italia. 


Totte Viking at Ekeby Riding School, in Eskilstuna Sweden. A nice and mildmannered Pony.


Old Town of Eskilstuna, Sweden. Some of those buildings are from the 18th century.


Gliders returning to Ekeby Gliding Club, Eskilstuna, Sweden, after completing the task of the day during the world Gliding Championships of 2006. I used to fly there myself in the 70's and 80's. 


Bug at Öland, Sweden.


Butterfly at Borgholm, Öland, Sweden.


Bumble bee at south Öland, Sweden.

/Claes

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## Poetess

Great Claes..
Where have you been to?
Only Sweden and Italy?

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Wow, I was just looking through this thread, and Claes, your photographs are real works of art. Simply amazing.  :Smile:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Where have you been to?
> Only Sweden and Italy?


Oh no, I have been around a bit: As a matter of fact, I answered that very question in post no #24 of Pensive's thread Tell us about the countries you have visited., and I think the list still holds, but I hope to add to it. 

The thing is that I finally abandoned my old 35mm system camera and went digital in 2004. Any pictures taken earlier will have to be scanned, and I *am* currently transfering my old shots to digital format, but the time... It's slow going, and I am not going to scan all of it. There is just too much.

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

Which digital camera you use? How many pixels? What picture quality you set (in terms of pixels) for taking such photographs?

Could you share with us, what you think or any method you adopt while taking these shots?  :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Which digital camera you use? How many pixels? What picture quality you set (in terms of pixels) for taking such photographs?


Happy to oblige: Nothing fancy, just run of the mill equipment:

1: A Sony Cybershot pocket camera - 5.1 Megapixles.
2: A SonyEricsson K750i cell phone with a 2.0 Megapixles camera (Used for the pony and Eskilstuna Old Town pictures in the above post). 




> Could you share with us, what you think or any method you adopt while taking these shots?


That's harder, because I don't really know. I'm not doing it consiously, but I can tell you this much: 

I am always actively looking for *the* picture. Both of the above pieces of equipment are also equipped with 2Gb memory cards, and that is important, because it allows me to take chances (and get lots of failed shots  :Wink:  ) in order to get that one great one. I experiment a lot  :FRlol:  

The fact that I nearly always carry one or both cams also means that they are available when the opportunity presents itself.

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> Happy to oblige: Nothing fancy, just run of the mill equipment:
> 
> 1: A Sony Cybershot pocket camera - 5.1 Megapixles.
> 2: A SonyEricsson K750i cell phone with a 2.0 Megapixles camera (Used for the pony and Eskilstuna Old Town pictures in the above post).


Really?? I thought you must be using some hi-fi camera, that has some 10 different types of focus and zoom and lens protruding some 2 feet..hehehe.... :Biggrin: 

You do know how to take pictures, Claes.  :Thumbs Up: 




> Both of the above pieces of equipment are also equipped with 2Gb memory cards, and that is important, because it allows me to take chances (and get lots of failed shots  ) in order to get that one great one. I experiment a lot  
> 
> The fact that I nearly always carry one or both cams also means that they are available when the opportunity presents itself.
> 
> /Claes


This is the key, I suppose, there is a lot of hardwork that goes before a masterpiece gets made... :Biggrin: 

Thanks, Claes.  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

When do we get to see more??  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Oh I've been meaning to do this but kept forgetting. I never posted pictures of my trip to the fingerlakes in New York state. Here are some nice ones. This lake is like 30 miles long and about a half mile wide, long and skinny. All of them are like that. That's why they are called finger lakes. This was late October, so you can see the beautiful fall colors.

----------


## Madhuri

Very nice pictures, Virgil. I really liked the 2nd and 3rd pictures. It seemed as if a solitary person is in a very thoughtful mood, trying to look beyond the horizon.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> When do we get to see more??


How about now? I held off a bit to see if anyone else felt like posting a few, and then Virgil came to the rescue.




> Oh I've been meaning to do this but kept forgetting. I never posted pictures of my trip to the fingerlakes in New York state.


 Good ones Virgil. I like those Autumn colours.

...and here is another batch of mine:


Bull contemplating the sea, at the south tip of Öland, Sweden.


The Lynx cage at Öland Zoo, Sweden. The cats were making an awful racket (Imagine a furious house cat x 10!), due to a dog outside the fence.


En route to work, between Esklstuna and Torshälla, Sweden.


Same as above with different settings.


Yours truly (To the left, I might add) with Power Play at Ekeby Riding School, Eskilstuna, Sweden.


November morning in Gothembourg Harbour

/Claes

----------


## kathycf

Claes and Virgil, those are wonderful pictures! I love the fall colors and those cats at the zoo are just lovely. Nice!

----------


## Riesa

I second Kathy! Beatiful pictures, Virgil and Claes

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Claes. I like the ones with the bicycles with sunset best. Very nice affect. There is something very interesting about the cow on the sea.

Photography has been one of my hobbies too. Unfortunately most of my really good photos were before the digital revolution. I will have to get them scanned.

----------


## miss tenderness

Virg<<<<wonderful, wow, I especially loved the third one,felt so lonely and dramatic.


Cales,our talented photographer, the one with the bycicle is exclusevely amazing.


keep showing us ,guys. I love photoes.

----------


## Madhuri

These are beautiful as always.  :Nod:  And, as Virgil said, I too liked the sunset one with the bicycle, a lot. I have never seen cats like the ones in the picture, the tail seems too short...hehehe.  :Biggrin:  Very nice effects in all the pictures.  :Smile: 

You look very different from your avy picture. Do you really go to work on a bicycle?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Nice pictures Claes. I like the ones with the bicycles with sunset best. Very nice affect.


Thank you. Want to know how I got the colour in the second one? I pulled out my cell phone cam and shot the picture through by bike goggles...  :Biggrin:  


> There is something very interesting about the cow on the sea.


Indeed there is: It is a bull.  :FRlol:   :Wink:  



> keep showing us ,guys. I love photoes.


Will do. I just have to put the scanner to work.



> You look very different from your avy picture.


And yet it is me, I assure you.  :Biggrin:  


> Do you really go to work on a bicycle?


I really do... All year round. We have no snow at the moment, but the winter tires are on, complete with studs and all.

/Claes

----------


## Logos

> Yours truly (To the left, I might add) with Power Play at Ekeby Riding School, Eskilstuna, Sweden. 
> /Claes


Those are lovely images Claes! How often do you ride horseback?

----------


## SleepyWitch

> Wintery picture from New Years Eve 2004. Eskilstuna, Sweden.


WOW, Claes, this is absolutely breathtaking!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Those are lovely images Claes! How often do you ride horseback?


I don't actually, but my daughter does, and for several reasons I always go with her: First of all, it is a great opportunity to spend time together and see her skills grow. It is also very different from what I do at work, and i think I need the contrast. Then there is the fact that I usually get along very well with animals, horses included. I simply like them.  :Smile:  

I am planning to try it myself though, and I think the missus would like to give it a go as well. 

/Claes

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## Logos

Oh well that's great that you go with your daughter  :Smile:  it's great exercise, you use most of the same muscles as when riding a bike, you'd probably do very well on a horse!

_"There's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."_--Ronald Reagan, 40th American President
.
.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> it's great exercise, you use most of the same muscles as when riding a bike, you'd probably do very well on a horse!


I shall find out in due time. I have never spent time on horseback, but I have in fact managed to ride camels for hours on end without experiencing any ill effects.  :Wink:  

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> These are beautiful as always.  And, as Virgil said, I too liked the sunset one with the bicycle, a lot. I have never seen cats like the ones in the picture, the tail seems too short...hehehe.  Very nice effects in all the pictures.


I believe the cats are lynxes. Are they native to Sweeden, Claes?

More info on lynxes here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx





> Thank you. Want to know how I got the colour in the second one? I pulled out my cell phone cam and shot the picture through by bike goggles...  Indeed there is: It is a bull.   
> Will do. I just have to put the scanner to work.
> /Claes


Great trick with the goggles! I assume they were tinted? As to the bull, I didn't look under the hood to check.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Taliesin

> Yours truly (To the left, I might add) with Power Play at Ekeby Riding School, Eskilstuna, Sweden.


Your left or our left?

We miss the snow now, Claes. It is supposed to be winter, but no proper snow.

Anyway, we got a digital camera for christmas and did some photos.
Self-portrait:



The things deathwatches write:



Lightning-rod


Winter is late. There is too little snow - and this was taken on a good day.


Part of our hometown Tartu:


We use a Deviantart gallery for putting them up into the net.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I believe the cats are lynxes. Are they native to Sweeden, Claes?


Correct on both accounts  :Thumbs Up:  



> Great trick with the goggles! I assume they were tinted?


Just one of many up my sleeve.  :Wink:  Yes, slightly tinted. It was in fact the ones I'm wearing in my avatar picture (I know - They appear black in the picture).


> We miss the snow now, Claes. It is supposed to be winter, but no proper snow.


We have no snow either, but saying that I actually miss the stuff would not be entirely true... I have been shoveling enough of it around over the years.


> Part of our hometown Tartu:


Aha... I'd like to see more of it.  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

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## Poetess

> Winter is late. There is too little snow - and this was taken on a good day.


this pic confused me, I was just wondering what those light-brown colored are! LEAVES! 




> Part of our hometown Tartu:


I did like it. Isn`t it a village?
Villages in my country look like this.. I love such views.

They are all picturesque.

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## miss tenderness

wow , Tal ,wonderful.


My latest photo:



a person tring to catch a dream>>>

the origional is black:


which is better? black or brown? or all are not :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Cool. I think I like the brown a lttle better. But just a little. Is that your hand?

----------


## miss tenderness

nah :Biggrin:  :Biggrin: my hand is the one posted with fire before.

I wanted the hand to be close to the sun ,like if it would catch it,but saddly I couldn't make it.

----------


## miss tenderness

> Will do. I just have to put the scanner to work.
> 
> 
> /Claes


when is that? :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> My latest photo ... which is better? black or brown? or all are not


Very creative picture, and good results. Good job there.  :Thumbs Up:  I like both, but I think I prefer the black one. Just a word of caution (I'm sure you thought about it, but others may not): Be very careful when taking such pictures. Aiming a camera at the sun could damage both it, and more importantly, your eye in no time flat.




> when is that?


ASAP. I may get a bit done during this weekend, but one never knows: My wife just mentioned that she wants some work done. That sounds a lot like "heavy manual labour". We shall see  :FRlol:  

/Claes

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## Virgil

I have my pictures of Niagara Falls on digits. Here are a few. I took so many I don't really know which are best.

----------


## Idril

Oh, those are beautiful, Virgil! I would love to see those up close and personal some day.

Here are some pictures, again from my parents' place...that seems to be the only place I ever take pictures anymore. The first one is of the same path to the beach I posted earlier, just a different season. I don't know how well the picture captures the contrast in color, the reds of the willow trees, the gold of the...something else. The gold comes out but the red looks a little less brilliant than it actually was.



And these pictures, too, are of the same 'forest in the lake' that I've posted before, just frozen.

----------


## miss tenderness

> Thank you. Want to know how I got the colour in the second one? I pulled out my cell phone cam and shot the picture through by bike goggles...


Yay, nice. Look how simple things can make great difference. We'd love to hear your little tricks ,Cales.





> Just a word of caution (I'm sure you thought about it, but others may not): Be very careful when taking such pictures. Aiming a camera at the sun could damage both it, and more importantly, your eye in no time flat.


Does this apply to my cell phone cam? Because all of my shots are quick ones and not by a real cam! I assure you, the sun will never notice my little cell phone cam :Biggrin: 


for your wife thing , we shall see  :FRlol: 

Virg, wow, i'd love to visit Niagara falls ,really amazing. The first and the forth ones are my fav.

Idril , how much does it cost to take a trip to ur parent's place :FRlol:

----------


## miss tenderness

here are some shots I took in Al-Jinadriah festival , a traditional festival that we have every year reviving old traditional things:



traditional door:

----------


## Nightshade

ooh nice.... wheres this T?
somewhere in the 7'aleeg?

----------


## Virgil

Looks like a cool place, Taleen!

----------


## kilted exile

> I have my pictures of Niagara Falls on digits. Here are a few. I took so many I don't really know which are best.


Some interesting info regarding the Falls:

1) The Falls are slower at night, as some water is siphoned off for other uses

2) The amount of mist at the Falls has increased due to the building of the Casino & hotels in the surrounding area which has affected wind patterns

----------


## brainstrain

The picture to the left is the last photo of my Grandparent's house before it was sold. My rich-beyond-reason uncle apparantley thinks that three generations of memories have too high a price (My grandparent's can no longer take care of themselves, so we moved them into assisted living, and had to sell their gorgeous house because my uncle wouldn't pay to have it taken care of. Don't say that he couldn't, he has lived in three different houses during my lifetime because the first two "weren't quite right". Why do the stupid people get all the money >_<?)

*sniffle* but I got some great pictures of the place before I left, so I will always remember my Grandparents and their beloved Lakehouse...

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I have my pictures of Niagara Falls on digits. Here are a few. I took so many I don't really know which are best.


Nor do I, but they are good.  :Thumbs Up:  I would love to go there some day.




> And these pictures, too, are of the same 'forest in the lake' that I've posted before, just frozen.


Nice!  :Thumbs Up:  




> Does this apply to my cell phone cam?


I'm afraid it does... as far as the cam is concerned. Your eye, on the other hand would probably be spared thanks to the fact that a cell phone uses a screen rather than a "proper" viewfinder.




> here are some shots I took in Al-Jinadriah festival , a traditional festival that we have every year reviving old traditional things:


I like those  :Thumbs Up:  Great composition.

/Claes

----------


## miss tenderness

> ooh nice.... wheres this T?
> somewhere in the 7'aleeg?


yes,Nighty. It's in Riyadh city . We have this festival every year , in which old things and old professions are shown. Things that hadly exist these days.

----------


## Themis

> I have my pictures of Niagara Falls on digits. Here are a few. I took so many I don't really know which are best.


So beautiful! They're marvellous.

@Idril: I love the first picture, it's very good. Seems rather tranquil. Like on a painting.

----------


## B-Mental

> Oh, those are beautiful, Virgil! I would love to see those up close and personal some day.
> 
> Here are some pictures, again from my parents' place...that seems to be the only place I ever take pictures anymore. The first one is of the same path to the beach I posted earlier, just a different season. I don't know how well the picture captures the contrast in color, the reds of the willow trees, the gold of the...something else. The gold comes out but the red looks a little less brilliant than it actually was.
> 
> 
> 
> And these pictures, too, are of the same 'forest in the lake' that I've posted before, just frozen.


Great pics Idril. Where are you in North Dakota? It looks like the southwest part of the state to me.

----------


## miss tenderness

and Idril, who is the little boy :Biggrin: ?

----------


## Themis

Some more pictures from Canada. (I only regret not being able to show the picture I took of the only Mountie (on a horse!) I've ever seen. Alas, when I took that picture it was night, we were very excited and some of us were trying not to squeal with delight. ... while also trying to not look like they were in any way acquainted with those of us who _did_ squeal.)


A canyon which is normally full of water and, of course, was close to being absolutely dry when we came by.



Toronto, once again. This time as seen from the CN Tower. The second picture is seen through the glassfloor. Not that good a picture since my foot's in the way but when I took the picture, it was supposed to be evidence that we (my brother and I) really were standing there.



Birds everywhere.  :Wink:  


Another one of the many, many pictures I took of a lake. Or alternatively, the sky.

----------


## B-Mental

nice pics themis... it always seems like the falls or canyons are dry when you go somewhere. Unless you go there intentionally during the wet season. When I go in the wet season, it will be dry.

----------


## Nick Rubashov

Big image, sorry bout that. Just something I took last time I was in Pennsylvania. It's the only picture I have online at the moment.

----------


## ktd222

> Big image, sorry bout that. Just something I took last time I was in Pennsylvania. It's the only picture I have online at the moment.


I've never been to Pennsylvania. Is that beautiful scenery of Pennsylvania set in winter?

----------


## Pensive

Beautiful pictures! I have got some photos that I took of a barrage, but sadly haven't got them on computer.

----------


## Idril

> Idril , how much does it cost to take a trip to ur parent's place


Quite a lot, I'm afraid, coming from where you'd be coming from...but you're always welcome.  :Wink:  




> Great pics Idril. Where are you in North Dakota? It looks like the southwest part of the state to me.


It's the northwest, actually. My parents live just a few miles north of New Town, if that means anything to you, right between Minot and Williston. I live in the south central part of the state but it's not nearly as pretty, although we do have the Missouri River so I guess we too, have our attractions.




> and Idril, who is the little boy?


He's my youngest son. I try not to post any pictures of them because it seems an invasion of their privacy but that figure added so much to the picture and you can't see any details anyway other than his messy hair so I decided to go for it.  :Tongue: 

Miss Tenderness, I love those pictures! I love how busy everything is, you could stare at that picture for hours and still discover new things.

Themis, I love the lake one. All the pictures are beautiful but it was the lake and the reflection of the trees that really caught my attention.

Nik, is that picture in sepia or is my monitor out of whack? I love the swing, there's always something so mournful about a still swing.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> A canyon which is normally full of water and, of course, was close to being absolutely dry when we came by.


Still a very nice view  :Thumbs Up:  


> The second picture is seen through the glassfloor.


Gah! How... thrilling...  :Eek:  


> Birds everywhere.


So I see. Phalacrocorax carbo, I believe?


> Just something I took last time I was in Pennsylvania. It's the only picture I have online at the moment.


Could you get more of your pictures online? I, for one, would like to see them.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## miss tenderness

> Some more pictures from Canada. (I only regret not being able to show the picture I took of the only Mountie (on a horse!) I've ever seen. Alas, when I took that picture it was night, we were very excited and some of us were trying not to squeal with delight. ... while also trying to not look like they were in any way acquainted with those of us who _did_ squeal.)
> 
> 
> A canyon which is normally full of water and, of course, was close to being absolutely dry when we came by.
> 
> 
> 
> Toronto, once again. This time as seen from the CN Tower. The second picture is seen through the glassfloor. Not that good a picture since my foot's in the way but when I took the picture, it was supposed to be evidence that we (my brother and I) really were standing there.
> 
> ...


nice , wow. The last one is amazing.

----------


## miss tenderness

> [IMG]
> 
> Big image, sorry bout that. Just something I took last time I was in Pennsylvania. It's the only picture I have online at the moment.


Nick ,lovely picture,very expressive.AS Cales suggested ,we would love to see more of these.

----------


## miss tenderness

Idril , he's so cute :Smile: 
when we'll see the rest?

----------


## Themis

> Gah! How... thrilling...


 :Biggrin:  It´s better when seen through the lense. But we did pass by that floor twice before we managed to step onto it. 




> Phalacrocorax carbo, I believe?


Possible but I couldn't say. The only birds I recognize are sparrows.

----------


## DKelly

GORGEOUS PHOTOS ALL !!!!!!!

Here's a few of mine.....















Yours Truely!! :Wave:

----------


## kathycf

Very nice, DKelly. But then we know Massachusetts has a wonderful coastline, correct?  :Wink:   :Biggrin:  


Here are a few more of mine....

----------


## bluevictim

> Very nice, DKelly. But then we know Massachusetts has a wonderful coastline, correct?   
> 
> 
> Here are a few more of mine....


What is being covered up by that green rectangle?

----------


## Nick Rubashov

> I've never been to Pennsylvania. Is that beautiful scenery of Pennsylvania set in winter?


Summertime actually. My family owns a farm in Wysox, Pennsylvania, which is in the north-east area of the state. The farm is in the mountains and fall/winter is absolutely beautiful. Too bad I only get a chance to visit in the summer since I live all the way down in Houston. I'll try to post some more when I get the time.

----------


## kathycf

> What is being covered up by that green rectangle?


You know I was wondering that myself...apparently this:


 :Wink:

----------


## miss tenderness

COOL Dkelly :Smile: 


Kath, those are fantastic , the flower and everything.

----------


## miss tenderness

COOL Dkelly :Smile: 


Kath, those are fantastic , the flower and everything.

----------


## Themis

@DKelly: They're beautiful!

----------


## ktd222

Dkelly: wow, it must be amazing to tour the seas that way. You must have a lot of amazing pictures of amazing places

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Here's a few of mine.....


Very nice, DKelly  :Thumbs Up:  I'll see if I can dig up a few sailing pictures too.




> Here are a few more of mine....


I say... Whoever thought a tombstone could look so good? Very creative  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## DKelly

*Thank you all!  Yes, I love the sea and sailing! 

Claes. Do you sail? I have sailed ( rented) out of Stockholm. Nice sailing around the archipelago! I cannot wait to see YOUR sailing pics! I bet they are so much more impressive than mine! I do photography just for fun, and as you know, the temperament of the sea is really hard to capture in a photo. In some of my pics, I am sailing in 5-9 ft swells.

I also love to photograph flowers and birds as well. Nature scenes and city scenes. The animal photos on here are amazing!!!*

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes. Do you sail?


Not really, but I join friends when I get half a chance. I have no boat of my own.

I have been doing a bit of work with the scanner, but I'll post those in the mean time:


Young mallards at Sundbyholm, Eskilstuna Sweden.


Orchid in mum's window.


Sunset over Mälaren, 2004.


Snow house at Sundbyholm, Eskilstuna Sweden. Winter 2005/2006.

/Claes

----------


## JackShea

Great pictures by all. Thanks for sharing. Anyway DKELLY can sail on up to Maine and snag me a lobster!!!!...Best...Jack

----------


## SleepyWitch

aaaaaw, Claes, those ducklings are soooooooo cute!

----------


## miss tenderness

yeah , wonderful Cales. The third one is breathetaking.


waiting for more :Smile:

----------


## bluevictim

> You know I was wondering that myself...apparently this:


Too funny! Hey, is that raspberry jam I see on the sign?

----------


## SleepyWitch



----------


## SleepyWitch



----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Nice work, sleepy!  :Thumbs Up:  What did you do? Solarisation? I used to do that in the darkroom.

/Claes

----------


## SleepyWitch

yep i solarized them in corel photo paint.

----------


## Madhuri

I missed so many pages of pictures in this thread. These pictures are like a tonic for my eyes, all are sooo goood  :Biggrin: , but the sad part is that it makes me want to visit all these places  :Frown: .

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> but the sad part is that it makes me want to visit all these places .


Sad, Maddie? Why? I'm sure you *will* visit quite a few of them...

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

I dont know...I just have this feeling that I will never ever be able to see so many places. But, I wish, I wish.......till then i'll make do with these pictures.  :Biggrin:

----------


## ktd222

Sleepywitch,

Nice image, but what an intimidating perspective!

----------


## SleepyWitch

yeah, ktd222, the Gherkin looks a bit like an alien space ship doesn't it? not to mention Lloyd's  :Smile:

----------


## grace86

Science and Industry Museum, Chicago

----------


## grace86

Lake Michigan, and Chicago



Sears Tower From LaSalle Train Station, Chicago (I went up there!)


I'll post more later.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Hey, there're some familiar sights. When were you out here in Chicago Grace?

----------


## grace86

This past August Petrarch. On vacation with my sweetie. Do you live IN Chicago?

----------


## Virgil

Here's another from Niagara Falls. An interesting picture, and I should give credit to my wife for taking it. That's me in silhouette.

----------


## ktd222

grace,

the light almost makes the building look divine.

----------


## ktd222

Virgil,

nice picture. the water looks like it's about to engulf you. "Run"!!!

----------


## Virgil

> Virgil,
> 
> nice picture. the water looks like it's about to engulf you. "Run"!!!


 :FRlol:  Funny. Actually that waist high railing is all that separates one from going over the falls to death.

----------


## kathycf

Some more great pictures from all of you guys. I loved those little ducklings, Claes.  :Smile:  




> Too funny! Hey, is that raspberry jam I see on the sign?


You know, it just might be! Does the Latvian priest remove that too?  :FRlol:  



> I say... Whoever thought a tombstone could look so good? Very creative  
> /Claes


Thank you. I took these at the cemetary last spring. When I go to plant flowers on my mother's grave, I bring my camera and take some pictures as well. The cemetary is old (at least by American standards..early 1700's) and some of the artwork is amazing. If you seperate out the fact that it is a gravestone, some of these monuments are very interesting. 





My mum really loved johnny jump ups and pansies so my sister and I planted some very pretty ones for her.

----------


## ktd222

> My mum really loved johnny jump ups and pansies so my sister and I planted some very pretty ones for her.


That is so sweet.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> This past August Petrarch. On vacation with my sweetie. Do you live IN Chicago?


August must have been a nice time to be out here. Yes, I'm a student here in Chicago, though I still spend most of the summer back in California. I live down south in the Hyde Park neighborhood, not terribly far from the Museum of Science and Industry. I've been walking by there sometimes when it looks just like that in the light. You captured it well. I know the spot where you took that Sears Tower shot too. I really like that one. It looks like your pic. of the lake is facing south. Did you by chance walk out to the point near the Museum of Science and Industry? There's a great view northward of the city skyline from there.

----------


## grace86

> August must have been a nice time to be out here. Yes, I'm a student here in Chicago, though I still spend most of the summer back in California. I live down south in the Hyde Park neighborhood, not terribly far from the Museum of Science and Industry. I've been walking by there sometimes when it looks just like that in the light. You captured it well. I know the spot where you took that Sears Tower shot too. I really like that one. It looks like your pic. of the lake is facing south. Did you by chance walk out to the point near the Museum of Science and Industry? There's a great view northward of the city skyline from there.


Didn't know you were a native Californian either. Cool. I went through Hyde Park going to the Science museum - it is very beautiful there. I think it was about 4 p.m. when I took the picture in front of the museum - closing time I think. Yes I did walk straight from the museum, under the freeway bridge and to the lake.

I wasn't used to seeing a lake like that, I am used to Newport and Huntington Beach here in CA. So it was different seeing the sediments in the water.

I have more pictures from Chicago I'll post tomorrow. We also had the opportunity to head out to the Field Museum for the King Tut exhibit. No pics of Tut though  :Frown:

----------


## grace86

> grace,
> 
> the light almost makes the building look divine.


Thanks, it was quite by accident that the light came out that way (ssshh), came out wonderful though.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> I wasn't used to seeing a lake like that, I am used to Newport and Huntington Beach here in CA. So it was different seeing the sediments in the water.


Grace--are you living in either Newport or Huntington? H.B.'s my home town. Small world.  :Smile:  It was strange for me when I first moved here because the Lake is so big like the ocean but still so different. The lake doesn't have the waves, or that nice salty scent, and of course you don't usually find ice floating around off the California coast.  :FRlol: 



> I have more pictures from Chicago I'll post tomorrow. We also had the opportunity to head out to the Field Museum for the King Tut exhibit. No pics of Tut though


Sounds like fun. I caught the Tut exhibit in L.A., so I didn't see it at the Field. It was a nice exhibit.

----------


## bluevictim

> I wasn't used to seeing a lake like that, I am used to Newport and Huntington Beach here in CA. So it was different seeing the sediments in the water.





> Grace--are you living in either Newport or Huntington? H.B.'s my home town.


No kidding?! I'm from HB too. Small world indeed.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> No kidding?! I'm from HB too. Small world indeed.


Wow! Two people here from H.B. would be coincidence, but three? That's practically enough for an H.B. lit. net. club.  :FRlol:  Are you still there Blue Victim, or just from there?

----------


## grace86

I don't live in Huntington or Newport, actually about half an hour east of Newport, near Ontario.

Wow, so many California natives. That is so neat. 

Someone once told me that you can tell if a person is from California based on the fact that if you ask them how far something is, they answer in how much time it takes to get there....like "*half an hour* east of Newport" for example.

I'm glad I am not the only CA native here.

Yeah, Petrarch, I know exactly how you felt when you saw the lake.

----------


## bluevictim

> Wow! Two people here from H.B. would be coincidence, but three? That's practically enough for an H.B. lit. net. club.  Are you still there Blue Victim, or just from there?


I'm just from there; I don't live in HB anymore. I still have family and friends there, though, so I visit four or five times a year. Imagine that! Maybe there was a time when we were next to each other sitting in traffic on the 405.




> Someone once told me that you can tell if a person is from California based on the fact that if you ask them how far something is, they answer in how much time it takes to get there....like "*half an hour* east of Newport" for example.


There's another test that's even more specific: you can tell if a person is from Southern California if he/she uses the definite article for freeway/highway numbers.
"Take 10 and exit Main St." -- not from Southern California
"Take the 10 and exit Main St." -- Southern Californian

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> 'm just from there; I don't live in HB anymore. I still have family and friends there, though, so I visit four or five times a year. Imagine that! Maybe there was a time when we were next to each other sitting in traffic on the 405.


A distinct possibility. Or, even more likely given that we're both on this forum, we may have been on opposite sides of a bookshelf at the Central Library.  :Smile: 





> Someone once told me that you can tell if a person is from California based on the fact that if you ask them how far something is, they answer in how much time it takes to get there....like "half an hour east of Newport" for example.





> There's another test that's even more specific: you can tell if a person is from Southern California if he/she uses the definite article for freeway/highway numbers.
> "Take 10 and exit Main St." -- not from Southern California
> "Take the 10 and exit Main St." -- Southern Californian


 :FRlol:  I never noticed that. I'll have to listen carefully to what my Chicago friends say. Maybe they're really confused when I tell them I live about a half hour from there on the 90.

----------


## Janine

> Didn't know you were a native Californian either. Cool. I went through Hyde Park going to the Science museum - it is very beautiful there. I think it was about 4 p.m. when I took the picture in front of the museum - closing time I think. Yes I did walk straight from the museum, under the freeway bridge and to the lake.
> 
> I wasn't used to seeing a lake like that, I am used to Newport and Huntington Beach here in CA. So it was different seeing the sediments in the water.
> 
> I have more pictures from Chicago I'll post tomorrow. We also had the opportunity to head out to the Field Museum for the King Tut exhibit. No pics of Tut though


Grace, How was the King Tut show? I am going to get tickets for it soon. It will be in Philadelphia this spring. I think actually it starts around Feb. I can't wait to see it. What... no photos of Tut, himself? Ah.... :Frown:

----------


## Janine

> That is so sweet.


Kathycf, I love your photographs of the tombstones. Gorgeous stuff! I like the flower one, too! 
I want to post some photos, but I can't recall my passwork in "Photobucket", nor it seems my domain name. I thought I wrote it down and now I can't find it. What now? :Eek2:  Mad at myself for being so thoughless.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> but I can't recall my passwork in "Photobucket", nor it seems my domain name. I thought I wrote it down and now I can't find it. What now?:


You still have a good chance. Can you remember how you named the pictures? Just one of them will do: Then use the pictures search in Google. Once you have found it you can backtrack to your page by closing the frame (top right corner) That way you should be able to retrieve your domain name and then be able to get a new password from the bucket.

Good luck...

/Claes

----------


## Janine

> You still have a good chance. Can you remember how you named the pictures? Just one of them will do: Then use the pictures search in Google. Once you have found it you can backtrack to your page by closing the frame (top right corner) That way you should be able to retrieve your domain name and then be able to get a new password from the bucket.
> 
> Good luck...
> 
> /Claes



Claes, You are a life-saver! Great idea. I do know the names of them. One is posted in the forum. Wow, I had not thought of that way into the site. Thanks so much.....Janine

----------


## miss tenderness

here's another ordinary one :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> here's another ordinary one


Ooooo. Nice....

/Claes

----------


## kathycf

> here's another ordinary one


If by _ordinary_, you mean _very striking_, then I suppose I agree with you. Nice pic, miss T.

----------


## Chava

Part of a fence decoration in Montpellier that i found astounding, it's taken from below, so that it looks like a dragon.

----------


## kathycf

> Kathycf, I love your photographs of the tombstones. Gorgeous stuff! I like the flower one, too! 
> I want to post some photos, but I can't recall my passwork in "Photobucket", nor it seems my domain name. I thought I wrote it down and now I can't find it. What now? Mad at myself for being so thoughless.


Oh thank you Janine. In addition to what Claes suggested, there might be a password retrieval system at photobucket as well. When you go to log in, there should be a "- Forgot username or password? Click here! -" link for you. Check it out!  :Smile:   :Smile: 

*edit* That is a very gothic looking fence, Chava. Nice.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> it looks like a dragon.


It really does. Very nice  :Thumbs Up:  

My turn again (been tormenting the scanner) Some old stuff from 1993 - A month in Paris:


Arc de Triomphe.


View from Arc de Triomphe.


Champs Élysées from Arc de Triomphe.


Veiw from Arc de Triomphe de la Défence.


The helipad on Arc de Triomphe de la Défence.


Arc de Triomphe de la Défence.


Gargoyle at Notre Dame.


Another shot from Notre Dame.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Great photos as usual Claes. I particularly like the gargoyles. Modern art and architecture is so steril compared to previous.

----------


## miss tenderness

nice shot,Chava from a nice angle. It really looks like a dragon.

Cales:yours are always exceptional. The first and the last are my favorites.

----------


## miss tenderness

here's the two towers in Malaysia by my cell cam:

----------


## miss tenderness

another one I named my old road:



another one:



hope you like them :Smile:

----------


## ktd222

ClaesGefvenberg,

great photos of Paris! Ah, I should start travelling. There is so much beauty to experience.

----------


## Madhuri

Claes -- I really liked the views fron Notre Dame, there is something scary in these pictures. 

Miss T -- The legs one is a very good shot  :Nod:

----------


## Virgil

Miss T, all three of yours are excellent. Something very interesting and different about the one with the legs.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Modern art and architecture is so steril compared to previous.


Yes, but I have to admire the French in that respect: They have no qualms about mixing new and old architecture, and they usually do it well.

miss tenderness: Great shots, particularly the legs in the rain.  :Thumbs Up:  





> Claes -- I really liked the views fron Notre Dame, there is something scary in these pictures.


How about these, from the catacombes, then?


We went there a rainy day. Somehow the weather mattered little down there in the eerie quiet world some 30m below street level...


And another one from the same place.


14 July, 1993.


14 July, 1993, at the Champs Élysées.


14 July, 1993, at the Champs Élysées.


The Metro, Paris 1993.


La Défence, Paris


La Défence, Paris

/Claes

----------


## grace86

I love everyone's pictures.

Claes, the catacombs are great...where are they at?? In Paris?

----------


## grace86

> Grace, How was the King Tut show? I am going to get tickets for it soon. It will be in Philadelphia this spring. I think actually it starts around Feb. I can't wait to see it. What... no photos of Tut, himself? Ah....


No Tut mummy, which I can't exactly blame them for not putting on exhibit (guess my hopes were up) there were pictures and short clips on Tut though. I enjoyed it quite a bit. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the exhibit, all that gold and stuff. There are plenty of beautiful pieces to see though...not a waste at all.

It was very enjoyable. Have fun Janine.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

The gargoyles in in Claes' Notre Dame pictures reminded me of the gargoyles on my campus. I thought I'd post one of the guys who stares at me while I'm in the library. 


Here's a few others I took. A stone rose over the English Dept. doorway:


Decoration on the side of the English building (which I think used to be Archeology, hence the allusion to digging):



The outside of the department grad. student lounge, which is inside the top of the tower (yes we have jokes about ivory tower academics  :Tongue:  ):



Another tower on campus:

----------


## Themis

> 14 July, 1993, at the Champs &#201;lys&#233;es.
> 
> 
> 14 July, 1993, at the Champs &#201;lys&#233;es.


Oh, they remind me of some old films wherein Louis de Fun&#232;s (a famous french actor)played the lead.

Great pictures, Claes. I wouldn't have minded not looking at the skulls though. Just my personal opinion but I'm a bit touchy where dead people are concerned.

@Miss T: Excellent shots.

----------


## ktd222

Those pictures of catacombs makes me crave honey. I may just be the sickest person in the world

----------


## Madhuri

A month long tour of Paris, you are a lucky guy Claes. I wish I could see Paris.

I was reading about Catacombs, and it says one can easily get lost in those tunnels, if without a guide, and I was thinking what will I do if I get lost. I will make friends with the ghosts  :Biggrin:

----------


## miss tenderness

I've posted this drawing before, I just love it. It's my sister's little daughter's drawing:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> A month long tour of Paris, you are a lucky guy Claes.


I know I am, in several ways. The extended stay became possible thanks to some extensive planning, resulting in relatively cheap accomodation (we rented a small studio) and travel. 


> and I wish I could see Paris.


I'm sure you can, some day. I'm not that old yet (stop laughing, everyone  :Biggrin:   :Wink:  ) and I have already seen and done things I would have deemed utterly impossible not so many years ago. You never know, Maddie.

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> I'm sure you can, some day.


Thanks  :Smile: . I wish if I could, I dont want to die before I have seen places and traveled a LOT.




> I'm not that old yet (stop laughing, everyone   ) and I have already seen and done things I would have deemed utterly impossible not so many years ago. You never know, Maddie.
> 
> /Claes


 :FRlol:   :FRlol: 

Now, you sound like Virgil.  :FRlol:  He is a 45 year old youngster  :FRlol:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Now, you sound like Virgil.  He is a 45 year old youngster


Yep. We are just a couple of overaged youngsters.... I think we forgot to grow up, and I'm told the memory is prone to deteriorating even further with age... I may forget it altogether  :Tongue:  

Oi! More pictures, please.  :Biggrin:  

/Claes

----------


## bluevictim

> A distinct possibility. Or, even more likely given that we're both on this forum, we may have been on opposite sides of a bookshelf at the Central Library.


What a flood of memories, you've brought back! The most distinctive thing about that library to me is that weird spiral ramp outside in the front (which is now inside). I've always felt that it was kind of spooky for some reason. *Sigh*... "backpacking" in the park behind the library in 4th grade, those books that I used to check out over and over (about jets, sports cars, and the Peanuts), that little half-level where they used to play cartoons for kids on a big TV, the gross little break room with vending machines (now there is a hip coffee stand) ... (see my sig)

----------


## Chava

One of my favourites here. This is from Iasi in Romania, I stumbled upon this antique bookstore. The sales perosn spoke only romanian and french, which made conversation fun  :Smile:  anyway, the whole store was stacked from floor to roof, beyond the end of the shelves, and on the floor large crates of books and LP's.

----------


## kathycf

I didn't take this pic, my sister did (her puppy she got in November).
He is just *too* cute not to share it though. His name is Rudy and he is half Chihuahua and half Border Collie.

----------


## Virgil

> I didn't take this pic, my sister did (her puppy she got in November).
> He is just *too* cute not to share it though. His name is Rudy and he is half Chihuahua and half Border Collie.


He's adorable!!

----------


## kathycf

> He's adorable!!


I know, I am so jealous!  :FRlol:  I love my dog, but I just can't resist puppies.

----------


## AimusSage

> I didn't take this pic, my sister did (her puppy she got in November).
> He is just *too* cute not to share it though. His name is Rudy and he is half Chihuahua and half Border Collie.


Who was the father? For the mother dog's sake I hope it was the chihuahua, how else could the mom poop out the baby? The size difference for these dog types in this case is quite disturbing  :Eek:

----------


## kathycf

> Who was the father? For the mother dog's sake I hope it was the chihuahua, how else could the mom poop out the baby? The size difference for these dog types in this case is quite disturbing


You might be confusing a Border Collie with the dog that looks like Lassie. There are different types of Collies and Border Collies are smaller than that dog. They _are_ bigger than a chihuahua but not inordinately so.

Silly turnip,  :FRlol:  moms don't "poop" out their offspring!

----------


## Petrarch's Love

What an adorable dog--and a really cute picture of him.

----------


## AimusSage

> You might be confusing a Border Collie with the dog that looks like Lassie. There are different types of Collies and Border Collies are smaller than that dog. They _are_ bigger than a chihuahua but not inordinately so.
> 
> Silly turnip,  moms don't "poop" out their offspring!


No, I'm very certain even a small border collie is bigger than a chihuahua.

Lassie was a rough collie. My sister has a border collie, and although it's not as big as a sheppard dog, a chihuahua would be in a lot of pain if it had to give birth to a hybrid. Not to mention the fact that a chihuahua giving birth to chihuahuas is already quite troublesome.

I know they don't poop them out, but I saw you use the word quite a lot in a thread somewhere, so I used it too.  :Tongue:

----------


## kathycf

> No, I'm very certain even a small border collie is bigger than a chihuahua.





> They _are_ bigger than a chihuahua but not inordinately so.


Yes they are bigger, there is no getting around it and I don't say that they are not. However, this particular dog is still pretty small and he is already 3 and a half months old. I really don't know which parent was which, but if you think that seemed painful, can you imagine if the cross was between an Irish Wolfhound and one of those little Teacup Poodles? (!)  :Eek2:  



> Silly turnip,  moms don't "poop" out their offspring!





> I know they don't poop them out, but I saw you use the word quite a lot in a thread somewhere, so I used it too.


Ah, well that explains that then.  :Tongue:

----------


## AimusSage

> Yes they are bigger, there is no getting around it and I don't say that they are not. However, this particular dog is still pretty small and he is already 3 and a half months old. I really don't know which parent was which, but if you think that seemed painful, can you imagine if the cross was between an Irish Wolfhound and one of those little Teacup Poodles? (!)


hihi, that would be a strange dog if it was ever born...  :Biggrin:

----------


## Poetess

During my picnic to South, a month ago,
Lebanon.



Edit: The sponge in water was thrown due to the massive effect of the rocket during war, no one went down to water because there were shackled small bombs.

----------


## Poetess

Same river, different side of it.

----------


## Poetess

Same second side of the river.

----------


## ktd222

Poetess,

Those pictures just look like some ordinary country side in the United States - man, how looks can be deceptive.

----------


## miss tenderness

> I know, I am so jealous!  I love my dog, but I just can't resist puppies.


 :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Virgil

Oh, do you want to see some puppy pictures. This is Brandi when she was a pup.





Here are a couple taken by the breeder hours after birth. Brandi was of a litter of three females, and she's the one on the left.

----------


## miss tenderness

:Biggrin:  

Kathy will be like  :Mad:  from jealousy Virg.

----------


## kathycf

Lol, you got me miss T.  :Tongue:  Sooo cute!!! I love puppies. 

This is another of Rudy. It looks all blue in the background because I had to cut my sister out of it. She wouldn't like it at *all* if she thought I was putting her picture online. 



And I know I have posted this before, but this is my big overgrown puppy, Dillon. No young dog can drive a car like Dill, their feet wouldn't reach the pedals.  :FRlol:  




I didn't mention it earlier but Poetess has posted some nice autumn looking pics and I forgot to thank Petrach's Love for her compliment re: Rudy.  :Smile:

----------


## ktd222

> 


So rebellious driving without a license :Biggrin:

----------


## kathycf

> So rebellious driving without a license


Oh no no, he HAS a license. It took a while for the driving school to accept him as a pupil though. Believe it or not... :Tongue:   :Tongue:

----------


## Madhuri

Hey Virgil, the three new born puppies look very cute, it must have been a tough decision about which one to take.....

Dillon is making quite an effort, Kathy....Is he trying to impress a she-dog around??  :Tongue:

----------


## Virgil

> Hey Virgil, the three new born puppies look very cute, it must have been a tough decision about which one to take.....


Actually the breeder didn't give us a choice. I think the other two were already accounted for. We got a great dog, so I don't think it mattered.

----------


## Madhuri

hmmmmm...... :Smile:

----------


## kathycf

> Hey Virgil, the three new born puppies look very cute, it must have been a tough decision about which one to take.....
> 
> Dillon is making quite an effort, Kathy....Is he trying to impress a she-dog around??


Nope, he is just being a good driver, checking his mirror before driving off. Or maybe he has something stuck in his teeth... :Tongue:   :FRlol:  You know how sloppy dogs are.

----------


## LauraJayne

Awh :[

I don't have any awesome pictures like you guys.

Tbh, the only pictures I have are pretty vain ones of me, trying to make myself look good, although there are one or two pictures that I do like :]





I'm aware I look weird on the last one, but I thought the flowers were aceeeee! :]

x

----------


## kathycf

HI there LauraJayne. I like your pics and don't think they are vain at all. You have a pretty eye!  :Biggrin:  I think eyes are the most expressive, beautiful features that people have. This is an "artsy" one of my eyes.

----------


## miss tenderness

Laura, pretty eyes. 
 
Kathy!you are keeping this plan of torture! common ,let's see the rest of YOU!

----------


## kathycf

> Laura, pretty eyes. 
> 
> Kathy!you are keeping this plan of torture! common ,let's see the rest of YOU!


But the rest of me isn't as nice as my eyes!  :FRlol:  Plus I need to get new batteries for my camera...take my own pic as my boyfriend won't do it for me...um. You buying any of those excuses, miss T?

----------


## cuppajoe_9

This is what I look like without a hat. This was taken on an airplane, which explains my mood.

----------


## miss tenderness

haha , Kathy!nah! I'll nag you till I get to see the rest.

Cuppa, wait, as I recall , you used to have a brown pic where you wear hat ,tell you a secret: you are handsomer with the hat :Biggrin:  

but nice hair style ,I've had some moments when I wished to have this hair style.

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## LauraJayne

Haha :]

Thanks Kathycf :] and Misstenderness :]

Still.. I'm a right poser!

Love how you adjusted the picture of your eyes, great!!

xx

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## Janine

A few pictures from my garden - let's all dream!
Here's a breath of SPRING -

Butterfly Bush/Butterfly


Balloon flowers - one of my favorites flowers - love the color.


Another of Balloon Flower.

----------


## kathycf

Those are just *beautiful,* Janine. Are those hard flowers to grow?

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## Janine

Thanks Kathy, I took them about 3 or more yrs back, when I was big into tending my garden...it got too huge for me really. Think the Balloon Flowers finally did die off, but normally they came up each year. They are not that hard to grow - but you do have to water them and they have their own blooming period of time, since they are perenials. The Butterfly Bush is a cinch to grow and the butterflies will flock to it. Mine is lavender, but I believe it comes in other colors. In the fall you just cut it back about a foot or so to the ground and it grows up the following year, nicely. You do have to keep it dead-headed to have it bloom longer; that is true of most plants. Do you garden?

Thanks again for the completements of on photos - just luck I think. My camera is an older one but it still takes good closeups.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> A few pictures from my garden - let's all dream!
> Here's a breath of SPRING.


Yes, please. That is exactly what I need at the moment.... And hey: Nice pictures.  :Thumbs Up:   :Smile:  

/Claes

----------


## Janine

Yes, at least we can think about spring...dream. 
Thanks, Claes, I enjoyed the ones you posted also, of Paris. Artist's must go to Paris evenutally. Is that a photo of you standing at the top of steps holding a really large camera lens poised to take a photo? Great large shots - you can really see the city well.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I enjoyed the ones you posted also, of Paris. Artist's must go to Paris evenutally. Is that a photo of you standing at the top of steps holding a really large camera lens poised to take a photo?


Yes, that's me, so I can't take credit for that picture. The missus snapped that one (on the other hand I arranged it, so I suppose we'll have to share the praise?  :Biggrin:  ).

A little anecdote about the camera: When I went to Kenya I had it in the hand baggage (Big surprise, eh?). As it happens, The kit included a humongous tele lens (I was going to snap wildlife after all) with a pistol grip underneath for better stability. Well, I didn't realy think that time, did I? I walked right into airport security with that big tube in my bag... and the pistol grip attached... and there was a terrorist scare going on...  :Eek:  Good Grief, I'll never repeat *that* mistake! Can you imagine the reaction of security blokes when the bag with that contraption went through the X-ray?

Their hand went to their guns, and I had the time to think -uh, oh... before they ordered me to stand off and went to the bag. They opened it, and looked stunned for a second. Gales of laughter follwed, and then they hinted that maybe I ought to disassemble that thing next time. -Errrrr, yes Sir, I think I will.... :Blush:   :FRlol:  

I have more Paris pictures coming up, btw. It's just that I just have not had the time to keep the scanner running: These are from 1993, long before the digital era.

/Claes

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## Virgil

Nice photos Janine. Your flowers remind me of a Lawrence poem, "Bavarian Gentians." Blue flowers are hard to come by in nature. There aren't that many.

edit: If you wish to read that Lawrence poem I once copied it in this thread: http://www.online-literature.com/for...nce#post135040, post #18.

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## miss tenderness

Janine , dreamy pictures :Thumbs Up: :

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## Petrarch's Love

Janine, those are beautiful. Both a great photographer and a great gardener.  :Smile:  I love the color blue, especially in flowers. 

Virgil, thanks for the link to the Lawrence poem too. I hadn't read that one before. It's fantastic. Janine's flowers seem much too cheerful and above ground for that poem though.  :Wink:

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## Kebi

okay, I don't think this is brilliant, not my best-but it's kind of, well, different. Its my avatar.
Yours is great, Janine

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## Janine

> Nice photos Janine. Your flowers remind me of a Lawrence poem, "Bavarian Gentians." Blue flowers are hard to come by in nature. There aren't that many.
> 
> edit: If you wish to read that Lawrence poem I once copied it in this thread: http://www.online-literature.com/for...nce#post135040, post #18.


 :Smile:  *Virgil*, I love that Lawrence poem - I just read it recently, but thanks for the link. The biographer I just read said it was written indicating that Lawrence was grasping at life when he wrote it, well something like that. It is sad when you think of his fateful death at 44 by TB/comsumption. Knowing that makes this poem more poignant, and always makes me cry. So I agree with Petrarch on that one (it is so sad), but you are right, blue flowers are hard to come by. Actually these are more of a lavender....periwinkle, I suppose. Virgil, if you know of a hardy perennial that is actually blue, let me know. I would love to plant one next year. I had something that was actually blue once, but it did not survive more than one season. :Frown:  
Unfortunately, *Petrarch*, my poor garden used to be splendid but I let the weeds grow several years now and it is in disarray. You must read my sad poem about it called "Frozen Summer" in the "share a poem" thread. 
Thanks *miss tenderness* for the dreamy compliment. 
To *Claes*, I say - your photos are great (tell your wife she did a good job of the one of you, I am a woman so I give her all the credit...sorry) and the story was an absolute riot! I can just imagine. You should write that into a short story, Claes. 
A friend of mine was transporting 2 cats to another country. Somehow his wife got aboard the plane first with the cats and he was left in the airport and they had to contact the plane to turn around. He was checking on the cats and they were on the runway. They actually came back for him, it was layover in the US and he was speaking Japanese and English and they could hardly understand him. Needless to say, they let him on the plane. Of course, that was before airports got so strick. They may have thought him a terrorist trying to pull something today. His story was funny, also. Maybe you could start a thread - "funny airport stories"! I am sure there are many, but yours really was hysterical. :FRlol:

----------


## Virgil

> *Virgil*, I love that Lawrence poem - I just read it recently, but thanks for the link. The biographer I just read said it was written indicating that Lawrence was grasping at life when he wrote it, well something like that. It is sad when you think of his fateful death at 44 by TB/comsumption. Knowing that makes this poem more poignant, and always makes me cry. So I agree with Petrarch on that one (it is so sad), but you are right, blue flowers are hard to come by. Actually these are more of a lavender....periwinkle, I suppose. Virgil, if you know of a hardy perennial that is actually blue, let me know. I would love to plant one next year. I had something that was actually blue once, but it did not survive more than one season.


No I don't know of a blue flowering perennial. If I come across one I'll let you know. Yes that poem was towards the end of Lawrence's life. When he was ill, he did not have the energy to write novels, he lay and wrote poetry. Some of his best poetry were these end of his life poems. I've posted this one before, but it is always very touching to me.




> *Shadows* by D.H. Lawrence
> 
> And if tonight my soul may find her peace
> in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
> and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
> then I have been dipped again in God, and new created.
> 
> And if, as weeks go round, in the dark of the moon
> my spirit darkens and goes out, and soft, strange gloom
> ...

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## kathycf

> blue flowers are hard to come by. Actually these are more of a lavender....periwinkle, I suppose. Virgil, if you know of a hardy perennial that is actually blue, let me know. I would love to plant one next year. I had something that was actually blue once, but it did not survive more than one season.


You could try Bachelor Buttons. They come in different shades but one of the nicest is a deep violety blue color. I can grow them here, so you should have no trouble in your location. Try looking here for more information. (other flowers as well as bachelor buttons)

*edit* Ok they are an annual (my mistake) but they do re-seed themselves...
info and pic here.

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## Janine

> No I don't know of a blue flowering perennial. If I come across one I'll let you know. Yes that poem was towards the end of Lawrence's life. When he was ill, he did not have the energy to write novels, he lay and wrote poetry. Some of his best poetry were these end of his life poems. I've posted this one before, but it is always very touching to me.


*Virgil*, I had not read this poem before and it went straight to my heart, having read so much about Lawrence's life recently. Reading his travel books on Italy, I feel I really know the man. The poem made me cry. I love it. I will have to find it in my complete poetry volume that I got before Christmas. I have not gotten a chance to peruse it yet. I had the same copy from my library once awhile back. Now the poems take on much more meaning, after reading the biographies. Thanks for finding this poem. It is wonderful and so poignant.

*Kathcf*, Thanks for the link and the information. Yes, I do think I might have had Bachelor Buttons once awhile back, but they did not reseed for me, unfortunately. Of course it would help to water the garden once in awhile. I got lazy. But I'd love to see what the link offers......maybe....just maybe.... a revived garden this year, it's way overdue for attention. I know that you can get some annuals in a blue color. Soon I will be posting some more garden shots. I have tons of them. Next I may post the big pink hybiscus - the perennial type. The blooms can be as large as dinner plates. Also I have a lovely photo of a lily I finally lost - Horizon Lily. I enjoyed it many years but think the darn squirrels ate it. I will post garden photos so we all get a feeling of spring eventually coming...anticipation!

Ok, I revised this post to add this picture - big pink Hybiscus blossom.


Enjoy and think of summer!

----------


## geewiz

Here's a some from my cruise trip in the mediterranean (the ones in the link are larger):

http://i1.tinypic.com/34zc8kk.jpg
leaning tower...

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4927/p1000387og4.jpg

http://i3.tinypic.com/2r7u592.jpg
Greece...


back to back to back, probably belong to one guy too


the artwork there is insane...

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## Madhuri

Nice pictures, geewiz. I like the cars. Are they kind of sport cars? the designs suggests this, and I like red colour  :Biggrin: 

Its interesting to see the last picture of Greece (in the link), the houses in hilly areas are more like this, they cant expand, as in the breadth, and are vertical....

 :Smile:

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## geewiz

They are all ferrari's, that's why I took the picture. Prior to this I had never seen one in person and then I got to see three of them at the same time. A lot of nice cars/buildings in the Riviera.

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## Janine

geewiz, I was about to ask you which one was your Ferrari - nice cars!!! They have to be red - look best in red. Hot little cars!

The fountain/sculpture picture is amazing. Did Michelangelo do that sculpure? I know I have seen it before in books. Wonderful!

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> the artwork there is insane...


I'll say it is. Here is a night shot of the same place... Fontana di Trevi:






> They have to be red - look best in red. Hot little cars!


You can say that again. Two of them passed me on the autostrada towards Venice once: Boom, boom, gone... It felt like I was standing still, but I was in fact doing 170 Km/h.... I don't even want to think about *their* speed.  :Eek:  




> The fountain/sculpture picture is amazing. Did Michelangelo do that sculpure? I know I have seen it before in books. Wonderful!


The sculpture in the center is Neptune by Pietro Bracci, and it is not nearly that old: It was put in place in 1762.

/Claes

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## Virgil

You really captured the Trevi Fountain well, Claes. That's not an easy picture to take. The fountain is very wide and there isn't usually enough room to back up to get it. And there is always a crowd of people in front blocking the view. A night shot makes it look magnificent. Too bad that guy was in front waving his arm.

----------


## Janine

*Claes*, you can either paint those guys out of the foreground (I do things like that all the time in Adobe or Photoshop) or you can just crop up higher than they are - you have room. It would improve the shot. It is a wonderful photo and a nite shot as *Virgil* pointed out with the entire width of the fountain in it. Wow!

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## miss tenderness

nice picture , Gee.


Cales , your photo is wow as always :Thumbs Up: :

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> You really captured the Trevi Fountain well, Claes. That's not an easy picture to take. The fountain is very wide and there isn't usually enough room to back up to get it. And there is always a crowd of people in front blocking the view.


Thank's... Yes, you're right about the crowd: They were there. The place was absolutley jammed with people, so I had to resort to my bag of tricks: I simply held the camera as high above my head as my arm would reach when I snapped that picture. Not an easy feat with the slow shutter speed I had to use, I assure you. I had to and hold my breath in order to keep it reasonably steady.  :FRlol:  




> *Claes*, you can either paint those guys out of the foreground (I do things like that all the time in Adobe or Photoshop) or you can just crop up higher than they are - you have room. It would improve the shot.


You're right, it would. I just haven't bothered, that's all.

/Claes

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## Virgil

> Thank's... Yes, you're right about the crowd: They were there. The place was absolutley jammed with people, so I had to resort to my bag of tricks: I simply held the camera as high above my head as my arm would reach when I snapped that picture. Not an easy feat with the slow shutter speed I had to use, I assure you. I had to and hold my breath in order to keep it reasonably steady.


That's true you must have used a slow shutter speed. Well done!

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## Madhuri

Its a very long shot. How do you take such shots? or is it a normal shot, but seems like long one.....

Very nice lighting effect you have captured.

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Its a very long shot. How do you take such shots? or is it a normal shot, but seems like long one.....


Um...Well, I think I was maybe 6-7m from the fountain... At least no more than 10m.




> Very nice lighting effect you have captured.


Thank you. That, as it happens, is easy: Just refrain from using the flash. Excessive use of flash has ruined uncountable otherwise very good pictures.

/Claes

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## Janine

Claes, I copied out your photo and I put it into my Adobe Photo Deluxe and painted out those figures. The artist in me had to do it. It turned out great and was easy since that whole bottom area is basically blackish. Just clone the area of color and paint out. I used the "touch up face" in the menu option. It improved the picture - now it is a masterpiece! Want me to post it? I could upload to my hosting site and put it back in for you.

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## Madhuri

Did you make this sketch in you signature Janine?

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> The artist in me had to do it. It turned out great and was easy since that whole bottom area is basically blackish. Just clone the area of color and paint out. I used the "touch up face" in the menu option. It improved the picture - now it is a masterpiece! Want me to post it? I could upload to my hosting site and put it back in for you.


Absolutely.  :Thumbs Up:  I'm dying to see how it turned out. Then we can bask in the glory of our joint venture  :Biggrin:  

/Claes

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Ok... I still have not exhausted my supply of Paris pictures. Here is another batch, fresh from the scanner:


The Eiffel Tower... We went there straight after emerging from the Catacombes, which probably means that we achieved the greatest difference in height attainable in Paris that day.


Trocadero, seen from the tower.


Sacre-Caeur.


Catchy tunes played at the steps of Sacre-Caeur.


Cité des Sciences de Paris la Villette - Not the best known of the attractions in Paris, but pure heaven for tech nerds.


Cité des Sciences de Paris la Villette.


The last few meters of Tour de France 1993 - at Champs Élysées. Miguel Indurain won.


This poor bloke waited and waited for hours... and had fallen asleep when the tour went past him. 


And finally: A couple of night shots of the tower...

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## Madhuri

The view from the tower is sooo nice. The city looks very well planned and organised.

You must have missed taking part in the race, Claes, knowing that you too are fond of bicycling.

Do people go up the Eiffel tower? (or is it something silly that I have asked?)

And the sleepy guy looks very cute...hehehe......

I am taking the next flight to Paris, now... :Nod:   :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> The view from the tower is sooo nice. The city looks very well planned and organised.


It is, and I believe I recall reading somewhere that the wide straight boulevards is a result of Napoleons wishes. It came at a price, though: Lots of buildiings were wrecked in order to satisfy his craving for splendour.


> You must have missed taking part in the race, Claes, knowing that you too are fond of bicycling.


To be honest... No. It is a *gruelling* race. I'll venture a guess that the part of the riders anatomy in most intimate contact with said vehicle suffers badly...  :Wink:   :FRlol:  


> Do people go up the Eiffel tower?


 Oh, yes. The picture of Trocadero was taken from the top platform, some 300m agl. I would not reccomend anyone suffering from vertigo to go there, though. 


> And the sleepy guy looks very cute...hehehe......


He also looks like a chiropractor patient. Can you imagine what his neck must have felt like after hours in that tree, with his neck in that angle? I shudder at the thought.  :Sick:  


> I am taking the next flight to Paris, now...


May I reccomend that you wait a few months? If you go now, you'll most likley find it too cold for your liking. 

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> It is, and I believe I recall reading somewhere that the wide straight boulevards is a result of Napoleons wishes. It came at a price, though: Lots of buildiings were wrecked in order to satisfy his craving for splendour.


Dont know what to say, but the view is very beautiful.




> To be honest... No. It is a *gruelling* race. I'll venture a guess that the part of the riders anatomy in most intimate contact with said vehicle suffers badly...


 :Eek2: 

I understand  :Nod:  If that is so, its a wise decision not to take part, only do it if its short distance  :Biggrin: 




> Oh, yes. The picture of Trocadero was taken from the top platform, some 300m agl. I would not reccomend anyone sufferig from vertigo to go there, though.


I knew there was something silly that I asked  :Blush: , so the tower is 'The Eiffel Tower' 

Where is my mind these days?




> He also looks like a chiropractor patient. Can you imagine what his neck must have felt like after hours in that tree, with his neck in that angle? I shudder at the thought.


I saw the picture again and I was wondering, how did he climb the tree? There doesnt seem anything to hold on to for climbing. Oh, well, people do silly things all the time and can fall asleep anywhere.  :Rolleyes:   :Biggrin:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Where is my mind these days?


In Paris?

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> In Paris?
> 
> /Claes


 :FRlol:   :FRlol: 

Possibly.... :Biggrin:

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## Niamh

Okay i didnt take these pictures but i think they are lovely and wanted to share them with you all!

This was taken by my friend Mickaela when she was visiting the west of Ireland. 


And this was taken by my Friend Jens Friend Andy. Its a picture of the custom House in Dublin.

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## miss tenderness

wow , Cales :Thumbs Up: :

Niamh, breath taking pictures,loved them so much, you have real talented friends.

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## beautiful_alma

wow.. all your pictures are so beautiful... sorry to be off topic but.. what kind of camera would u recommend to shoot pictures like these..? u dont have to give the specifics... just like the company name, like canon, sony, etc.

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## Virgil

welcome to lit net Alma. Nice to have you here. What you should look for is how many megapixels the camera has. The more the higher the resolution. It should be at least 5 megapixels in my opinion.

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## beautiful_alma

ohhhh ok. Thank you, Virgil!

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## Madhuri

If you go back a few pages....Claes, has given the specifications of the camera he uses...

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Welcome Alma  :Wave:  


> sorry to be off topic but.. what kind of camera would u recommend to shoot pictures like these..? u dont have to give the specifics... just like the company name, like canon, sony, etc.


Not really off topic at all, in my opinion: As Maddie pointed out, I posted the
specs of my cameras back in post 140 in this thread. 
The good news is that you don't really need anything fancy. 
An ordinary pocket model will take you a long way. 


> What you should look for is how many megapixels the camera has. The more the higher the resolution. It should be at least 5 megapixels in my opinion.


I agree, but on the other hand I also used my mobile phone
(with a mere 2 Megapixels camera) for some of the shots I have posted here.

I've been knocked off my feet by the flu a couple of days, and crawled out of bed today, looking for something to do. I found some old pictures from the early 80's and fired up the scanner:


A thoroughly peeved Swedish grass snake: I caused its foul temper by chasing
it around for a couple of minutes until it ran out of steam, so it would lay still
and let me take the pictures. That's a known method: Reptiles don't have all
that much stamina.  :FRlol:  The downside is that they get quite "cranky" as the late Steve Irvin would have said. 


This is San Sebastian in northern Spain in 1985 or thereabouts. 
I was there to visit a supplier near Bilbao. 

/Claes

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## Niamh

> wow , Cales:
> 
> Niamh, breath taking pictures,loved them so much, you have real talented friends.


I only wish i had some of that talent!

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## miss tenderness

oh man!

real nice pictures , especially the snake one :Thumbs Up:

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## Virgil

Very nice, Claes. I really like the San Sabastian shot. Do you recall the exposure time? And I assume it was on a tripod?

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> real nice pictures , especially the snake one


There is more to that story: Guess what happened when I snapped it? The snake (*not* venomous, I might add) struck at the camera! Can you imagine what that looks like through a viewfinder?  :FRlol:  I snapped the shot, the shutter blinked, and then I saw a blur ending in a wide open pink mouth straight into the lens! Yours truly whooped and sat on his backside...  :FRlol:  




> Very nice, Claes. I really like the San Sabastian shot. Do you recall the exposure time? And I assume it was on a tripod?


The exposure time was roughly half a minute on low aperture, but I had no tripod with me... So what to do? I rested my hands on a fence and held my breath... As a matter of fact I never use a tripod. You can usually find something that gives you the support you need for a hand held shot (It is *vital* to hold your breath when using that trick). This picture is heavily retouched btw: The copy was badly damaged, with lots of big stains and scratches. I basically saw it as a challenge, wondering if i could sort it out. 

/Claes

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## Virgil

> There is more to that story: Guess what happened when I snapped it? The snake (*not* venomous, I might add) struck at the camera! Can you imagine what that looks like through a viewfinder?  I snapped the shot, the shutter blinked, and then I saw a blur ending in a wide open pink mouth straight into the lens! Yours truly whooped and sat on his backside...


 :FRlol:   :FRlol:  That made for a good laugh. Thank God it wasn't venomous.

Thanks on your technique for long exposure. I'll keep it in mind.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> That made for a good laugh. Thank God it wasn't venomous.


If it had been i would not have been quite so close...  :Biggrin:  Still, I'm not keen on letting any snake bite me (they are not renowned for brushing their teeth, and a bite can cause a bad infection). I *have* been bitten twice by Swedish vipers however, but their poison is pretty mild - like hornet or so. One of them got me in the ankle when I stepped on its tail (which I can quite understand - I would be annoyed too, if someone stepped on *my* tail), and the other one got me in the thumb while I was picking strawberrys. No ill effects from either bite, fortunately. 

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> If it had been i would not have been quite so close...  Still, I'm not keen on letting any snake bite me (they are not renowned for brushing their teeth, and a bite can cause a bad infection). I *have* been bitten twice by Swedish vipers however, but their poison is pretty mild - like hornet or so. One of them got me in the ankle when I stepped on its tail (which I can quite understand - I would be annoyed too, if someone stepped on *my* tail), and the other one got me in the thumb while I was picking strawberrys. No ill effects from either bite, fortunately. 
> 
> /Claes


Wow, I have never been biten, but then again I don't ever try to get close. Perhaps Claes you can replace that Crocodile Hunter guy on TV. He used to handle snakes.  :Biggrin:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Perhaps Claes you can replace that Crocodile Hunter guy on TV. He used to handle snakes.


I'd rather not... You remember that old song, _From a distance_? That sounds like a good rule in that respect. I mean to say: Our vipers are one thing but he was handling more "potent" snakes, right?

The next one is in fact a number of pictures clobbered together to one. I was experimenting a bit with a new (to me) application called Autostitch:

The view from our bedroom window this AM:



/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

I hope you feel better, Claes.  :Smile: 

I lovvved all the pictures, they are like masterpieces. You should show these to NGE, believe me, they'll come running after your pictures  :Nod: 

The view from your room is soooo pretty  :Smile:  I liked the bowl-shaped effect you tried to give to this picture.

You are very brave, Claes, to chase a snake to take a picture. If it were me, the only running I would be doing will be to save my life from the snake  :Tongue:   :FRlol:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I hope you feel better, Claes.


Thank you. I do, actually, but I can feel that it will take me a few days to get back to speed again.


> The view from your room is soooo pretty  I liked the bowl-shaped effect you tried to give to this picture.


I honestly did what I could to diminish the bowl shape, but there is a reason for it: That picture consists of 31 smaller pictures taken from the same spot, but in different directions, so essentially the resulting combination gives the same result as a fish-eye lens: Pretty near a 180 deg view.


> You are very brave, Claes, to chase a snake to take a picture. If it were me, the only running I would be doing will be to save my life from the snake


Brave? Some would call it exceedingly stupid...  :FRlol:  Anyway, the trick is to keep the snake from escaping by dashing around it and repeatedly block its way as it tries to escape. After a short while it runs out of steam, and just lies there... You know: Pant, pant, pant, hiiiiiissssss, pant, pant, hiiiiiissssss! It's actually quite funny. I would not recommend that little trick with a poisonous snake, though....  :Biggrin:  

/Claes

----------


## miss tenderness

> There is more to that story: Guess what happened when I snapped it? The snake (*not* venomous, I might add) struck at the camera! Can you imagine what that looks like through a viewfinder?  I snapped the shot, the shutter blinked, and then I saw a blur ending in a wide open pink mouth straight into the lens! Yours truly whooped and sat on his backside...  
> /Claes




 :Biggrin:  

a hero!


I liked the new pic, nice view, keep showing us. 

I always drop by here to see if you have posted new pictures :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Idril

These are older pictures as you can see from the date but I was reminded of them during a conversation with someone. We were in the Badlands, driving through the park and came upon a herd of buffalo blocking the road and bringing traffic to a standstill for about 30 minutes. They are truly massive creatures, there was one a mere 3 to 4 feet from our car that was seriously at least as big as the car and I'm sure weighed more.  :Rolleyes:  The last picture was taken when he had moved a safe distance away.  :Tongue:  These pictures are scanned from the originals and on my computer, are kind of dark but it's been my experience that my monitor tends to do that so I'm hoping you'll be able to see things clearly.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> They are truly massive creatures, there was one a mere 3 to 4 feet from our car that was seriously at least as big as the car and I'm sure weighed more.


 Oooooo, big guys, there  :Eek2:  Now, *that* is a serious roadblock.

/Claes

----------


## Idril

> Oooooo, big guys, there  Now, *that* is a serious roadblock.
> 
> /Claes



It was! They certainly aren't as wide as a car, but there are many that are as tall and as long and it's a little unnerving to have only a small amount of metal and glass between them and you. Whenever you go to the badlands, you always hope to see some buffalo, it's one of the greatest thrills of going there but no one wants to be _that_ close.  :Tongue:  That guy standing outside his car is crazy. As you can see, he was the only one who was so bold, everyone else stayed in the relative safety of their cars.  :FRlol:

----------


## SleepyWitch

nice little cows, Idril  :Smile: 
Claes, your photos of Paris are amazing.
Niamvh





> Okay i didnt take these pictures but i think they are lovely and wanted to share them with you all!
> 
> This was taken by my friend Mickaela when she was visiting the west of Ireland.


i love this pic, Niamh  :Smile:

----------


## SleepyWitch



----------


## Kaltrina

> I'd rather not... You remember that old song, _From a distance_? That sounds like a good rule in that respect. I mean to say: Our vipers are one thing but he was handling more "potent" snakes, right?
> 
> The next one is in fact a number of pictures clobbered together to one. I was experimenting a bit with a new (to me) application called Autostitch:
> 
> The view from our bedroom window this AM:
> 
> 
> 
> /Claes



This is gorgeous... wow...

----------


## Niamh

> The next one is in fact a number of pictures clobbered together to one. I was experimenting a bit with a new (to me) application called Autostitch:
> 
> The view from our bedroom window this AM:
> 
> 
> 
> /Claes


Woo! that is an amazing picture Claes!

----------


## miss tenderness

> These are older pictures as you can see from the date but I was reminded of them during a conversation with someone. We were in the Badlands, driving through the park and came upon a herd of buffalo blocking the road and bringing traffic to a standstill for about 30 minutes. They are truly massive creatures, there was one a mere 3 to 4 feet from our car that was seriously at least as big as the car and I'm sure weighed more.  The last picture was taken when he had moved a safe distance away.  These pictures are scanned from the originals and on my computer, are kind of dark but it's been my experience that my monitor tends to do that so I'm hoping you'll be able to see things clearly.


wow, contryside(a sigh!)..

I'd love to live there....


nice pic,Idril :Smile:

----------


## Pensive

Amazing pile of photos we have got over here!  :Smile:

----------


## Pendragon

I finally found that shot of me as "Hobo Bo" approximately 1992, a most vintage year. Taken inside Merillat Industries, Atkins, VA Door Plant. That's a door railing/building station behind me.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

A few more from Paris:


Moving house in Paris can be complicated... 


Did you know that you can find both the Eiffel Tower and The Statue of Liberty in Paris?


Unusual facade at Avenue des Ternes

/Claes

----------


## Rachy

I took this photo when we were in Florida

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures all. Just a question for Claes on that movng picture in Paris. That looks incredibly dangerous. You even have cofee tables right under the latter with people sitting there. Are they crazy?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I took this photo when we were in Florida


You captured that gorilla very nicely. There is a lot of feeling in that picture: Well done.  :Thumbs Up:  




> That looks incredibly dangerous. You even have cofee tables right under the latter with people sitting there. Are they crazy?


I agree: It probably *was* pretty dangerous. As you can see there was nothing to prevent people from walking under the ladder, and many did exactly that. Fortunately, all went well as far as I could see.

/Claes

----------


## miss tenderness

NO new pictures :Frown:

----------


## SleepyWitch

> I finally found that shot of me as "Hobo Bo" approximately 1992, a most vintage year. Taken inside Merillat Industries, Atkins, VA Door Plant. That's a door railing/building station behind me.


hehehe  :Biggrin:  you look funny  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I have been playing with my scanner again. This time I'm going back to 1992, and the shots are from a trip to Kenya. This journey was special to me: As a kid I kept dreaming about going to Africa to see the animals there, but I never really expected to be able to fulfill that dream (It simply was not on in the 60's). Yet in 1992 I was able to do just that, and I have to say that there is something very refreshing about fulfilling ones childhood dreams. I recommend it. Pictures:


En route to Kenya


Karen Blixen's house outside Nairobi: And if you have not read or watched "Out of Africa", please do.


A Rotschild giraffe at Giraffe Manor outside Nairobi. Quite tame and very friendly.




En route to Nanyuki.


Stopping to buy some snacks... er, bananas.


Arriving to Nanyuki. The hotel is on the right.

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

You always seem to have some amazing pics Claes.

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful Claes. You are some adventurer.

----------


## Weisinheimer

Wow, Claes. Those are awesome.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Wow, Claes. Those are awesome.





> You always seem to have some amazing pics Claes.


Thank you. The thing is that I have been taking them for a long time (I started out with b&w pictures in 1975, and have spent uncountable hours in the darkroom since then) and now I am slowly transfering my old pictures to the digital format, so I have a lot of material to choose from.


> Wonderful Claes. You are some adventurer.


Adventurer? Well, maybe in the sense that I love to travel and see things, but not by unnecessarily exposing myself to danger or anything like that. On the other hand there was that elephant that didn't really like us, of course... Um... I think I'll save that for next post  :Wink:  

/Claes

----------


## Pensive

Wonderful pictures! Kenya looks very green, and beautiful.

----------


## Niamh

I'd love to see some black and white photos. I feel they portray a picture/image in a more beautiful manner than colour.

----------


## Niamh

i took this picture on my phone a few months back. Its the first time in my life that i can remember seeing the toll bridge up!

----------


## Demona

thanks to everyone for the great pictures  :Smile:  *will start looking for something to post...*

----------


## miss tenderness

very very interesting,Cales :Smile: 

Niamh,I like the view :Smile:

----------


## Demona

Ok, here goes!
P.S. I'd really appreciate if anyone could explain how to embed the image in the post...thanks

----------


## Niamh

> Ok, here goes!
> P.S. I'd really appreciate if anyone could explain how to embed the image in the post...thanks


Aw! that is so cute!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Great picture, Demona  :Thumbs Up:  


> P.S. I'd really appreciate if anyone could explain how to embed the image in the post...thanks


Happy to oblige: kathycf provided a great guide for just that in Posting images information

/Claes

----------


## Demona

Thank you!

----------


## Madhuri

The view of the house looks great, Claes. That will be a version of my dream house  :Biggrin:  Its very pretty  :Nod:

----------


## toni

The clouds are beautiful, but I wish I caught the sunset sooner for more light.  :Alien:  Toni>>>>Neophyte photographer. 
 :Tongue:  Let's take classes from Claes!

----------


## Laindessiel

Wow! It looked more professional when you posted it than when I saw it on the camera. Way to go, budding photog!

P.S.
She was waiting for birds to come fly past but the camera ran out of batteries when they finally came. Poor Toni.

----------


## Laindessiel

Great photos too Claes, as always.  :Wink:

----------


## toni

> Wow! It looked more professional when you posted it than when I saw it on the camera. Way to go, budding photog!


wow Thanks! Yeah, I sorta noticed that too! :FRlol:  




> P.S.
> She was waiting for birds to come fly past but the camera ran out of batteries when they finally came. Poor Toni.


Indeedy I am.  :Bawling:   :Bawling:   :Bawling:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> The clouds are beautiful, but I wish I caught the sunset sooner for more light.


I'm not sure it would have improved that picture: It may have rendered those patterns in the sky impossible to see? We'll never know, of course. 


> Let's take classes from Claes!


I am not sure you need it: A very nice picture, that one.  :Thumbs Up:  Still, I appreciate the comment  :Blush:  

/Claes

Right then. Here we go with another batch fresh from the scanner: 


Ewaso river, Shaba, Kenya. 


Acacia Thorns: Those things are 3' long and easily strong enough to cause a flat tire (as we found out).


Sarova Shaba lounge, literally out in the middle of nowhere. Here, people are inside the fence,
and the wildlife (at least most of it) on the outside.


A gang of elephants a few miles from the lounge. The sounds they use for communication are amazing: 
Even from this distance you could *feel* their very low pitched rumbling and humming through your body.


Oops! Closer... But we were to meet this one of these guys a far sight closer, inside the camp the next morning... 
We were supposed to get up early and drive to the next lodge, but nobody woke us up. Why? 
Well, all of a sudden I heard an infernal racket outsde and looked just in time to see two guards 
running past the window casting nervous glances over their shoulders. Small wonder: Hot on their 
heels came a thoroughly peeved tachyderm! That rather explained the missing wake up call. It turned 
out that he had waded over the river during the night, ending up inside the camp. The guards had 
then used their slingshots (The kind you could kill people with) on him to get him out again. Apparently 
this was not appreciated, which also explained the chase and his foul temper. Later when we thought 
the coast was clear, we grabbed our cases and set of towards the cars.

The coast was *not* clear! Not even close... Suddenly this still peeved bull came around a house 
behind us at a very brisk clip, heading straight for us. We bolted and ran towards a small bridge and 
made it across before he got too close... The bridge was too narrow for him, but he gave us a last 
trumpet solo, just to show us who was the boss (as if we did not know that already).

All in all, some experience...


A reticulated giraffe.


A former buffalo.


The lodge bar in the evening.


A Samburu dancer at the lodge. Note the hight of that jump!

----------


## Teeeeom

The vault of the church of guadalupe in Morelia, Mexico.

International Chess Festival, Morelia, Mexico.

Cathedral

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Great pictures, Teeeeom  :Thumbs Up:  More, please....

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Toni i love your photo. it is so beautiful!

Claes, some more wonderful pictures! you must have had such a wonderful time in Africa! So thats what Acacia trees look like. They are always being mentioned in the no.1 ladies detective agency books. Wouldnt wont to fall on those thorns!

Teeeom, that celling is magnificant!

----------


## Teeeeom

a group of performance artists called Architecture in Movement

I forget the name of this church

Universidad Michoacana on strike.

these were all taken during my month-long stay in Morelia, Mexico while I was studying spanish.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Wouldnt wont to fall on those thorns!


I agree, they are very sharp and so hard that you could use them for nails! If I remember correctly, we had four blown tires during the trip, all of them caused by Acacia thorns. I can still remember our drivers comment: "I *hate* changing tires! (with considerable feeling)". You should have seen the way he looked at me when I told him that we have to change all four twice a year - Summer vs winter tires.




> Universidad Michoacana on strike.


Interesting. Can you tell us the story behind that? and please keep the pictures coming.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## vin1391

ClaesGefvenberg I absolutes loved your pictures..wish I could go there...

Teeeeom I like the one witht he chess set the best  :Smile:

----------


## Teeeeom

> Interesting. Can you tell us the story behind that? and please keep the pictures coming.  
> 
> /Claes


The teachers' syndicate of the University was striking for better benefits, more vacation time, better treatment etc... This happens quite often with public universities in Mexico. (for example, when news came that the university was on strike again, people casually said "oh here they go again..."). Not that their strike was _completely_ unjustified, it's just that many public entities in Mexico (schools mainly) expect the government to take care of them as if it were a socialist government, expecting aid where it normally wouldn't be given from a capatalistic government. Mexican politics are very complicated, and frankly I don't know enough to explain in detail.

Here are some more photos from a day trip I took to a Monarch butterfly sanctuary in El Rosario, Mexico. The Monarchs migrate every winter from the US and Canada to the mountains of Mexico where the altitude and vegetation is just right for their survival. Appoximately 150 million butterflies were at the sanctuary I visited. Luckily it was sunny the day I went, for if it's cloudy they tend to stay clumped in the trees.











This one stayed with me for awhile. They are very friendly creatures. Wandering around the meadow at the top of the mountain was very surreal. I took many photos, but after awhile I just had to sit down and admire the magic beauty around me. I've never experienced anything else like it.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I took many photos, but after awhile I just had to sit down and admire the magic beauty around me.


Good move. We should all to that once in a while. And hey: Great pictures. I particularly like the close up. You seem to be using a good camera?

/Claes

----------


## SleepyWitch

lovely pics Teeeeom and Claes!!!!

here's some new ones taken by my boyfriend and me






*Berlin: Sony Centre*

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> lovely pics Teeeeom and Claes!!!!


Thank's  :Biggrin:  More to come, when I get a few minutes at the scanner.




> here's some new ones taken by my boyfriend and me


Nice. The Sony center looks worth visiting... Say, I think that shark could use some dental work? 

/Claes

----------


## SleepyWitch

> Thank's  More to come, when I get a few minutes at the scanner.
> 
> Nice. The Sony center looks worth visiting... Say, I think that shark could use some dental work? 
> 
> /Claes


yeah and some plastic surgery, too  :Smile:

----------


## Adudaewen

I am so proud of this picture, I took it at Lake Minatare on one of our camping trips.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Adudaewen. A very lovely picture.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

More from Kenya:


While we were sitting in the bar watching the dancers (see the previous post) this critter crept right
up to it without us noticing anything until it grunted a little. Small surprise as the bar was right next to the river. 
We were told in no uncertain terms *never* to stray close to that river, btw. I think that piece of advice held a lot of merit.


Another Rotschild Giraffe.


Gerenuk anthelopes - They go for the leaves in trees just like giraffe, but use a different method for getting them.
As you can see they still reach pretty high. Do you see the bird on the one to the right? It got its lunch too, picking ticks from the gazelle.


Another gerenuk taking aim for its food.


Oryx anthelopes 

More to come... /Claes

----------


## booksandtea

!!!
ClaesGefvenberg, great photos! i miss africa so much. i did a safari-esk type thing for 3 weeks in the southern parts. one of these days i'd love to go to kenya.

----------


## Madhuri

Claes, very nice pictures. I too have to post some, but this photobucket is taking too much time to upload and I cant do it by selecting one folder, I have to select each picture individually. So annoying  :Rolleyes:  I'll post mine as soon as I figure out this site.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Madhuri

I visited *Lal Quila* (Red Fort) last month. Its in Old Delhi. Some of the great rulers of India, such as Akbar ruled from this fort.

Outside view of the fort. Notice on the elevated green grass is a dais from where the Prime Minister gives a speech on our Independence Day (15th August). Also, notice the Indian flag fluttering behind.



This is the throne of Akbar (known as Peacock throne), he used to conduct the daily matters concerning citizens and other improtant court decisions from here. The area is called Diwan-E-Aam (Hall of Public Audience). Now a days they have covered it with net and no one is allowed to go near it.




This is Diwan-E-Khaas (Hall of Private Audience). Its a place where the royal family will get together. A part of this is Hamam (the bathing place). It is said that the water from the fountains of hamam was scented. This is a glimpse of it, the passage you see was once full of scented water.

----------


## Madhuri

All the pictures that I am posting are scanned.  :Smile: 

The carvings on the pillars of Diwan-E-Khaas is so beautiful. It hasnt come out so well, because of the light, I guess, but still it looks pretty.



This is the door of Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque). This masjid is completely made of marble, and was made by another ruler Aurangzeb, for his own use.



Another structure inside the fort. The area around the structure had water. It exits in a garden so I presume that it was used more as a place to relax by the royal family.



Also, note that the buildings behind this structure have a very different architecture. It is likely that these were built by Britishers during their rule. It has a very English touch to it.

----------


## Adudaewen

> Very nice Adudaewen. A very lovely picture.


Thanx Virgil!  :Smile: 

Great pictures Madhuri! I love Indian architechture. It is so ornate and beautiful!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Maddie, what a beautiful place!  :Thumbs Up:  It is definitely something I would like to see it first hand some day.

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> Thanx Virgil! 
> 
> Great pictures Madhuri! I love Indian architechture. It is so ornate and beautiful!


Thanks  :Blush: 

 :Biggrin:   :Biggrin: 




> Maddie, what a beautiful place!  It is definitely something I would like to see it first hand some day.
> 
> /Claes


You should definitely visit these places, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are soooo many beautiful places like this across the country. The architecture varies according to the place and is often influenced by the rulers or the dominant community of that place.

I am glad you liked it.  :Biggrin:  Do you think these came out well? Could I have done something else to improve it? I would like to know what you think  :Biggrin:

----------


## Pensive

Great pictures, Madhuri and all!

*Moti Mehal* reminds me a lot of *Badshahi Mosque* and *Shahi Qilaa* I visited in Lahore. The architect there is very much like this one. I visited *Diwaan-e-Khas* there too. It wasn't as much nice as it is. I mean most of it had lost its "real thing" but still it was worth looking and worth-appreciating, as well.

[QUOTE=Claes]


> Yes, but I have to admire the French in that respect: They have no qualms about mixing new and old architecture, and they usually do it well.
> 
> miss tenderness: Great shots, particularly the legs in the rain.  
> 
> 
> How about these, from the catacombes, then?
> 
> 
> We went there a rainy day. Somehow the weather mattered little down there in the eerie quiet world some 30m below street level...
> ...


Wow, these look real, and scary. Make me want to ask if these are real. Or are these men-made?

----------


## Madhuri

> Great pictures, Madhuri and all!
> 
> *Moti Mehal* reminds me a lot of *Badshahi Mosque* and *Shahi Qilaa* I visited in Lahore. The architect there is very much like this one. I visited *Diwaan-e-Khas* there too. It wasn't as much nice as it is. I mean most of it had lost its "real thing" but still it was worth looking and worth-appreciating, as well.


India and Pakistan share the same history Pensy, so its very likely that the architectures are similar. I understand what you mean by the real thing, I see here also, on a lot of such monuments people scribble love messages, and spoil the beauty  :Rolleyes:  They dont know that it makes it ugly.

----------


## Pensive

> India and Pakistan share the same history Pensy, so its very likely that the architectures are similar. I understand what you mean by the real thing, I see here also, on a lot of such monuments people scribble love messages, and spoil the beauty  They dont know that it makes it ugly.


Yes. Ancient buildings are a country's heritage. They must be preserved and well-cared by all. I wonder when people will learn this.

----------


## Niamh

Wow Madi those pictures are wonderful! They make me want to visit india even more!

Pensive, eh yeah i think they are real! Just very discoloured with age. I remember when i was working on the 14th cent cemetry we discovered a few skeletons had been truncated by a small shallow ditch. When we excavated the other side of the ditch we discovered all the skulls and some other human bones all placed neatly, in two rows one on top of the other and a 'shelf' that the ditch diggers had dug into the side of the ditch. It was amazing!

----------


## Madhuri

> Wow Madi those pictures are wonderful! They make me want to visit india even more!


Thanks  :Biggrin: 

You should definitely visit India. And these pictures are from my city, Delhi  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin: , I will show you around.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice pictures Maddie. The fort actually looks European, like a castle, except for the dome shapes. 

Lots of good pictures here. If I haven't complimented you, it doesn't mean I don't like them. I just can't keep up. I have some nice pictures to post too. Perhaps in a day or too.

----------


## Niamh

> Thanks 
> 
> You should definitely visit India. And these pictures are from my city, Delhi  , I will show you around.


Oh you dont know how much i'd love to go to india. Keep trying to convince my boyfriend to go but.... no funds. have to stick with edinburgh for the time being. Am jealous though. One of the managers in work is off to India tomorrow. :Frown:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Wow, these look real, and scary. Make me want to ask if these are real. Or are these men-made?


Oh, they are very real but not very scary. The atmosphere down there was very calm and peaceful.

I was told that they ended up there because cemeteries are no exception to the rule that big cities are crowded: These older remains were moved to their present location to make room for more recent ones when Paris' cemeteries became full, and you would not believe how much of them you can find down there. The walls are lined with human remains for mile after mile. 

When you look around, it soon becomes obvious that a large number of those people must have died violently, which comes as no big surprise considering the fact that many of them met their creator during the French revolution.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Here are some pictures of my mini vacation to Martha''s Vinyard last August. For those that don't know, Martha's Vinyard is an island off Massachusettes.

----------


## Virgil

Some more:

----------


## Madhuri

Very nice pictures, Virg. The beach is not at all crowded, it looks so peaceful. The picture of the cottage looks like a painting, many shades of grass. Very pretty.




> Very nice pictures Maddie. The fort actually looks European, like a castle, except for the dome shapes.


Thanks  :Biggrin:  You'll see a lot of buildings in Delhi influenced by European architecture, especially British.

The Rashtripati Bhavan (President's residence) was designed by Edwin Lutyens, a British architect. The Parliament House in Delhi was designed by Herbert Baker. A lot of other important buildings such as these were modeled by Britishers. These are very different from the Mughal architecture, that you saw in the previous pictures.

I have a few more pictures to post from my recent visit to Pykara Falls and a Wildlife sanctury in the south of India.  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> The picture of the cottage looks like a painting, many shades of grass. Very pretty.


I agree. A very nice picture, that one...  :Thumbs Up:  


> I have a few more pictures to post from my recent visit to Pykara Falls and a Wildlife sanctury in the south of India.


Oh, great. I'm looking forward to seeing those (most of you must have figured out by now, that I am very fond of wildlife).

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> Oh, great. I'm looking forward to seeing those (most of you must have figured out by now, that I am very fond of wildlife).
> 
> /Claes


Dont have high hopes, Claes. They are no where like yours. I didnt get to see many animals. Someone told us that this is the right time to visit the sanctuary, and since that reserve also has Tigers (because of the Project Tiger), we very happily went, but it turned out that its the dry season. We went inside the jungle and were only able to see Tiger pug marks  :Rolleyes: . There were other animals too in the sanctuary, like, Elephant, Leopards, different types of birds, and we could only see Deer and a few birds. The difficulty in taking the wildlife pics is that, that when you find some animal in the right pose, and you are about to click, they move  :Rolleyes: , and you are like -- Okay Great, I am about to take a perfect shot and you have to move !!  :FRlol:   :Biggrin: 

By evening, hopefully i'll share a few of those.

----------


## toni

Wow, Uncle Virg, we didn't know that you are also a photographer! Great photos! You too, Maddie! India is truly wonderful! India is like art in motion!

----------


## toni

> I'm not sure it would have improved that picture: It may have rendered those patterns in the sky impossible to see? We'll never know, of course. I am not sure you need it: A very nice picture, that one.  Still, I appreciate the comment  
> 
> /Claes


Whoa. Thanks a lot, Claes! Yeah, I think the problem is with the clouds. They need to pattern themselves more clearly. :FRlol:  *send message to the clouds*

----------


## Madhuri

> Wow, Uncle Virg, we didn't know that you are also a photographer! Great photos! You too, Maddie! India is truly wonderful! India is like art in motion!


Thanks, Toni  :Biggrin: . I have a few more to share. Some will show wildlife, some general life in a typical village, and some of the falls. I hope you like the pictures.  :Smile:

----------


## toni

> Thanks, Toni . I have a few more to share. Some will show wildlife, some general life in a typical village, and some of the falls. I hope you like the pictures.


Oh go on please, Maddie! I can never get enough! I always see India specials on CNN and on ChannelNews Asia.. Enchanting, they are...

----------


## Reccura

> Some more:


Hi, Virgil! Those birds are really cute, as I am a bird leufer. (lover)Did you take those fabulous pictures by yourself? If so, you're a great photographer! I wish I live in Massachusettes. (that was a tough one to spell, pardon moi.)

Ciao to you!!!!

----------


## Pensive

Wonderful pictures, Virgil! Especially, this one containing the bird looks very nice!

----------


## SleepyWitch

> 


wow, Virgil I love your pics of Martha's Vineyard. especially this one
i'd love to go there!
Maddie, love your pics too, if i didn't want to visit india already they'd make me want to go  :Smile:

----------


## miss tenderness

Virgil , your photoes are awesome,friend,wow!

----------


## miss tenderness

Madie>>

amazingly beautiful pictures, especially the two Diwans , the Khass and El-Aam.

I'm also proud that these structures have Arabic names and were built during the Islamic rule od India..

yay..

please do poste more of these..

I herad alot about the greeny Indian lands,once you have a shot ,give us the pleasure :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

These pictures are the ones that I took on the road while going to take a safari for inside jungle visit. It was early morning and many birds (peacock and jungle fowl) and animals (deer and langur) come near the road that passes through the jungle.

This is a wildlife sanctuary -- Bandipur National Park. Its approx 300 kms from Bangalore, a city in Karnataka (South India).

--Peacock




--This is a Langur (a long tailed monkey). What I wanted to capture in this picture was the pose of this monkey. Notice, how he is sitting on a delicate branch.



--Another Langur family.



--Randomly taken of some deer grazing



These are the only animals that I could see, as inside the jungle, even these were not visible. I will make sure that I visit a sanctuary in the right season. I so much wanted to see Tigers, Leopards...but...~sigh~

----------


## Virgil

> 





> Very nice pictures, Virg. The beach is not at all crowded, it looks so peaceful. The picture of the cottage looks like a painting, many shades of grass. Very pretty.


Do you mean that one Maddie? Yes that is my favorite of these too.




> Hi, Virgil! Those birds are really cute, as I am a bird leufer. (lover)Did you take those fabulous pictures by yourself? If so, you're a great photographer! I wish I live in Massachusettes. (that was a tough one to spell, pardon moi.)
> 
> Ciao to you!!!!





> Wonderful pictures, Virgil! Especially, this one containing the bird looks very nice!


Yes i took them Reccura (Are you Italian that you say Ciao?  :Smile:  ) Those are seagulls. And I would imagine Pensy would love birds.  :Smile:  





> wow, Virgil I love your pics of Martha's Vineyard. especially this one
> i'd love to go there!


Thanks Sleepy, I was wondering if anyone would like that photo. All it is is sand, but it's got such nice texture and distnct shadow. Massachusettes has lots of islands, as Kathy (who is from Mass) can tell you. An island such as this (but I don't believe it was this one) is where the movie Jaws was set.

Someone commented that there aren't many people around. Actually the island gets crowded in the summer. I went out for a long walk before dawn and got to the beach area as the sun came up. Other than those two fisherman on the beach, no one was around at that hour.

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful pictures Maddie. I love wildlife too. Big hunter animals like tigers are very difficult to see. Probably only when they are ready to attack, and then you don't want to see them.  :Wink:

----------


## Madhuri

Exactly, that was the one I was referring to  :Nod: 

Thanks, Virg  :Biggrin:  Yes, big animals are rare to spot, and the only thing that I could see were the pug marks. And its difficult to take a pic in the right pose, the moment you find them in a superb shot taking position, they move  :Rolleyes:

----------


## Virgil

> Exactly, that was the one I was referring to


The more I look at that one Maddie the more I like it. Lots of lovely shades of color, the blurryness seems to make it even better, and lots of other interesting elements like the ducks in the foreground. I think I may have that printed enlarged and framed.

----------


## Schokokeks

Those are wonderful pictures, Virgil and Maddie  :Nod: .

I thought I might share some pictures from my recent trip to Dublin with you. But first I need to visit Kathy's newbie thread to read about how to post pictures from my pc  :Biggrin: .

----------


## Madhuri

It is a good piece to get framed. What caught my eye was the different shades of grass. You are correct, its blurryness makes it look like a painting. The blue background, the lonesome cottage. Very nice picture  :Nod:

----------


## Madhuri

> Those are wonderful pictures, Virgil and Maddie .
> 
> I thought I might share some pictures from my recent trip to Dublin with you. But first I need to visit Kathy's newbie thread to read about how to post pictures from my pc .


Thanks, Cookie  :Biggrin:  Do check out some pictures of Delhi on page 27.

I would love to see your visit pictures. I will wait  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

> Someone commented that there aren't many people around. Actually the island gets crowded in the summer. I went out for a long walk before dawn and got to the beach area as the sun came up. Other than those two fisherman on the beach, no one was around at that hour.


Ya, I said that it was not crowded. I thought its a far away place that you visited, which is still not known to many people, and thats why its so peaceful.

----------


## Schokokeks

Okay, here we go. Special thanks to Kathy  :Biggrin: .

That's me in a Dublin shopping centre that is of architectural merit in itself. The roof (in the background) is all made of glass.


That's me on a bridge over the river Liffey. Quite windy day that was  :Biggrin: .


This here is picture of one of Dublin big streets, with the monument of an Irish politician on the left:


And the final one is me enjoying a Guinness in an Irish pub (with a man in a kilt in the background !)  :Biggrin: :

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Schoky. It's sort of how I imagined Dublin. I hope you had a good time. And you look lovely too, by the way.

----------


## Schokokeks

> Very nice Schoky. It's sort of how I imagined Dublin. I hope you had a good time. And you look lovely too, by the way.


Thank you, Virgil  :Blush: .
I certainly had a great time (including a personal meeting with Niamh  :Smile: ), Dublin is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to. I'm still waiting for my ticket to NY, though  :Tongue: .

----------


## Madhuri

Nice pictures, Cookie  :Biggrin:  More than the artchitecture I liked you in the pictures  :Tongue:  My favourite will be the first one  :Biggrin: 

Its so nice people are meeting in real life too... :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

This place is another 50 kms from the national park that I visited. Its on the way to a very famous hill station - Ooty. This comes in another state of south -- Tamil Nadu. There is a lake also with the same name.

This place and Ooty are famous for the tea gardens and as producers of spices, like clove, and essential oils, like olive oil, eucalyptus oil etc.

-- This is while we were going uphill to see the falls. I have never seen such tall Eucalyptus trees. 



-- View of the falls.



-- View of the lake



-- A bird on the lake side.



-- Terrace faming view. When we were coming back from the falls. People you see in the picture are local.

----------


## Schokokeks

Wow, you live in such a beautiful country, Maddie  :Nod: . Each of the pictures should be printed as a poster  :Smile: .




> Nice pictures, Cookie  More than the artchitecture I liked you in the pictures  My favourite will be the first one


Thank you  :Blush: .



> Its so nice people are meeting in real life too...


Just you wait, I'll knock on your door first thing once I'll get to India  :Tongue:   :Biggrin: .

----------


## AimusSage

Nice Waterfall Madhuri!

Cookie, what are you doing out of your jar??  :Eek:  Who is that in the jar??? Is it even alive? How did you escape?  :Goof:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Nice Waterfall Madhuri!


Absolutely. Very nice picture. :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## Schokokeks

> Cookie, what are you doing out of your jar??  Who is that in the jar??? Is it even alive? How did you escape?


Pff, did you think I let you go on vacation and lie on the beach all day with me left behind ?!  :Tongue:  I thought I deserved some days off, too, and took advantage of your absence to sneek out. But don't worry, I'm back safe again  :Smile: .

----------


## AimusSage

> Pff, did you think I let you go on vacation and lie on the beach all day with me left behind ?!  I thought I deserved some days off, too, and took advantage of your absence to sneek out. But don't worry, I'm back safe again .


Good, good, I'll forgive you...this time...  :Wink:  But next time you have to take me with you on holiday Or I'll lock you in the jar and you won't be going anywhere!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Schokokeks

> But next time you have to take me with you on holiday Or I'll lock you in the jar and you won't be going anywhere!


Oooooh, the former, please  :Biggrin: .
...And where are your pictures, by the way ?  :Smile:

----------


## miss tenderness

Shockyyyyy,I like the third picture,I'd love to be there. You look pretty :Smile:

----------


## Schokokeks

:Blush:  Thank you, Taleen, dear  :Smile: .

----------


## Madhuri

> Wow, you live in such a beautiful country, Maddie . Each of the pictures should be printed as a poster .
> 
> Just you wait, I'll knock on your door first thing once I'll get to India  .


Thanks ! I'll be there for your welcome  :Biggrin: 




> Nice Waterfall Madhuri!


Thanks Aims  :Biggrin: . Did you check out a few pictures that I posted of a fort in Delhi?  :Biggrin:  a few pages back, page 27 or 28, I guess... :Biggrin: 

I am so shameless, I know. How I am asking people to see the pictures I posted... :Tongue:   :Biggrin: 




> Absolutely. Very nice picture. 
> 
> /Claes


I am so happy, you liked the pictures, and that too your mentioning it makes me feel even better  :Biggrin:  Thanks.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice, Maddie. I like the waterfalls too.

----------


## miss tenderness

Oh my!

Maddie, I'm becoming a huge fan :Thumbs Up:  .

----------


## Madhuri

> Very nice, Maddie. I like the waterfalls too.


Thanks  :Biggrin:  Waterfalls are one of my favourites too.




> Oh my!
> 
> Maddie, I'm becoming a huge fan .


I am so glad  :Smile:  Thanks.

I have the last few from this trip, its about a typical village, I mean that in some remote villages people still use primitive means of cultivation. I will post those very soon.

----------


## miss tenderness

waiting for them......

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

More Kenya shots, fresh from the scanner. As you will see, the Lodge pool attracted more than humans:


A Warthog. A truly formidable pig... all muscle.


I don't know what those birds are called, but they behaved, sounded like and were roughly the size of chicken.


This is a real gem: A kingfisher. Tiny, but making up for its diminutive size with brilliant colours.


A 2' Monitor Lizard I later met in the pool: Apparently it decided to go for a swim at the same time as I did.
None of us were paying much attention to where we were going, and all of a sudden we were nose to snout in the middle of the pool!
Both of us took prompt action, by performing a swift U-turn and returning the way we had come (only considerably faster). 
My wife saw the whole thing and I honestly thought she would never stop laughing. 
I'll never hear the last of *that* wildlife encounter...


Another of those metallic coloured Starlings: Superb Starling.


A lizard, basking by the pool. I know I already posted this one, but I think the new scan did the colours more justice.


A Dragonfly by the pool... 


A flute player from the Samburu tribe.


The Samburu tribe, fetching their water in the Ewaso River. Apparently they knew where the crocs were...


Back on the road: This is the Kenya - Somalia Highway, a truly bone rattling experience. Does it surprise anyone that 
we were told that cars went from new to scrap in three or four years here?

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Since everyone is posting pictures of animals, here's some wild donkeys in the desert in Arizona. Arizona is in the southwest USA. I was driving by and there they were. Luckily I had a camera near by.

----------


## Janine

Which wild turkey is YOU? :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:

----------


## Janine

Virgil did you just change that to "donkey"? I could have sworn it said wild "turkey". Ok in that case which wild donkey is you?

----------


## Virgil

> Virgil did you just change that to "donkey"? I could have sworn it said wild "turkey". Ok in that case which wild donkey is you?


No Janine. You must be hullucinating. Seriously, do you have fever?  :Wink:

----------


## Janine

> No Janine. You must be hullucinating. Seriously, do you have fever?


 :FRlol:  :Biggrin:  :FRlol:  No, just eyesight problem! Old age no doubt......

----------


## Laindessiel

> Yes i took them Reccura (Are you Italian that you say Ciao?  )


Hehe. Reccura is my other sis, Uncle Virg. And people here in the Philippines now say "ciao" just like they say "hello". Dunno how and why it started.

Great pictures, Uncle Virg!!!

----------


## Laindessiel

You are so beautiful, Schoko! (Or Schocky?) Dublin is very wonderful.

Mads, your photos are very imaginative!

Seems like everyone here has makings of a great photog!!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Since everyone is posting pictures of animals, here's some wild donkeys in the desert in Arizona. Arizona is in the southwest USA. I was driving by and there they were. Luckily I had a camera near by.


Nice pictures. They seem to be very alert: Look how their ears are zeroed in on you...

/Claes

----------


## Madhuri

> Mads, your photos are very imaginative!


Thanks !

I have to say this, that when I was taking these pictures, I was thinking of litnet, and also that, if these come out good, i'll post them here  :Biggrin:  I know I shouldn't be doing so, I mean I should take pictures for the love of photography, rather than taking shots thinking of posting here.....

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I know I shouldn't be doing so, I mean I should take pictures for the love of photography, rather than taking shots thinking of posting here.....


Why not? I see nothing mutually exclusive about love of photography and posting here. 

/Claes

----------


## Schokokeks

> You are so beautiful, Schoko! (Or Schocky?) Dublin is very wonderful.


Which ever version you prefer, Lain. Thank you  :Blush: 




> I know I shouldn't be doing so, I mean I should take pictures for the love of photography, rather than taking shots thinking of posting here.....


I'm very grateful you did, Maddie, seeing that if ever it will be quite a while until I'll be able to visit India myself, and your pictures are some consolation at least. You're actually performing a service for others  :Wink: .

----------


## Virgil

> Hehe. Reccura is my other sis, Uncle Virg. And people here in the Philippines now say "ciao" just like they say "hello". Dunno how and why it started.
> 
> Great pictures, Uncle Virg!!!


Oh, well hello Reccura. I must have missed your introduction. Wow, three sisters all on lit net.






> Nice pictures. They seem to be very alert: Look how their ears are zeroed in on you...
> 
> /Claes


I guess I was the only moving thing around. They were just there off on the side and I must have seemed unusual to them.

----------


## Niamh

> That's me in a Dublin shopping centre that is of architectural merit in itself. The roof (in the background) is all made of glass.


Yes i agree that the St Stephens Green shopping centre is Spectacular Architectually. Got a real victorian feel to it, or like a big green house in a botanic gardens. I think it was built in the seventys. I think the big clock in it is cool! :Nod:  



> That's me on a bridge over the river Liffey. Quite windy day that was .


Its always windy in Ireland!



> This here is picture of one of Dublin big streets, with the monument of an Irish politician on the left:





> And the final one is me enjoying a Guinness in an Irish pub (with a man in a kilt in the background !) :


Its good to see some of your pics of Ireland Cookie!

Madi i love those new pics! esp the one with the Peacock. such a beautiful bird. Isnt it a protected sacred animal in India?

Those monkeys are so cute!

*edit* I like the way the Quote boxs have framed your pics Schok!

----------


## Madhuri

> Madi i love those new pics! esp the one with the Peacock. such a beautiful bird. Isnt it a protected sacred animal in India?
> 
> Those monkeys are so cute!


Peacock is India's national bird. When it spreads its feathers it looks even more beautiful, this site you will see mostly in the monsoon season, or when a peacock is trying to attract a peahen.

The monkeys are cute, but they are dangerous too, it became scary when while we were taking pictures and they started approaching us.

I got a glimpse of Ireland too from Cookie's pictures. It seems a pleasant place. Very nice place you live in Niamh.  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

> Why not? I see nothing mutually exclusive about love of photography and posting here. 
> 
> /Claes





> I'm very grateful you did, Maddie, seeing that if ever it will be quite a while until I'll be able to visit India myself, and your pictures are some consolation at least. You're actually performing a service for others .


I dont know, but his thought came across my mind.

----------


## Niamh

> Peacock is India's national bird. When it spreads its feathers it looks even more beautiful, this site you will see mostly in the monsoon season, or when a peacock is trying to attract a peahen.
> 
> The monkeys are cute, but they are dangerous too, it became scary when while we were taking pictures and they started approaching us.
> 
> I got a glimpse of Ireland too from Cookie's pictures. It seems a pleasant place. Very nice place you live in Niamh.


I'll take some pics and show you more of my city! Just got me my first digital camera so i'm dying to try it out! :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'll take some pics and show you more of my city! Just got me my first digital camera so i'm dying to try it out!


That sounds promising  :Biggrin:  And hey: Nice pictures  :Thumbs Up:  I'm just wondering what Kilted was doing in Dublin?  :Confused:  

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> I'll take some pics and show you more of my city! Just got me my first digital camera so i'm dying to try it out!


Oh, Niamh, could you show places that James Joyce mentions, especially in Ulysses? I would love to visualize exactly what he mentions. I find that Joyce is not much on description; he just mentions a place and one is almost supposed to know what it looks like. I should get a list together. I don't have time right now, but I would love to see the places he mentions. Off the top of my head there is the Martello (?) Tower and The Stand (is that a beach?).

----------


## Niamh

> Oh, Niamh, could you show places that James Joyce mentions, especially in Ulysses? I would love to visualize exactly what he mentions. I find that Joyce is not much on description; he just mentions a place and one is almost supposed to know what it looks like. I should get a list together. I don't have time right now, but I would love to see the places he mentions. Off the top of my head there is the Martello (?) Tower and The Stand (is that a beach?).


Okay that seems like a bit of a challenge and seeing as i'm on holiday, sure! i'll do it! 'The stand'. do you mean the strand? We have the north strand which is also called the bull island which is a sand spit, a geological feature thats made up of sand, is primarily a beach and juts out of the coast like a natural pier. There are martello towers allover the dublin coast so i'll get some pics of those. 

Anyone else got requests?

----------


## Niamh

> That sounds promising  And hey: Nice pictures  I'm just wondering what Kilted was doing in Dublin?  
> 
> /Claes


I was tempted to ask Schok the same thing! :Biggrin:  as well as 'are you sure you were in Ireland? A man in a Kilt?' :FRlol:

----------


## Madhuri

> Anyone else got requests?


Me, me, me  :Biggrin: 

Your picture on a beautiful location  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

> Okay that seems like a bit of a challenge and seeing as i'm on holiday, sure! i'll do it! 'The stand'. do you mean the strand? We have the north strand which is also called the bull island which is a sand spit, a geological feature thats made up of sand, is primarily a beach and juts out of the coast like a natural pier. There are martello towers allover the dublin coast so i'll get some pics of those. 
> 
> Anyone else got requests?


Yes, The Strand is what Joyce mentions. When I get home tonight I'll look up other places he mentions.

----------


## Johnny.

These are a few pictures I've taken this year.

I took this one from the top of the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/3854/dsc00086wr4.jpg

This one from the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/1415/dsc00101ox8.jpg

And then of course, my fine self...

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/3180/dsc00089bu5.jpg

----------


## miss tenderness

nice,Johny.

----------


## Johnny.

I love it, it's almost iconic. Heh.

----------


## Virgil

> I was tempted to ask Schok the same thing! as well as 'are you sure you were in Ireland? A man in a Kilt?'


Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I didn't know they wear kilts in Ireland. But perhaps some man who just wants to wear a skirt.  :Wink:

----------


## Niamh

> Me, me, me 
> 
> Your picture on a beautiful location


Hum...am not sure now! :FRlol:  I like to take pictures not be in them. i'm not photogenic. :Frown:  




> Yes, The Strand is what Joyce mentions. When I get home tonight I'll look up other places he mentions.


Yeah Virgil do and i'll try get some photos of them as well as other places. Really want to get a picture of Dublin as seen from Howth head. I can do a thread up about Dublin literary locations.

----------


## Janine

*Schok*, your Ireland pictures are amazing. You look so pretty in the photo at the mall. So it is always windy there in Ireland? The one on the bridge is nice, too.That mall is really interesting looking architecture. The photo is great - I like it on the curious angle.
*Claes* - you take terrific shots of everything! I feel I am going on a virtual trip to Europe looking at them. 
*Johnny*, Your Paris photos were great! Love the Ef.Tower shot....interesting angle.
*Virgil*, I liked you beach shots. All the photos you posted were good. Sorry bout yesterday - I was not insulting you - just trying to be silly...not myself at all yesterday - think I took too many drugs for my cold. Really nice photos; and the donkeys were interesting pictures, as well. How neat to just come across them roaming free. Arizona is an amazing place.
*Niamh* - what a great idea to make a thread with Dublin literary locations. I can't wait to see that one. Glad Virgil thought of it and will give you a listing from the novel. Maybe other people will request places as well or post them in your thread.
*Everyone else* - what wonderful photos! Thanks for posting so many. I have been enjoying them emensely. The wildlife shots were something - very pretty. I love wildlife pictures and the birds, lovely, like the peacock.

----------


## Niamh

hey everyone! just had a wonderful time in edinburgh and thought i'd show you some of the wonderful places there!
There are also some pics from the Blair st vaults, possibly the most haunted place in Britain and one of the most haunted places in the world! my computor is a bit slow at the moment so will hopefully have them for you soon!

----------


## Madhuri

I will wait... :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

right here we go!
this is a picture of St Giles Cathedral on the royal mile!


this is a really cool looking building beside the castle! looks like something out of a fairytale!


this is a picture of the gallery taken from a tour bus!


this is walter scotts monument. its an unbelievable tribute to am author!


here is a view of the castle! i've one taken of the castle from the top of the hill but forgot to upload it!


here it is!

----------


## Niamh

now these are from the Blair street vaults! it was almost pitch black down there!


they are very creepy to walk around! 
next to photos were taken within seconds of each other an the first has a few possible orbs/light anomilies in it!

now you see them!


now you dont!


this one is a little creepy! looks like there is a shadowy figure standing under the arch! can you see it?

----------


## Madhuri

Very nice pictures, Niamh  :Smile: 

I liked the building, it looks like a doll house and the Scotts monument, very impressive. The entrance to the castle reminds me of a smiliar entrance that I saw of a fort in Jaipur. 

The vaults looks creepy, if I were to walk through I will be glancing behind, incase someone is approaching to grab me  :Tongue:   :FRlol: 

What were these vaults for?

----------


## Niamh

Edinburgh old town is on a hill and like rome, modern day edinburgh is stretched out over about seven hills/exstinct volcanoes. When the old town council back in the 8th cent decided it was time to expand the borough, they decided to built bridges from one hill to the next. The north brdge was built first and the the south. These vaults were the arches of the south bridge which they subdivided into levels and rooms as they had this idea of still using the space to rent to traders. so for a while they were used as bars and shops etc. but they werent water proof so people started to refuse to rent the vaults. eventually it was abandoned. But soon the crime world moved in and the poor. People were murdered, body snatchers operated in the dark arches, prostitutes worked, people squated, lived and died there.

they were very creepy. I keep on thinking that there was someone behind me when no one was there, which was when i decided to take the last picture i posted. Its almost like there is a dark transparant shadowy figure in the corner. that freaked me out a bit! and elsewhere i heard a crashing noise from the same place twice, like some one had dropped a tray on the ground. but we were the only people in the building. in one room i got this smell of whiskey. few minutes later the tour guide told us that sometimes people get a strong smell of wiskey for a few minutes before it vanishes quickly.

i also went to a place called mary kings close which was fasinating, and at one point in the tour i thought someone was buzzing and humming in my ear, but there was no one directly behind me then either!

----------


## Janine

Oh no, *Niamh*, I can't see any of the pictures - they are just a block with an X in on my computer. I wanted to see these cool pictures of yours :Bawling:  Help!

----------


## Virgil

Me too Niamh. I get the same as Janine.

----------


## Madhuri

I think the problem must be with the host site, because yesterday I was able to see the pictures, but today even I am not able to view. These pictures haven't uploaded properly here.

----------


## Niamh

humm.... i put them up with photo bucket, but i can see them now. i'll edit them and see what happens.

----------


## Niamh

oops! it turned out i'd made a booboo. :Blush:  broke the link. Anyway hopefully sorted now so pictures should be appearing. Aer for me! :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

I can see now.... :Nod:

----------


## Niamh

:Banana:  yeay!... :Banana:

----------


## Madhuri

> Hum...am not sure now! I like to take pictures not be in them. i'm not photogenic.


You denied my request  :Bawling:   

*emotional blackmail*  :Tongue:   :Tongue:

----------


## Niamh

> You denied my request   
> 
> *emotional blackmail*


Well i would have liked to be in some of the photos only i was taking them all and my mam never offered! Sorry Madhuri.

----------


## Madhuri

Its okay, I was just joking  :Biggrin:

----------


## Pensive

Beautiful pictures, Niamh!  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

thanks pensive. these are only some of my photos as i got a bit snap happy and had three cameras. unfortunately i only had one digital camera and i dont have a scanner so cant put some of the other ones up. including the black and white ones. :Frown:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

More Kenya pictures: This batch is from the Buffalo Springs area.


Elephants, Acacias, and vultures.


More tachyderms...


Silk monkies foraging for food.


A lion family opting for a cat nap in the noon heat.


Never mind the nap - I want to play.


A male lion with a kill.

----------


## Niamh

[QUOTE=ClaesGefvenberg;353048]



> Elephants, Acacias,and vultures.


 I can see those acacias needles distorting the wood of the tree.




> A lion family opting for a cat nap in the noon heat.


Thats a wonderful picture claes.




> A male lion with a kill.


Did you not find that a bit intimidating? wouldnt want to be that close to him in the wild!

----------


## Virgil

Niamh - Nice pictures of Edinburgh. You brought back memories of my trip there.

Claes - Oh my God!!! You actually got pictures of lions!! Wow. How far away were you from them?

----------


## kathycf

Amazing. I haven't been on much here lately and i have neglected to visit this thread in quite a bit. I had to go back about eight pages to view all the great pictures.

Claes, I have no idea what your current career is, but if you told me professional photographer, I would not be surprised. Beautiful pictures. I love the lions. 

Niamh and Cookie, you both took great pics of your trips, very nice. Cookie, you look so cute! Niamh, you _must_ be photogenic, you're Irish.  :Wink:  I cannot believe otherwise. 

Virgil, wow. Martha's Vineyard is beautiful in it's off season. You captured a real feeling of tranquility. Sadly, it is not the same place in the summer, lots of people around. 

Great pics of the Eiffel tower too, although I wasn't sure who took those. Thank you everybody for posting such wonderful pictures.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes, I have no idea what your current career is, but if you told me professional photographer, I would not be surprised.


Thank you. Strictly amateur, unfortunately. It would be nice to get payed for something I love doing, but alas... Anyway, I think I'll stick to Quality Engineering.


> Claes - Oh my God!!! You actually got pictures of lions!! Wow. How far away were you from them?


In this case about 20m/60', but there is more to come: On one occasion we had no less than 14 (!) cats all around the car.[QUOTE=Niamh;353065]


> Did you not find that a bit intimidating? wouldnt want to be that close to him in the wild!


Intimidated? Yes, a wee bit, but we had an understanding: We stayed in the car, and they stayed out of it. I'll have to say one thing, though: As you will be able to see in later pictures, these wild lions have a glint in their eyes that you will not see in a zoo. The difference is huge. They look at you and you can see what they are thinking: "-Fine, you can hide in that thing, but if you even think about venturing outside, I'll take you apart..."

/Claes

----------


## miss tenderness

as alwayse, Cales! this is just amazing.

----------


## Virgil

> Virgil, wow. Martha's Vineyard is beautiful in it's off season. You captured a real feeling of tranquility. Sadly, it is not the same place in the summer, lots of people around.


Kathy, I took those in August, the height of the crowded season.  :FRlol:  I just got up really early when no one was out yet.  :Biggrin:  Best time to take pictures is in really early morning. Should I add, IMO?  :Wink:   :Tongue:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Best time to take pictures is in really early morning. Should I add, IMO?


You have a point, but I would like to expand a bit on that: Dawn and twilight will often bring forth amazing colours. Incidentally, the same thing can be said for rainy weather, when few people (for obvious reasons) bother to use their cameras.

I should also add that I am very fond of night shots... 

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

> Niamh and Cookie, you both took great pics of your trips, very nice. Cookie, you look so cute! Niamh, you _must_ be photogenic, you're Irish.  I cannot believe otherwise.


better believe it! the odd thing is, my sister is very photogenic, i turn out like a piccasso. not very realistic. :Frown:

----------


## Schokokeks

> Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I didn't know they wear kilts in Ireland. But perhaps some man who just wants to wear a skirt.


You know, I double-checked, actually  :Biggrin: . It _was_ a kilt, but not a very decent one, it looked worn and not of the original excellent Scottish quality  :Biggrin: 




> Dawn and twilight will often bring forth amazing colours.


I always paint at dawn  :Nod: .

Beautiful pictures of Edinburgh, *Niamh*!!!
Nice that you're planning to take more photos of Dublin! I'd like a shot of Christ Church, if you please  :Biggrin: . And do ask your boy-friend to take on with you on it, too, you're such a fairy  :Nod: .

Concerning James Joyce's places: I noticed that there are golden (or copper) plates built into the pavement at places relating to _Ulysses_. They're approximately 30 x 30 cm (1 ft x 1 ft), and have the respective quotation from the book on them. I saw many of them, but I only recall there's one on O'Connell Bridge for sure (I stood right next to it on the picture), maybe you could take a pic of one of these for *Virgil*, *Niamh*? It might be easier to relate the scenary and the book, then  :Smile: .

----------


## Niamh

> You know, I double-checked, actually . It _was_ a kilt, but not a very decent one, it looked worn and not of the original excellent Scottish quality 
> 
> Nice that you're planning to take more photos of Dublin, dear *Niamh*! I'd like a shot of Christ Church, if you please . And do ask your boy-friend to take on with you on it, too, you're such a fairy .
> 
> Concerning James Joyce's places: I noticed that there are golden (or copper) plates built into the pavement at places relating to _Ulysses_. They're approximately 30 x 30 cm (1 ft x 1 ft), and have the respective quotation from the book on them. I saw many of them, but I only recall there's one on O'Connell Bridge for sure (I stood right next to it on the picture), maybe you could take a pic of one of these for *Virgil*, *Niamh*? It might be easier to relate the scenary and the book, then .


As soon as i get a good list going i'll get my camera out!
I'll get you one of Christ church! But dont know about this pixie will be in it or not! :Tongue:

----------


## Virgil

> You have a point, but I would like to expand a bit on that: Dawn and twilight will often bring forth amazing colours. Incidentally, the same thing can be said for rainy weather, when few people (for obvious reasons) bother to use their cameras.
> 
> I should also add that I am very fond of night shots... 
> 
> /Claes


Good points Claes. I agree that those are good times too. I was referrring to the fact that there are less people around early in the morning. I must admit that my night shots have never come out that great. I'm not good at long exposures. Nor do I know how long is the right amount? Is there some rule?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'm not good at long exposures. Nor do I know how long is the right amount? Is there some rule?


Not really, but I generally try twice the time I think should do it and then some.  :Wink:  Honestly, I experiment a lot, and the decent shots are often preceded by several miserable ones.  :FRlol:  The good news is that digital cameras made experimenting free of charge. I used to spend lots of film in this manner, and that was expensive to say the least.

/Claes

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Back to Africa...


A flat tyre again. As usual, caused by an Acacia thorn.


A baboon gang on their way to a waterhole in Buffalo Springs.


Baboons seem to detest getting wet: Great care was taken not to touch the water.


This guy gave me a scare. While I was watching his mates through the telephoto lens, he ambled past me
just three meters away. He ignored me, but they are quite dangerous: They possess evil tempers as well as big scary teeth.


On guard duty.




Back on the Kenya - Somalia Highway, en route to Lake Nakuru.


A colourful Matatu: A mixture of bus and taxi service. 


A typical roadside loo.

/Claes

----------


## kathycf

> Kathy, I took those in August, the height of the crowded season.  I just got up really early when no one was out yet.  Best time to take pictures is in really early morning. Should I add, IMO?


Wow, I thought those were taken on a nice April day. But yes, regardless, the best time to take photographs of a natural setting is without lots of people around. IMO  :Wink:  

(Virgil=sillyhead)  :Tongue:   :Wink:   :Biggrin:

----------


## grace86

I think I just spent about an hour going through the photos you all took. And you guys are AMAZING. Such beautiful photos. I am going to have to take a look here more often.

Kenya, Paris, Martha's Vinyard, Spring, India, Greece....wow....I think I travelled a pretty good portion of the world here.

----------


## Reccura

Whoa. Let me get back to my seat. Those pics are wonderful! Totally! Although I'm not much a fan of monkeys... well, my brother is.

----------


## SleepyWitch

hey guys, my bf and me went for a walk around Nuremberg yesterday and took some pics.

a lake where people go for walks, boat tours, cycling, skating..


view of the castle


the castle












Albrecht Dürer's House (house of a famous Renaissance painter)


Der Schöne Brunnen at the Main Market (Beautiful Well)


Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church) at the Main Market
this is were the Christmas market (Christkindelsmarkt) takes place


Lorenzkirche (St. Lawrence's Church)

----------


## B-Mental

Nice pics SW. Those remind me of my journeys in Deutschland. I love how blue the sky is in these pictures.

----------


## SleepyWitch

> Nice pics SW. Those remind me of my journeys in Deutschland. I love how blue the sky is in these pictures.


where in Germany did you go?

yep, it's crazy, it was an unseasonable 26°C yesterday (same today)...

----------


## miss tenderness

weird roadside,Cales and amazing pic.

Sleepy:
cool pictures..


wow!

----------


## Themis

@Sleepy Witch: You know, it's funny how Germany does look familiar. But it's different all the same from how the houses in Austria look.

Two pictures of Vienna - my favourite city.  :Wink: 


That's the "Pestsäule" - a memorial of the plague; it was built after it's end in the 17th century under emperor Leopold I.


Schloß Schönbrunn - the parts in dark yellow are part of the castle. I'm not sure why they're painted differently. Probably lack of money.

----------


## kathycf

Nice pics, Themis and Sleepy. 

You have no idea how envious I am of the people walking the streets in shirt sleeves, Sleepy. It is very cold here and it snowed yesterday. Today it is raining and warmer, but still.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> hey guys, my bf and me went for a walk around Nuremberg yesterday and took some pics.


Good idea... Both going there and bringing the camera along. Scenery and weather looks great  :Thumbs Up:  




> Two pictures of Vienna - my favourite city.


 My previous comments seem to be in just right here as well. It looks splendid.

A change of scenery? More Kenya shots:


Nyahururu Falls, previously known as Thompson Falls.


Rift valley: Suddenly the landscape changes from bone dry to lush and green.




A tiny flower. Can anyone tell me its name?


A Grant's Gazelle.


A buffalo. Someone asked me if I felt intimidated by the lions close by.... 
Let me tell you: *These* guys are intimidating... See that stare?


Marabou Storks at lake Nakuru. Really big and really ugly.


In the landing pattern with flaps and gear down. Turning left to final...


...and touchdown!


Taxiing to dispersal to have a *really loud* conversation with your fellow pelicans...

----------


## Virgil

Fabulous Claes, fabulous. I love it when you post pictures.

Themis, I would love to go to Vienna.

----------


## Themis

> Themis, I would love to go to Vienna.


Please do. I'd love to show you around. 


@Claes: Great pictures! I especially love the waterfall picture. Do you know if the name means anything? Or is it 'just' a name?

----------


## kathycf

More wonderful photos, Claes. I agree with Themis, I especially like the waterfall one.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Do you know if the name means anything? Or is it 'just' a name?


I'm afraid I don't know what it means, but I can provide a bit of trivia about it: 

Nyahururu lies near Nakuru, and it is part of the Laikipia District in Rift Valley Province. It was founded by British colonists as Thompson Falls after the 70 metre high Thomson's Falls. It grew around a railway from Gilgil opened in 1929 (now used only for goods). Being the highest town in Kenya at some 2300m asl, it is a perfect training ground for Kenya's top athletes. 

/Claes

----------


## Themis

> Nyahururu lies near Nakuru, and it is part of the Laikipia District in Rift Valley Province. It was founded by British colonists as Thompson Falls after the 70 metre high Thomson's Falls. It grew around a railway from Gilgil opened in 1929 (now used only for goods). Being the highest town in Kenya at some 2300m asl, it is a perfect training ground for Kenya's top athletes.


Thank you for the information!  :Smile:

----------


## cuppajoe_9

The books that I acquired this school year, 49 of them in all. I'm considering the feasability of getting rid of all of my furniture to make room for bookshelves.

----------


## andave_ya

Now that's rather lovely.

----------


## Niamh

you think thats much...i should take a picture of my bookshelf and the surrounding floor...books everywhere. :FRlol:

----------


## andave_ya

I went back sooo many pages! these are all absolutely lovely! Madhuri's pics and ClaesGefvenberg's pics and Virgil's pics and Niamh's pics! Wow!




> you think thats much...i should take a picture of my bookshelf and the surrounding floor...books everywhere


YEAH! That's what I want, but.....I'm still working on it.

----------


## grace86

> The books that I acquired this school year, 49 of them in all. I'm considering the feasability of getting rid of all of my furniture to make room for bookshelves.


I recognize the Nortons! I've managed to maintain quite a pile of books from the school year as well....they're all hiding under my bed.

There are some great pictures up here.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

It's time again... Pictures from Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya:


A warthog boar. As I said before: A quite formidable pig...


Common Waterbucks.


Thompson Gazelles. Always alert, and they need to be: They are on the menu of nigh on every predator around.


A twoheaded Giraffe? Not quite...


Masai Giraffes. 


Masai Giraffes... and a looming rainstorm.


Yours truly at Baboon Cliff, overlooking Lake Nakuru.


lake Nakuru from Baboon Cliff. 
The pink stuff in the water? Flamingos.
The white patch on land? Pelicans.


Hyrax. And would you believe it: Those cuddly blighters are the closest living relative of the... Elephant?
Not so cuddly, by the way: They bite! Some stupid tourist tried to pat one and got away with a bloody hand.


More Hyrax'

And that ends the lake Nakuru part. Next batch will be from Masai Mara... 

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Wow, Claes, wow!!!!

----------


## andave_ya

absolutely marvelous.

----------


## kathycf

Those are wonderful Claes.  :Smile: 

I like the one of the lake showing the pink mass of flamingos. Those little Hyrax are cute, but patting a wild animal is never a good idea, so I think that tourist should indeed have known better.

----------


## Pendragon

*Trying this out. My pets.*

*Firebelly*



*Taz*



*Izzy*



*Bugsy McHare*



*Monk*



*Tailspin Tommy*



*Ash*

----------


## Pendragon

*Wife and I do wildflowers.*

*Colts Foot*



*Bluettes (flowers about 1.8 to 2.5 cm)*



*Wood Rue*



*Phlox*



*Trout Lily*



*Blue/White Violet*



*Scarlet Wake Robin*



*All local names. You may call them something different.*

----------


## miss tenderness

Amazing,Pen. I especially liked the flowers,wow.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Those little Hyrax are cute, but patting a wild animal is never a good idea, so I think that tourist should indeed have known better.


Yes she should, and my guess is that she does know better now. The thing is that you really don't want to get bitten by *anything* out there. Doctors, pills and shots are a *long* way off. 

I think one problem is that people have seen how animals behave in a zoo, and then expect free animals to behave the same way. Well, they don't. We should not fear wild animals (or tame ones for that matter), but they should all be treated with respect. 


> *Trying this out. My pets.*


Nice pictures of nice animals, Pen  :Thumbs Up:  You seem to have a regular zoo there.  :Biggrin:  


> *Wife and I do wildflowers.*


So you do... Terrific shots too. You obviously know it, and so do I, but for those who don't: It seems so easy to snap a great picture of a nice flower, right? Wrong: You must have put a good deal of effort into those shots. Well done.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## Pendragon

> Nice pictures of nice animals, Pen  You seem to have a regular zoo there.  So you do... Terrific shots too. You obviously know it, and so do I, but for those who don't: It seems so easy to snap a great picture of a nice flower, right? Wrong: You must have put a good deal of effort into those shots. Well done.  
> 
> /Claes


Thank you, Claes. Coming from a photographer of your caliber, I consider that high praise indeed! My old Pentax still works well, with all my lenses and attachments and so forth, but I took these with my new Canon digital. The slightest breath of wind messes up a good flower picture, but at lest I'm not wasting film now!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Wow, Pen, those flower pictures are really professional looking. I think you're giving Claes a run for his money as resident super photographer.  :Wink: 

and Claes, I've been enjoying all your wonderful shots from Africa. It's like having our own personal National Geographic photographer here on Lit. Net. to show us beautiful pictures of the world's wonders. Keep 'em coming.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Now that I have been tormenting you with old pictures from Kenya for a while, I thought I'd try something current: Pictures taken earlier today, in my home town Eskilstuna...

First an interior shot from our main library, and then some spring pictures from central Eskilstuna:

----------


## Pendragon

Amazing. That's about all I could say. Wow. I might take good close-ups, Petra, but Claes wins hands down on scenery and landscapes. I could never come close.

----------


## Virgil

Great pets Pen and nice photos, both you and Claes. It's about time I posted some more. Hold on.

----------


## Virgil

These are photos from a raptors show and display I was at during a fair last summer. Raptors are birds of prey and these were trained, and some were rescued. The golden eagle has defective wing. There were about a dozen different types of raptors from falcons, hawks, owls, and eagles. These are the pictures that came out best. The American Bald Eagle was stationed in front of the American flag for a great picture. I love the close up best, the last photo here.

----------


## kathycf

Thank you for sharing those pics Virgil, Pen and Claes. 

It is nice to see a closeup view of Izzy and Taz, plus the rest of the crew, Pen. 
Virgil, I really liked the pic of the owl, they are beautiful birds...but then I like birds anyway. 
Claes, are you familiar with Umea? I have an online friend who lives there. Your city looks very spring like and clean. I am afraid I always hold this stereotype view in my head of Sweden being snow covered year round. Pretty silly, I know.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> These are photos from a raptors show and display I was at during a fair last summer.


Heyyyy... Nice birdies  :Thumbs Up:  You know, that reminds me: A number of years ago, we had a rather messy problem with pigeons. A couple insisted on building a nest on our balcony, with predictable results: Of course they messed the place up no end, and yours truly did everything in his power to make them move on. Alas, no matter how much I tried to scare them off and chuck their half finished nests out, they were back the minute I turned my back.  :Flare:  Pigeons have very short memories, and their IQ is not much to write home about**: They were simply to stupid to be scared off.  :Sick:  

Then it hit me:  :Idea:  I had to speak *their* language... In line with that revelation I produced blowups of the eyes of birds of prey, and put them up on the balcony. The pigeons suddenly caught the message, and promptly moved out.  :Thumbs Up:  


> Claes, are you familiar with Umea? I have an online friend who lives there.


I know about it, but I have never been there. It's way up north, and I am not. I do however know a number of people that have studied there, or have thier roots up there.



> I am afraid I always hold this stereotype view in my head of Sweden being snow covered year round.


Eternal snow? Perish the thought: I loath the stuff. On the other hand we *did* get a bit of snow a mere two weeks ago.  :Wink:  

/Claes

----------


## Pendragon

Back again. Maybe one day, I'll make it as a photographer! 

*Larkspur*



*Lilac*



*White Violet*



*Buttercup*



*Star of Bethlehem*



*Virginia Bluebells*



*Unsure*



*Ground Ivy? Tiny 2cm flowers* 



*Common Wild Mustard (you know the parable of the mustard seed? The flowers aren't that much bigger!)*



*Dandelion puffball (think etheral, here!)* 



*(My Daughters Tree Frogs) Riven*



*Mallen*



*Bob*

----------


## andave_ya

what absolutely spiffin' photos, everyone!

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Pen. I like the frog in particular.

----------


## Nightshade

See now I want a pet frog *sulk* :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

----------


## eleniel

Great stuff guys, I really like it. Here are some pictures I've taken...

Florida


I'm proud of this because I took it from a moving vehicle

----------


## Virgil

> Great stuff guys, I really like it. Here are some pictures I've taken...
> 
> Florida
> 
> 
> I'm proud of this because I took it from a moving vehicle


Fasciating photos eleniel. But what exactly are we seeing in either picture.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> But what exactly are we seeing in either picture.


A slightly dated pier and a cloud? 

I'll see if I have the time to crank a few pictures through the scanner tomorrow. Today, I was busy sticking a new graphics card up the PCI port, and that also meant that I had to replace the power supply... Well, I'm done rewiring and setting up now, and dear me what a difference  :Nod:   :Tongue:  Wohoooo....

/Claes

----------


## Turk

Library of Ephesus. Close to my town, İzmir.



Ephesus. They were walking over marbles, because they were so rich.  :FRlol:  



A view from my beatiful city.



This pic is not so clear because of protection glass. This is a Roman god, symbolizes fertility, origin of this god is ancient Egypt. Later Roman paganism affected Christianity a lot. As far as i can see many western people still praying to this.  :FRlol:  



This is sunset of my town. It's generally better, we see mix of green, pink, orange, blue and many other colors on the sky, though this one is not so bad too i think.



Theatre of ephesus, it's really bigger than it looks in the picture.



A view from a han.

----------


## Virgil

Fabulous pictures Turk. I would love to visit Turkey one day. So much old and diverse cultures, and diverse landscape too. Beaches, mountains, rivers.

----------


## Turk

All of those pics taken in the borders of my town Virgil and since i know you are a believer, those 2 pics are coming for you.  :Smile:  

This pic is kinda blurry, because i secretly took it. It was banned to take pics  :Smile:  This is sarcophagus of Mother Maria at her house which is on the top of a mountain, who came to Ephesus with St. John.



In the middle of pic, you see tomb of St. John. St. Jean's Knights had a fort here.

----------


## Shalot

those are amazing Turk 

I wanna go there

----------


## Pensive

Wonderful pictures, Turk! Everyone here has posted such nice pictures!  :Smile:

----------


## Aunty-lion

> This pic is not so clear because of protection glass. This is a Roman god, symbolizes fertility, origin of this god is ancient Egypt. Later Roman paganism affected Christianity a lot. As far as i can see many western people still praying to this.


Hahaha, yes Turk I think you are right.

Those are very beautiful photos indeed. I think you have done your country's tourism industry a service by posting them! :Tongue:  You're gonna end up with the whole of litnet on your doorstep!

Stunning.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Fabulous pictures Turk.


I agree. Please post more. I have been to Istanbul only (Not that there is anything wrong with Istanbul, it would take years to explore it more detail.), and I know how much more there is to see in turkey. 

/Claes

----------


## Turk

Thanks. I took those pics in a trip to Ephesus. Since stupid camera has limited memory i couldn't get so much pics, but here's few more.

This is gate of Isabey Mosque. Which has classical style of Seljuk architecture.



This is ancient Ephesus, the building in the middle is city senate and i like those red flowers (corn-poppy?), which has no smell but nice looking.



This watchtower is symbol of my city.



Inner view of Roman senate, it has good acoustic, when you talk in the middle, people who's sitting are able to hear you even when they are far from center.



This was nice statue for me, but as you can see tourists didn't interest it at all, i think Europeans are so used to nudity. :FRlol:  



This is Artemis, but Ephesian Artemis shouldn't mixed Greek Artemis. In ancient Greece, Artemis was god of hunting, purity and forests. But this Artemis symbolizes fertility and plenty. 



This photo is really plain, i just took it to remember something. Roman toilets was really good. Even 2000 years later, while people have modern toilets in their houses they still like to sit on Roman toilets.  :Tongue:

----------


## Logos

Great images Turk, thanks for posting them  :Smile:

----------


## Pendragon

> This pic is not so clear because of protection glass. This is a Roman god, symbolizes fertility, origin of this god is ancient Egypt. Later Roman paganism affected Christianity a lot. As far as i can see many western people still praying to this.


I dunno about praying, I would bet on a lot of them _thinking_ with the, um, significant detail of the statue!

----------


## Pendragon

> See now I want a pet frog *sulk*


 Do you know how small these frogs are, Night? Let's just say the photos are more than life size. Now she has another named Steve, a red-eyed tree-frog and an Anole Lizard named Riddick. Photos of them will come later. I apologize for some of the flowers being out of focus. I didn't shoot them, the wife did, and I tried to correct them and probably hashed the job!

----------


## Niamh

Wow Turk! those pics are amazing! you are so lucky to live so close to Archaeology like that!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Right... Back to Africa again:

The first two pictures are from Lake Nakuru, and the rest from Masai Mara.


a stork over Lake Nakuru.


Flamingos


Waterlilys in Masai Mara National Park


Mongoose.


Entering Lion country.


Male Lion. A really big guy.


A tiny bird of prey. 


Sunset.


Sunrise.


Sunrise.

----------


## Niamh

I love the flamingos.

My! That sunset is amazing.

----------


## Virgil

I was in Washington D.C. last week and found a little free time to take some pictures. Now I've been there many times and i was just trying to take a different angle on much photographed icons.
The Capital Building;




The World War II Monument


A close up of WWII monument with Lincoln Memorial in background.


The Washington Monument:




The base of the Wash monumant with the Capital in the background:


The White House

----------


## Pensive

These are very interesting photos, Virgil.  :Smile:  I especially liked the fourth picture!

----------


## Virgil

> These are very interesting photos, Virgil.  I especially liked the fourth picture!


Thanks Pensy. It did come out nice. Here's another that came out nice. It's picture of a statue of a President from over 100 years ago, Ullysses S. Grant. I like the angle and framing I captured.

----------


## Pensive

Great adjustment! The way it comes in between the trees and the view looks very nice.

----------


## Captain Pike

This is a special place near my home. Oddly, I had two seasons captured.

----------


## Virgil

Beautiful, Captain Pike, beautiful.

----------


## SleepyWitch

lovely pics Uncle Virg
i didn't know the Capitol was so beautiful and so big (in the pics in our English textbooks it looked much smaller). how do they keep it so white and clean? doesn't it get blackened by exhaust fumes?
did you use an old-stlye (non-digital) camera?

Captain Pike, I like the pic of the river at dusk

----------


## Virgil

> lovely pics Uncle Virg
> i didn't know the Capitol was so beautiful and so big (in the pics in our English textbooks it looked much smaller). how do they keep it so white and clean? doesn't it get blackened by exhaust fumes?
> did you use an old-stlye (non-digital) camera?


Actually it looks even bigger in person. I don't know how many stories high but it's very wide as well. I don't know how they keep i so white. I have never seen them cleaning it. When I first saw the Washington monument and the White House, I was surprised at how big they were. I believe the Washington Monument was the tallest structure in the world at one time.

----------


## Turk

Virgil, when my scroll descending slowly, i just saw the top of your picture, and for a second i thought that's a real cowboy on a horse.

Well, here's me and girlfriend/soon fiance/future wife;

----------


## Virgil

Nice photo Turk. Hey, you look Italian! I love your hair. I had hair like that a long time ago. Best wishes to you and your fiance. She looks like a nice girl.

----------


## andave_ya

man I love this thread....

----------


## Weisinheimer

I'm liking the hair, too, Turk!

and great pictures of DC, Virg. They make me want to go there and visit all the monuments again. It's been awhile since I really took time to look, though I pass through DC fairly often.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Nice DC pictures, Virgil  :Thumbs Up:  Turk, you two look nice together.  :Thumbs Up:  


> I had hair like that a long time ago.


Yeah, so did I, except for the colour. These days Im glad I *have* hair  :Tongue:   :Biggrin:  

/Claes

----------


## Themis

Since I spent a few days in Venice last week, I have some new pictures of Venice and the isles. Sadly, only Murano and Burano since finding the right vaporetto to Torcello proved too difficult and timeconsuming.

Burano:


Murano:


Venice:





Part of the Basilica San Marco (Venice):


The Arsenal (where I spent about an hour looking at the various ... statues. )

----------


## andave_ya

how gorgeous! thanks for sharing.

----------


## Virgil

Oh Themis I love Venice. I wonder if I could dig out my pictures of Venice. I have them somewhere. You cannot take a bad picture in Venice. Everywhere one turns it's gorgeous. I think it's the most beautiful city in the world.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

:Thumbs Up:  Yes.... Very nice Venice pictures 


> I wonder if I could dig out my pictures of Venice. I have them somewhere..


Good idea. I'll do the same thing.




> You cannot take a bad picture in Venice. Everywhere one turns it's gorgeous. I think it's the most beautiful city in the world.


I think I'll have to agree. It is *both* different and beautiful.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## Stanislaw

I'm going to upload some of the pictures I took on my trip to radium last weekend, just working on resizing the best ones.  :Wink:

----------


## Madhuri

Some pictures of my weekend Nainital Trip (a hill station in the north of India). (Don't go by the date on the picture, I forgot to reset the date feature).

This is a lake called _Naukuchiya Tal_.



A house by the lake.



White Peacock

----------


## Niamh

that white peacock is striking! I've never seen a white peacock before!

----------


## Madhuri

This is a different species than the colourful one we know about. I couldn't take a full view of the feathers, as it was in captivity, and if I took a long shot the grill of the cage would show. It was a zoo that I visited.

----------


## Lote-Tree

lovely pictures - and the white peacock - beautiful... :-)

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks, Lote. I have some more pictures but they are on some other computer. I am hoping to get those soon, and will post more then.

----------


## Turk

Actually it should be an albino peacock Madhuri, not a new species. It's a very beatiful bird though his peacock friends doesn't think this way i suppose.  :Smile:

----------


## Bakiryu

I want one. It's so beautiful! *drools*

----------


## Turk

I think animals should live free, not in caged in zoos or our homes. It's their right.

I like Venice pictures too, thanks for sharing them.

----------


## Pensive

Beautiful pictures, Madhuri!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks everybody. I am hoping to get more pictures to post here. I know I said the same thing when I posted pictures last time, my silly brother still has to mail me the ones I took from his camera..... :Rolleyes:  forgetful brothers  :Rolleyes: 




> Actually it should be an albino peacock Madhuri, not a new species. It's a very beatiful bird though his peacock friends doesn't think this way i suppose.


I didn't know it was called Albino peacock. It was indeed looking very pretty. I wonder how it can maintain being so white?

----------


## Turk

Well, albino is an ill Madhuri. There's albino people and albino tigers etc. too. Did you ever visit Taj-Mahal?

----------


## Virgil

Lovely pictures Maddie. I love the peacock too.

----------


## Janine

*Madhuri*, that white peacock is amazing! 
*Virgil*, reminds me of the novel by L - "The White Peacock". Wow, I have never seen a real white peacock before. 
*Madhuri*, your other pictures are lovely too. 
Love that house, temple (?) photo especially.

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks everybody  :Biggrin:  I wasn't expecting so many responses  :Blush: 

Janine, that is a house. When I passed by that property, I read it belongs to an Admiral (a defense official).




> Well, albino is an ill Madhuri. There's albino people and albino tigers etc. too.


I see what you mean, the pigmentation of the skin that changes?




> Did you ever visit Taj-Mahal?


I haven't  :Frown:  Eventhough it's just 3 hours distance from Delhi, I have yet to visit the famous monument.

----------


## Madhuri

Some of the pictures that I post now are not taken by me. I am just sharing my trip pictures.

----------


## Madhuri

The classic pose, it was so timely, it felt as if they were posing for us  :Biggrin:

----------


## Madhuri

White peacock again

----------


## Madhuri

These were taken by me  :Biggrin:

----------


## Stanislaw

wow! the parrots wer really awesome!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Madhuri

> wow! the parrots wer really awesome!


Thanks, Stan !  :Biggrin: 

They looked so pretty together like that. It is one of the perfect timing pictures  :Biggrin:

----------


## Pensive

These are pretty parrots. Especially, I liked the first picture!

----------


## kathycf

> The classic pose, it was so timely, it felt as if they were posing for us


Maddie, I love this picture! Your others are very nice too, the flowers all look so pretty. But I think this is my favorite.

----------


## Madhuri

> These are pretty parrots. Especially, I liked the first picture!





> Maddie, I love this picture! Your others are very nice too, the flowers all look so pretty. But I think this is my favorite.


Mine too  :Biggrin:  

Thanks guys !!  :Biggrin: 

I will be posting new pictures early next month. I will hopefully be visiting the Jim Corbett National Park. And, maybe this time I will get lucky and be able to see some real big animals.

 :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

----------


## grace86

Maddie your pictures are all so beautiful. You make me want to travel so much!! Thank you so much for sharing them.

----------


## Pensive

> Mine too  
> 
> Thanks guys !! 
> 
> I will be posting new pictures early next month. I will hopefully be visiting the Jim Corbett National Park. And, maybe this time I will get lucky and be able to see some real big animals.


I am looking forward to that!  :Biggrin:

----------


## kilted exile

The new kitten I got yesterday (think its been decided that her name is charcoal)

----------


## Virgil

More great photos Maddie.  :Thumbs Up:  

Oh Kilt, he's adorable. What a cutie!  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Some older pictures of my visit to the national park near Bangalore, in south of India.

A typical South Indian temple. If you see such a structure of any temple you can make out that its from South India.




Tea plantation view:




A villager on his way to plough fields. There are so many farmers who still use primitive means of cultivation.

----------


## Pensive

The last picture makes me think of the Pakistani farmers over here.  :Smile:

----------


## SleepyWitch

lovely pics, Madhy!
do the two horn-shaped structures on top of the temple signify anything?

why are the cows horns painted red and green?

----------


## SleepyWitch

> These were taken by me 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]


ah, this is one of my fave flowers. are they carnations?
my mum used to grow them for me in her garden when i lived with my parents.

----------


## SleepyWitch

> The new kitten I got yesterday (think its been decided that her name is charcoal)


ooooooh, kilted, she's so cute! i want one, too!

----------


## Pensive

> why are the cows horns painted red and green?


I am not sure if it's the same in India but here the skin, horns, tails, etc of an animal like cow or a goat are painted to decorate it. A kind of their _make-up_. On special festivals like Eid days, _henna_ (a reddish dye) is used to decorate them or even paint. Children also do this for their own fun. They think this makes their pets look pretty. During Eid-ul-Azha in Pakistani homes, you might be surprised to see the variety of designs made on different goats and cows' skin.  :Smile: 

But if there is some other reason for this in India, I am very interested to read it!  :Biggrin:

----------


## SleepyWitch

> I am not sure if it's the same in India but here the skin, horns, tails, etc of an animal like cow or a goat are painted to decorate it. A kind of their _make-up_. On special festivals like Eid days, _henna_ (a reddish dye) is used to decorate them or even paint. Children also do this for their own fun. They think this makes their pets look pretty. During Eid-ul-Azha in Pakistani homes, you might be surprised to see the variety of designs made on different goats and cows' skin. 
> 
> But if there is some other reason for this in India, I am very interested to read it!


thanks Pensy. i didn't know cows and other animals get decorated with _henna_
i do know _henna_, though. I use it to dye my hair red. it's fairly wide-spread over here.. and henna tattoos were all the craze a couple of years ago.

----------


## Pensive

> thanks Pensy. i didn't know cows and other animals get decorated with _henna_
> i do know _henna_, though. I use it to dye my hair red. it's fairly wide-spread over here.. and henna tattoos were all the craze a couple of years ago.


Here, there has always been a fashion of plastic cones containing hinna with the help of which the designs are made on hands, arms and feet. Eid Day is thought to be incomplete without it. 

But I can never bring myself to like _henna's_ smell personally... And I have never heard of henna tattoos before!

----------


## SleepyWitch

> Here, there has always been a fashion of plastic cones containing hinna with the help of which the designs are made on hands, arms and feet. Eid Day is thought to be incomplete without it. 
> 
> But I can never bring myself to like _henna's_ smell personally... But I have never heard of henna tattoos before!


yeah.. they're not really tattoos.. they're only called that.. basically it's the same painted-on patterns as in PK... only here they are not used when someone marries or on special occassions.. they are just part of "ethno" fashion

----------


## Madhuri

> lovely pics, Madhy!
> do the two horn-shaped structures on top of the temple signify anything?


It could be, but I can't say for sure, as I didn't go inside the temple and see to which god it was dedicated. Mostly, South Indians are devotees of Lord Shiva, and a bull named Nandi is his carrier as well as the gate keeper of Lord Shiva. Also, there are temples that are dedicated solely to Nandi. In this case it could be that the horn shaped structres signify the horns of Nandi, and that this temple was for Nandi bull, but I could say for sure only if I went inside the temple.




> why are the cows horns painted red and green?


Like Pensy said, it's for decorating the animals. And, these are bulls, the farmers use bulls to plough, cows are for providing milk. People in different states have their own ways of decorating the animals, some paint some put other embellishments. Sometimes painting the animals is a way to identify from the herd which one belongs to the owner. But, I haven't seen animals being decorated with henna designs.

----------


## Virgil

I was in southern California back at the end of March and had a couple of hours to take some pictures by the beach. A few of the pictures have this annoying shadow at the top right. I don't know if something was on the lens or the camera strap or my finger got in the way. Sorry about that. Some of them would have been quite good if it wasn't for that.

They had this long boardwalk that went into the ocean.








I really like this one I caught of a surfer coming in. I may blow this one up.

----------


## Virgil

Some more





And some lovely sunset shots:

----------


## Virgil

Some more:

----------


## Turk

> I really like this one I caught of a surfer coming in. I may blow this one up.


That's really really good and artistic picture. It gives me peace and comfort. :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Virgil

Yes, Turk, I agree. I like that one a lot.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Hey, it's the Newport Pier. That's about a ten minute drive down PCH from my hometown. Glad I'm driving back there next week, or those pics of the ocean would be making me seriously homesick. I like the surfer picture, Virg. It really captures the feeling of the place.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> Hey, it's the Newport Pier. That's about a ten minute drive down PCH from my hometown. Glad I'm driving back there next week, or those pics of the ocean would be making me seriously homesick. I like the surfer picture, Virg. It really captures the feeling of the place.


I wasn't sure exactly where I was. Is Newport near Santa Monica?

----------


## Petrarch's Love

It's actually about an hour's drive south of Santa Monica. You were right in the heart of Orange County, so you can tell people you were livin' it up in the O.C.

----------


## Virgil

Well, I flew into the O.C. airport. It was a nice part of town. But then most parts of California are nice.

----------


## Madhuri

Virgie, the sunset pictures were soo soo pretty...... :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

----------


## andave_ya

*stares in awe* woah! Those are really neat, Virgil! I especially liked the looking-up shot of the palm tree.  :Thumbs Up: :

----------


## Pensive

Virgil, these are beautiful photos!

----------


## SteveH

Photographs of the fire at the Buncefield oil depot, Hemel Hempstead, Dec. 2005.
You may recall hearing in the news about the series of explosions and huge fire at the Buncefield oil depot, near Hemel Hempstead in the U.K., in December 2005. I live about half a mile from the depot, and was woken up rather alarmingly at 6 o'clock in the morning by a very loud bang (the explosions were heard in Holland, so you can imagine what it sounded like half a mile away!). I looked out of my bedroom window, and saw what you can see in the photo, 'From my house' (last in the album, because they're in reverse chronological order, due to the vagaries of photobucket's uploading system - also reproduced below). I walked over to the industrial estate with my son, but the rozzers had already set up road blocks, and weren't letting anyone near, However, the copper on duty confirmed what I'd already suspected, that it was at the Buncefield depot. I've lived in Hemel for 32 years, and had occasionally wondered what would happen if one of those tanks went up: now I knew. Amazingly, no-one was killed. I took some more photos of the huge column of flame behind some factories.
Later, as the sun rose, we got a lurid sunrise in smoke - there was no cloud. The smoke had built up, and flames were no longer directly visible.

From my bedroom window at about 06:10


From the top of the road I live in (which is the one off to the right) at about 10:15

----------


## Monica

I love taking pictures. I almost never allow anybody to touch the camera, it's always me who takes the photos  :Smile:  The walls in my room are full of them

----------


## Virgil

> Virgie, the sunset pictures were soo soo pretty......





> *stares in awe* woah! Those are really neat, Virgil! I especially liked the looking-up shot of the palm tree. :





> Virgil, these are beautiful photos!


Thank you. I really wish that the camera strap had not gotten in the way (in the upper right) in most of those pictures. Otherwise I think they could have been good enough to enlarge and frame and hang in my home. I do that with some of my best pictures.

----------


## kilted exile

Dont think I've posted this previously. This is the deck I built for my mother last summer, I was back there a couple of weeks ago stripping all the paint off of it (was same colour as the flower crate in front of it) I am going back this weekend to put a nice new cedar stain on it instead.

----------


## manolia

Hey kilt that's nice  :Nod:  Well done!

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## Haven

> Photographs of the fire at the Buncefield oil depot, Hemel Hempstead, Dec. 2005.
> You may recall hearing in the news about the series of explosions and huge fire at the Buncefield oil depot, near Hemel Hempstead in the U.K., in December 2005.


I remember that really well. I've got friends who live near Hemel Hempstead, in Pouchenend (sp?) and I phoned them to make sure they were okay. These pics are amazing.

----------


## Haven

> Dont think I've posted this previously. This is the deck I built for my mother last summer, I was back there a couple of weeks ago stripping all the paint off of it (was same colour as the flower crate in front of it) I am going back this weekend to put a nice new cedar stain on it instead.


Really nice deck. Looks nice there too, sunny.  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Turk

Nice to see a person who shows his love to his mother with his own labor and craft. You may think i am weird but it made me feel affected. You couldn't give her no better gift than something like this.

Did you consider to build a top with an ivy around columns and framework, or putting few more trees around, so she would feel more private when she put a table and chair in there. :Wink:

----------


## Haven

> Nice to see a person who shows his love to his mother with his own labor and craft. You may think i am weird but it made me feel affected. You couldn't give her no better gift than something like this.


Hey, no that's a really nice thought, Turk.

----------


## Pensive

> Dont think I've posted this previously. This is the deck I built for my mother last summer, I was back there a couple of weeks ago stripping all the paint off of it (was same colour as the flower crate in front of it) I am going back this weekend to put a nice new cedar stain on it instead.


How nice! Looks very pretty.

----------


## kilted exile

Firstly, thanks for the comments. There is one issue with it that you cant see in the picture - I got the grade slightly off in one point so the kickboard doesnt sit quite as nice as I'd like.




> Did you consider to build a top with an ivy around columns and framework, or putting few more trees around, so she would feel more private when she put a table and chair in there.


I bought and installed an arbour a couple of years ago which is now covered in ivy, there is a little bench under it she can sit on if she wants some shade.

The idea for the bushes around the deck is that it will create a "living fence" just needs a couple of years to grow to the right height.

----------


## Weisinheimer

great pictures, everyone.

----------


## Virgil

> Dont think I've posted this previously. This is the deck I built for my mother last summer, I was back there a couple of weeks ago stripping all the paint off of it (was same colour as the flower crate in front of it) I am going back this weekend to put a nice new cedar stain on it instead.


Nice work Kilt. Yes I think a cedar stain would look nicer.

----------


## Mortis Anarchy

beautiful (4).jpg


Butterfly gardens somewhere...I forget. 

yellow (5).jpg

On the Tram ride up to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. It was so beautiful. I love trees!

----------


## the silent x

> Dont think I've posted this previously. This is the deck I built for my mother last summer, I was back there a couple of weeks ago stripping all the paint off of it (was same colour as the flower crate in front of it) I am going back this weekend to put a nice new cedar stain on it instead.


i thought it was funny how you got a Do Not Enter sign behind your deck, but yeah, what did you use to get the paint off, i've pwerwashed my deck a number of times to peel the dirt and stain off so my dad can stain it again, when he gets around to it, after he gets the bunkbed for my great-grand-children to sleep in, (meaning he won't do it, and most likely neither will i)

----------


## Mortis Anarchy

Great deck! I wish we had room for something as great and welcoming as that!!!  :Smile:

----------


## Mortis Anarchy

FH000007 (3).jpg

See!! This is what everyone should do!! HUG!!
Football games are silly places. They were fighting but then they started hugging. The fighting one was funnier, but it was too big!

----------


## Moira

Pictures from Tunisia.
The beach, the sun going down and some Carthagina pictures, amazing place.

----------


## Niamh

Really wonderful pics everyone!
Steveh i remember when that happened. Cant believe that was 2005 though!
Monica thats a really nice picture of south dublin Bay.

----------


## BunnySummers

> Pictures from Tunisia.
> The beach, the sun going down and some Carthagina pictures, amazing place.


*Moira*, your pictures are just gorgeous!! I particularly love this one, but they all make me want to visit. Actually, the fact that it looks like snow is seldom, if ever a danger, really makes me want to visit.  :Smile: 

Here's one of my favourite pictures taken on a trip up the Alaska Highway (the BC end of it).

_Clickable thumb_

----------


## Janine

> Yes, Turk, I agree. I like that one a lot.


*Virgil,* I liked all your photos very much. I especially like the one of the palm tree - looking up - the patterns of it's frongs/leaves is really interesting making a nice graphic design. I like the sillouette ones with the sunset. The palm trees look spectacular and the sun really big and glowing - you captured that well. I love the one with the long pier in sillouette also. That is very impressive. 
I did notice the dark spot at the top of some (too bad, that can be disappointing) but it does not look like a strap but could be the shadow it is casting or a reflection. I could easily fix that for you in my Adobe Photo Deluxe program - it is an older program, but it works fine with Windows XP and I just paint out the area by cloning another similiar area and work it in at a time...usually works out fine and you can't tell. If you want any fixed, let me know so you can blow them up and print them. It only takes a few minutes each to fix.

*Madhy,* that temple is so neat. I like the other pictures also, and the discussion you and Pensive have been having about Henna and painting animals, etc. Very enlightening. In the film "A Passage to India" there is an elephant that is painted totally with henna. It is very pretty.

*Kilted,* I love that darling gray kitten. How old is she/he? It looks to be really young... and so sweet. Love kittens! You deck you built is so nice. I wish my son would build me a nice deck like that and plant those lovely bushes for privacy. I would sit there and read all day long. Good choice - the stain instead of the paint. Must have been a lot of work stripping it off. Wow, good for you - you are a fine builder. I hope you mother enjoys it and appreciates her thoughtful son. 

*Moira,* love your photos also. Where in the world were they taken? I like the last one - with the interesting structures. What are they? 

I have been missing much, not checking in on this thread. I need to go back and review all the great photos. Wow, so many have been posted. This is a fun thread!

----------


## grace86

Hey Virgil!! Glad to see you were in California! You took some great pictures. My dad was looking at them and said you were probably up in Santa Monica or Redondo beach. But if you are taking the PCH then it is quite easy to just drive on up and down the coast! I did that last summer. I can't wait to spend my time there this summer! Hope you enjoyed your stay...when were you out here?

----------


## Moira

Hi Janine,

The photos were taken in Tunisia and the structures belong to the Roman baths ruins in Chartage.  :Smile: 

BunnySummers, it's a beautiful country to visit, loved it and have about 400 pictures. :FRlol:

----------


## Themis

The sky over Vienna, a few minutes ago. I thought it looked great.



It's a little blurry since I couldn't use photoflash. (But I did in another picture and that looks like this - scary  :Wink:  )

----------


## Virgil

> Hey Virgil!! Glad to see you were in California! You took some great pictures. My dad was looking at them and said you were probably up in Santa Monica or Redondo beach. But if you are taking the PCH then it is quite easy to just drive on up and down the coast! I did that last summer. I can't wait to spend my time there this summer! Hope you enjoyed your stay...when were you out here?


Petrarch tells me that I was at Newport Beach (she recognizes the pier), and yes I was staying in Santa Monica. I was there in March. Thanks all on the compliments.

Great pictures Moria, Themis, and Bunny. I enjoyed them all.

----------


## Monica

> Really wonderful pics everyone!
> Steveh i remember when that happened. Cant believe that was 2005 though!
> Monica thats a really nice picture of south dublin Bay.



Thanks  :Smile:  We were really lucky with the weather when we finally managed to get off Dublin and visit some nearby places like Bray, Greystones or Portmarnock. Great places. All of them.

----------


## SteveH

Not by me, but of me: on Brighton seafront at the end of the London-Brighton Bike Ride, 2005: 54 miles on my 54th birthday.

----------


## kiz_paws

Great pics, everyone.

Steve, congrats on a bike ride well done. I love my bike too, and maybe someday I will do a long run like that! Nice picture.  :Smile: 

Here is an entry point for a field near my place, we see a lot of deer here, and it is quite picturesque:

----------


## kilted exile

> i thought it was funny how you got a Do Not Enter sign behind your deck, but yeah, what did you use to get the paint off, i've pwerwashed my deck a number of times to peel the dirt and stain off so my dad can stain it again, when he gets around to it, after he gets the bunkbed for my great-grand-children to sleep in, (meaning he won't do it, and most likely neither will i)


Using a powerwasher alone will get rid of the dirt, but it isnt going to do a thing about the stain. Because of the very nature of stain when applied properly it soaks into the wood and is a real pain to get off, I was lucky that what I was removing was just a paint finish (even that took long enough). I used a product called stripex on the base of the deck. It is an envirofreindly alkali based liquid which you paint onto the surface you want to remove, leave it on (instructions say 1/2hr but I found it was better to leave it for a good 2hrs to work properly), then wash it off - again instructions said low pressure, but more effective with high power nozzle on power washer.

This worked for the deck surface itself, but it drips down the struts and railing so you dont get the required contact time. For the struts I had to use my hand sander & some 60 grade paper. Just be prepared for it to take a long time and lots of paper. Because you used just stain, the stripex may not be as effective so you may have to sand the entire thing.




> Great deck! I wish we had room for something as great and welcoming as that!!!


It is a very basic deck design, & really if you are not in an apartment building you can have a deck just need to be creative with placement

----------


## kilted exile

> Nice work Kilt. Yes I think a cedar stain would look nicer.


Yeah, I think so. I just finished putting the lost coat of the stain on 15mins ago. Some of the red just wouldnt come off so the whole thing now has a kind of rustic look to it:








> *Kilted,* I love that darling gray kitten. How old is she/he? It looks to be really young... and so sweet. Love kittens! You deck you built is so nice. I wish my son would build me a nice deck like that and plant those lovely bushes for privacy. I would sit there and read all day long. Good choice - the stain instead of the paint. Must have been a lot of work stripping it off. Wow, good for you - you are a fine builder. I hope you mother enjoys it and appreciates her thoughtful son.


The kitten is now 2months old, her latest trick is trying to climb the curtains. Building a deck is not really difficult, I learned how to do it one summer building boardwalks through marshes for nature trails. The basic philosophy is the same.

----------


## BunnySummers

> Great pics, everyone.
> Here is an entry point for a field near my place, we see a lot of deer here, and it is quite picturesque:


Love this picture, *kiz_paws*. It looks like something I might see around here.

Here's one from a road near my place.

_Clicable thumb_

----------


## kiz_paws

Wow, Bunny, if that doesn't make one want to paint, nuthin' will! Beautiful!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

My wife and I had a vacation to Arches National Park in southern Utah a couple of years ago. Here are some photos. 

This is a famous arch that you may have seen in pictures. The park is called Arches because there are many natural arches formed.

----------


## Virgil

Other sections of the park had some weird rock formations. I think this was called the three gossips.




And this looks like something out of a sci-fi movie:




And we did a good bit of hiking, and here is from one our hikes:

----------


## Virgil

We took a rafting ride down the part of the Colorado River in that area. Here are a couple of pictures from our raft ride.







We stayed at a hotel outside the park. The dining room had a great view. The hotel was used for many famous western movies. There was a lot of filming in the past here. Unfortunately I can't remember which movies. This is outside the restaurant and it rained one day and we had a marvelous rainbow and even a double rainbow, which I had never seen before.







A sunset view:

----------


## Virgil

And finally, the hotel had views of these marvelous plateaus (they called them buttes) in the distance that the afternoon sun would hit. I would sit outside with a glass of wine and watch the sun hit them and take an occaisional photo.

----------


## Turk

I didn't know there's this kinda things in Utah.  :Smile:  Is there a lot of Morons in Utah too?

----------


## Virgil

> I didn't know there's this kinda things in Utah.  Is there a lot of Morons in Utah too?


Utah is a very very strange state. It has lots of strange natural sights. It's almost a world from science fiction.

You mean Mormons, not morons.  :FRlol:  Yes there are lots of Mormons in Utah.

----------


## Turk

Oooh are they two different things? :Confused:  I was thinking Morons is a kind of religion.

----------


## kiz_paws

Virgil, those pictures are incredible. I think that I will put Utah on my list of places to see next. Thanks for that wonderful display of nature.  :Smile:

----------


## Pensive

Wow Virgil and all! The pictures are great.

----------


## miss tenderness

is this magic?

wow!

----------


## Pendragon

A few shots and don't be squemish:

My daughter's tree frog Bob and Anole: Lime



A grumpy Bob desides he's had enough picture taking! 



A n eerie centipede...



My daughter's gecko, Crocky, showing new tail growth.



My daughter holds a ring-neck snake she just caught.



A spotted salamander. Virginia is said to have the most kinds of salamanders in the world.



A Silver Salamander.



A Red Back Salamander.


This may look like a lizard, but it's actually a Red Eft Salamander. And it isn't supposed to exist where I took this picture. Hummmm.



This shot would make several ghost sites go wild, but orbs don't do much for me. Inside a cave about a mile from the house. Shot by my son of his friend. The eerie part is that there is no water drip, and he isn't stirring up dust, and they always seemed to follow this guy. A note the blue orb. In blow-ups, you can see that it moved during the camera shot. Like I say, obs don't do much for me, but it is an interesting shot!

----------


## miss tenderness

neat shots ,Pen.
your daughter seems to be a forest by herself :Biggrin: interesting hobby but needs alot of courage :Frown:

----------


## kiz_paws

Pen, those photographs are wonderful, you are a fantastic photographer! As for the orbs, those always fascinate me, though I don't know what to make of them, either.  :Smile:

----------


## symphony

Nice shots, Pen and Virgil.  :Thumbs Up:  
@Pen, those pics add more color and variety to the natural scenerios going on, nothing to be squeamish of i guess.  :Smile:  Ur daughter's got interesting pets  :Smile:  .

I wish I had a digi cam too  :Frown:  *dreaming of nikon d-50...* *sigh*
Anyway I'll try to get one soon, looking for tuitions to take already  :Tongue:  .

----------


## Pensive

Hey Pen! I wonder how your daughter could hold a snake! They are poisonous! But interesting pictures anyway.

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## Turk

Hahahahaha Bob is really funny looking.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Pendragon

> Hey Pen! I wonder how your daughter could hold a snake! They are poisonous! But interesting pictures anyway.


Nay, we only have two types of posions snakes in these mountains: Rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Everyone in the family knows to leave them alone! A Ring-Neck won't even bite. Blacksnakes will if you aren't careful, but the whole family are well-versed in snake catching. I need to scan some of my old shots. That why the Red Eft shot is different. I took it with my Pentax, not my digital, and scanned it in. My Pentax is all manual settings and a lot of different lenses.

Glad you like them!

----------


## Pensive

> Nay, we only have two types of posions snakes in these mountains: Rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Everyone in the family knows to leave them alone! A Ring-Neck won't even bite. Blacksnakes will if you aren't careful, but the whole family are well-versed in snake catching. I need to scan some of my old shots. That why the Red Eft shot is different. I took it with my Pentax, not my digital, and scanned it in. My Pentax is all manual settings and a lot of different lenses.
> 
> Glad you like them!


This explains much!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> is this magic?
> 
> wow!


Did you like that Miss T? We did have such gorgeous sunsets.


Pen I loooove you pictures. It really captures the creatures.

----------


## kiz_paws

> My Pentax is all manual settings and a lot of different lenses.


I really wished that I could figure out the camera my auntie gave me (with all those cool lenses and such) -- you make it look so cool, Pen.

----------


## Pendragon

Today was eventful. Just to show you where my kids get their insan..., ah, Odd habits, here's three shots. The garter snake bit, but caught only a fingernail, too tough to pierce. It is fat either because it ate well, or was a female full of little ones (they give live birth.) My son caught this one as he got off work.

That's me, folks!


Calm and at rest on my arm.


Release, and have a nice day!

----------


## Pendragon

Good shots everyone! Steve, you don't look 54! Virgil, my dad lived out there, Arizona, but I never made it that far west. I love those formations. Strange how everyone seems to forcus on different things in photographs just as we do in reading, poetry, and other stuff. But, it would be a dang boring world if we were all alike! We are not, and so we have so much to share!

----------


## kiz_paws

> Strange how everyone seems to forcus on different things in photographs just as we do in reading, poetry, and other stuff. But, it would be a dang boring world if we were all alike! We are not, and so we have so much to share!


Well said, Pen. Oh, and of your last batch of pictures, the third one down was totally incredible -- I wished my camera could get close-ups like that.  :Smile:

----------


## manolia

> 


WOW this one is INCREDIBLE!! Were there any volcanoes nearby Virgil??

----------


## Virgil

> WOW this one is INCREDIBLE!! Were there any volcanoes nearby Virgil??


No I don't think so. I believe this was all erosion. I believe this was all under water millions of years ago.

----------


## Virgil

> Good shots everyone! Steve, you don't look 54! Virgil, my dad lived out there, Arizona, but I never made it that far west. I love those formations. Strange how everyone seems to forcus on different things in photographs just as we do in reading, poetry, and other stuff. But, it would be a dang boring world if we were all alike! We are not, and so we have so much to share!


How true Pen. Thanks for the compliment, Pen. I really liked your pictures too.

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## Madhuri

These are some of the pictures of my visit to a Tiger Reserve -- Jim Corbett National Park (http://www.jimcorbettnationalpark.com/). We stayed at a resort in the jungle. There was no communication of any kind from the outside world.

This one is of the river _Ramganga,_ it was only a few 100 feet away from our resort. This is a tributary that later meets the main river _Ganga_.



In this picture we had crossed the bridge and come on the other side of the river. The tiny structures that you see far off is our resort, from above no one could make out that there could be a resort. It maybe because it's inside the jungle and some sort of disguise is necessary, so as not to scare the animals.

----------


## Madhuri

Water fall --

----------


## Madhuri

Lotus flower -- There was an artificial pond outside our room, and there were many lotus flowers in it.

----------


## Madhuri

In the morning when we woke up we saw that clouds had come so low.

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## Madhuri

A path inside the resort. That woman is one of the gardners.

----------


## Madhuri

When we were coming back to Delhi, I saw this railway track over another river _Garh Ganga_.

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## Weisinheimer

Beautiful pictures, Maddie. I really like the ones of the lotus flowers.

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## Pensive

These are very very beautiful, Madhuri! I have set the first Lotus picture as my desktop wallpaper!  :Biggrin:

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## Virgil

I love your pictures Maddie. And I adore the lotus flower.  :Smile:  Very nice.

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## XY&Z

Wonderful pictures all.
Some of my works.  :FRlol:  







As you can see there is no theme or s'mtng like that just clicking.  :Tongue:

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## subterranean

Ok, here are some shots



*The amateur*, a very good friend of mine.  :Biggrin: 





*The expert*   :Smile:

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## Weisinheimer

very, very nice xy&z
cool shots, Sub.

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## XY&Z

Weisinheimer, thank you. You are so kind.



This one is called Stormy Sky. I guess it named itself.  :FRlol: 

Picture itself is really bad, but for some unknown reason I really like it.

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## Madhuri

> Beautiful pictures, Maddie. I really like the ones of the lotus flowers.





> I love your pictures Maddie. And I adore the lotus flower.  Very nice.


Thank you, thank you, thank you !!  :Biggrin: 




> These are very very beautiful, Madhuri! I have set the first Lotus picture as my desktop wallpaper!


That's so nice of you, Pensy. Thanks !!  :Biggrin:

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## Madhuri

Amazing pictures, XY... :Nod:   :Smile:

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## Niamh

Hey virg if you turn that pic upsidedown you can see a skull shape!
Maddie i love those pics! Damn you! now i want to go to India etc even more!(I'm hoping to go in september if i can get some one to go with me!)
XY&Z they're lovely pics. I love the first. could i down load it and make it a wallpaper?
Like the pics Sub!

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## Madhuri

> Maddie i love those pics! Damn you! now i want to go to India etc even more!(I'm hoping to go in september if i can get some one to go with me!)


Don't worry, i'll do everything to fuel your temptation even more  :Tongue:   :Tongue: 

Thanks !!  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

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## XY&Z

Thank you Madhuri and Niamh.  :Smile:  
And yes Niamh, you most certainly can use it as a wallpaper.  :Wink:

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## Madhuri

Flower arrangement in the resort.

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## Pensive

These are wonderful pictures, Madhuri, sub and XY!  :Biggrin:

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## Niamh

thanks xy&z!

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## Virgil

Nice pictues XYZ. I love that one with blue light reflecting in the pond.

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## XY&Z

Tnx to all. No one ever told me that likes my pictures. Now I'm happy. :-)

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## Pendragon

My oldest son got a spotted-gekko called Faust.



Faust is out to get ya!



Like a Faust on the run...



Wild Ponies on Pine Mountain

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## Virgil

Cool, Pen. I didn't realize there were wild horses in Virginia.

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## Pendragon

Oh, yeah, very famous up at Assateague and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore near Maryland. But they are also on Pine Mountain here in SW VA, and like at Chincoteague, are rounded up and so many sold once a year so as to keep the population in line with the reasourses that they depend upon. I hiked the AT through there once in the fog, and one of the stallions made sure I stayed on the path. He followed me and reared up and whinnied every time I stepped off on "his turf." Hee. I'll swear this is a true story!

Pen

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## Moira

I thought i might share with you some photos from my newest experience: Hong Kong and Shanghai :Smile: , both of them amazing cities.
Hope you like the pics.

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## Moira



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## Moira

Also a Budhist temple, which i did not enter yet but i will soon visit it :Smile: .

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## Lily Adams

...Can't...resist...



MUTATO MUZIKA!!!! Where AMAZING music is composed for film, video games, and TV ads! 

*realizes that she must be more specific*

The big lime green UFO office where three former DEVO band members work on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, about an hour away from where I live.  :Biggrin:  I took this picture while spazzing out in a moving car...eheheheh. ^^'

It's also where the neighbors come to complain about the color of the building. What do they know? The traditional poo-poo-colored building is LAME.

I am so lucky.

...

Oooh! Oooh! Look, everyone! You can even see the L.A. smog in the air! See it? It's all yellow! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!  :FRlol:  AND a big billboard advertisment for Hairspray! Don't you just love city life?



Moira, those photos are gorgeous! What nice panoramic views! And the temple! Such exciting, exotic places...I would love to travel there. Or any place new. I've never been outside the U.S.

Added bonus! As we were driving along Sunset Boulevard, (I don't think I've ever been down Sunset, actually. Heh heh.) we went past the Beverly Hills Hotel. I took a picture of the exit.  :Biggrin:  I also took a picture of the hotel itself, but the picture is really, really bad. There's this huge bush in the way, unfortunately.  :Frown: 



I love how it looks all movie-star oriented down there. And it is. Being down there reminds me of the '30s or something like that. I always think of the classic movies when I'm down there. I'd hate to live in the big city, though. Especially L.A. Nice places to visit, NOT a good place to live.

Again, I am SOOOOOO lucky.

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## Niamh

nice pics everyone!

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## kiz_paws

> Oh, yeah, very famous up at Assateague and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore near Maryland. But they are also on Pine Mountain here in SW VA, and like at Chincoteague, are rounded up and so many sold once a year so as to keep the population in line with the reasourses that they depend upon. I hiked the AT through there once in the fog, and one of the stallions made sure I stayed on the path. He followed me and reared up and whinnied every time I stepped off on "his turf." Hee. I'll swear this is a true story!
> 
> Pen


Sweet! Thats a great reflection on the intelligence of the horse, loved it, Pen.

As for the pictures, everyone, LOVED them all... you are all so talented at this art of photography. The close ups are brilliant, thanks again!  :Smile:

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## Niamh

Here are a few pictures i took with the camera on my phone that i want to share with you all.
This is a pic i took a few weeks ago of Dublin bay from Howth Head.

And these i took this evening on Bettystown beach in county Meath.
This is a pic i took looking up the beach before we started walking. You can se the cooley Mountains in the backround.

This was when my friend and i got to the top of the beach. The sun was starting to set when i took it.

And these i took as the sun was setting when we were walking back to the car.

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## Virgil

Everyone has such gorgeous pictures. Thank you.

Moira - You don't say which is Hong Kong and which is Shanghai.

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## applepie

I love the pictures everyone. I'm looking for some of mine from my home here that I can load to the site, and I hope to share them soon.

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## Moira

> Everyone has such gorgeous pictures. Thank you.
> 
> Moira - You don't say which is Hong Kong and which is Shanghai.


I'm sorry.

Hong Kong - 2 pictures - the bay panorama
Shanghai - the tower and the Budhist temple.
 :Biggrin:

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## Moira

The Bund



and during the day ......



Yu Yuan Gardens

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## Nightshade

I actually have pics of this family 2 and a half months older as well but I havent got them on my computer yet.

first time I saw them 


Oi come back here!



I think thats everyone let me check 1, 2....



Mum and kids retreat to safety 


Dad comes to see if Im dangerous...and if I have food


A moment of quiet


Time to move on



Somewhere I have a pic of them all coming up to me and lifting their legs for there tags to be inspected ( well the babies were copying the parents they didnt have any yet.

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## kiz_paws

Nightshade, those are TOOOOOO sweet! Thank you so much for posting those endearing pictures, the quality of the shots are superb, too!  :Thumbs Up:

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## kiz_paws

Sorry for the double post, but I thought I'd share a few photos, too. I was up North last week (I actually go there a lot, but anyhow)... we got pelted by rain, which was annoying. BUT: the rain showers surprisingly were short and sweet and left us with an awesome rainbow, my regular camera caught it quite nice (think, if I only had a digital, sigh):



and this one:



And I called this one the beach at dusk, but it was just passed suppertime, so yeah, anyhow:

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## Nightshade

> Nightshade, those are TOOOOOO sweet! Thank you so much for posting those endearing pictures, the quality of the shots are superb, too!


Would you belive that was my mobile :Biggrin: 
Hey Paws can I download that pic for a background?

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## Niamh

kiz those pictures are lovely!
Nightie i'll well belive you that that was you mobile. The one i took above yours were done on a mobile. Its amazing what quaility pictures you can get on a thing designed for talking into! :Smile:

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## Idril

Another visit to my parents' and a few more pictures.  :Biggrin:  These are all taken by my dad, again, and the theme of these pictures, except for the dancing frogs at the end is flowers. My favorite is the poppy.

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## Riesa

those are beautiful. I am with you, my favorite is the poppy.

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## Nightshade

The poppy is a gorgeous. How do you grow poppys from seeds or do they just grow?

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## kiz_paws

> Would you belive that was my mobile
> Hey Paws can I download that pic for a background?


Woot, I am indeed honoured!! Yes, of course you can!  :Smile: 

Niamh and Nightshade -- it is truly amazing that you both have such beautiful photos taken from a mobile! I have just renewed my cell phone contract, and the new cell phone has a camera -- I can only hope that I could get such quality -- time will tell, right?

Idril, your photos are spectacular, I cannot even begin to choose a favorite, thanks for posting them!  :Smile:

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## Virgil

What lovely pictures taken by all: Moria, Night, Niamh, and Idril.

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## Idril

> The poppy is a gorgeous. How do you grow poppys from seeds or do they just grow?


My mom planted the seeds a few years ago but they seed themselves now so they come back every year.




> What lovely pictures taken by all: Moria, Night, Niamh, and Idril.


I can't take any credit for the pictures I posted, they were taken by my dad but I took this one all by my lonesome tonight and I'm quite proud of it.  :Biggrin:

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## kiz_paws

Your picture is breath-taking, Idril!  :Thumbs Up:

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## Janine

*Idril*, I love your flowers so much. I copied the poppy to send to a gardening friend, hope you don't mind - that one was wonderful. They are all lovely though; I love closeups like these in floral photos.
Ok, this is a bit of a cheat, since my good friend grew these and took the photos, as well. She is so talented I had to post them for her. Her name is Jeanne. I think these are spectacular photos of passion flowers. Is the red unusual or what?

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## Niamh

wow Idril and janine. those flowers are fantastic! I really like the white rose. ANd yes the poppy is beautifully captured!

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## Janine

*Idril,* I forgot to mention those frogs - they are adorable. Where can I get some? 

Thanks *Niamh*, glad you see you here. I forgot to congratulate you on becoming a mod - good for you! 
I loved that poppy photo, too. My friend loves red flowers - she will go ape when she sees that photo.

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## Themis

Great photos, Idril and Janine. Very beautiful.  :Smile:

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## Virgil

Very nice Janine and Idril. I always love coming to this thread.  :Smile:

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## Pensive

Beautiful pictures, Janine, idril and everyone. Especially these of flowers helped to lighten up my mood.  :Smile:

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## Idril

> *Idril,* I forgot to mention those frogs - they are adorable. Where can I get some?


I'm not sure, I'd have to ask my parents but I have no doubt they came from a catalog, my parents are big catalog shoppers which makes sense since they live in the middle of nowhere.

And since you all like the flower pictures, here's just one more and I promise, I'll stop.  :Blush:  These were popping out of a rock wall by what is referred to as the "east porch".

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## Niamh

those flowers remind me that i've had this pic on my phone for months to show you all. Its a picture of the violas i planted in the back garden of my boyfriends house.


Also i'd taken these for Virgil
Sign from house GB Shaw was born on Synge St.

And the statue of Joyce on Earl St.

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## andave_ya

Niamh, I love the last pic! It looks like Gene Kelly strolling down Main Street in Singin in the Rain. If I ever come across it I'll be sure to hug it.  :Biggrin:  and boot that guy out of the way, what does he think he's doing?

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## kiz_paws

*Janine*, your pics are gorgeous! The red was awesome!

*Idril*, loved your purple asters, such a clear pic, too!

And *Niamh*, those violas are totally romantic, such lovely flowers!

Here's a trio of pix (it is hay baling time in the Prairies, and of course my favorite Wobbly Pier):

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## bluevictim

Lots of great pictures here!

Here are some shots of Half Dome (in Yosemite National Park in California) either by me or by a friend standing next to me (I don't remember). The lake in the foreground of the second picture is Tenaya Lake.





Hope you enjoy them!

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## Idril

> *Idril*, loved your purple asters, such a clear pic, too!


I actually took about 20 pictures of those stupid flowers but it was quite windy that day, as it always is in North Dakota, so it was just hopeless getting a clear pic. I just happened to get lucky one of those 20 times.  :Rolleyes: 






> (it is hay baling time in the Prairies, and of course my favorite Wobbly Pier):


Those are beautiful Kiz. Harvest time is such a picturesque time on the prairie. On the way to my parents' I saw a couple of combines in a wheatfield, one slightly ahead of the other and I thought for a second or two of stopping because it was such a romantic sight but I didn't, thinking I would get another chance somewhere down the road but I never did.  :Frown:  

Blue, your pictures are quite stunning.  :Cool:

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## Weisinheimer

beautiful pics everyone. There's so many amazing photos. You guys are so talented.

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## kiz_paws

> I actually took about 20 pictures of those stupid flowers but it was quite windy that day, as it always is in North Dakota, so it was just hopeless getting a clear pic. I just happened to get lucky one of those 20 times.


I am glad that you were persistant -- your picture is very professional looking! It is difficult to get 'just the right take' when doing flowers, so sometimes taking quite a few just to get one 'good' one is the thing to do. It is all in good fun, anyhow, right?  :Wink:  




> Those are beautiful Kiz. Harvest time is such a picturesque time on the prairie. On the way to my parents' I saw a couple of combines in a wheatfield, one slightly ahead of the other and I thought for a second or two of stopping because it was such a romantic sight but I didn't, thinking I would get another chance somewhere down the road but I never did.


Thank you for your nice words, Idril. Don't you just hate a missed opportunity? My hubby really hates stopping the car when I see something that really catches my fancy. Darn he is stubborn! But it does work out, just like I promise him.

The only thing that I dislike about photo-taking is that I have to wait for my pics to come back from development. I use 200 ASA film in a 35 mm camera, and this seems to be the right combination for me for colour and clarity. But waiting is the pits..

*Bluevictim*, your pictures are very lovely, they look just like postcards!  :Smile:

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## Lily Adams

All of those are so STUNNING, everyone!!! I love the flowers taken by Idril and Niamh! So fresh!

And I adore the rural pictures taken by Kiz and bluevictim...those haystack things are classic. And the pier is charming. I've only been to Yosemite once, but I thought it was so pretty. So breathtaking. Even just here _looking_ at a picture of Half Dome...

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## CdnReader

This was taken at Kew Gardens, inside one of the glass houses.

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## Niamh

i'd love to se Kew gardens!

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## CdnReader

It was my first time, Niamh.... I had a lovely afternoon strolling through the grounds. I really must go back....very soon.  :Smile:  Here's another shot....

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## Weisinheimer

Those are great, Cdn. I especially like the first one, such a cool perspective.

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## bluevictim

Those pictures of Kew Gardens are great. I really like that last shot, with the walkway. What perfectly trimmed grass!

Thanks for all the compliments on those Half Dome shots! They felt so good, I decided to post some pictures from Mount Shasta (in California).

Here's a shot of Casaval Ridge. In the background to the right you can see a horizontal band of rock just below the skyline called the Red Banks, and below that a patch of rock called the Heart.


This is a shot of Misery Hill and the summit.


This is a picture taken from the summit. In the background to the right, the bergschrund of the Whitney glacier is visible (it looks like a curved "crack" in the snow slope). I really like the clouds that are visible below the summit plateau.


(edit) By the way, I definitely do remember that these pictures were taken by my friends and not by myself, because I didn't bring a camera, but I figure it's close enough.

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## Idril

Those really are beautiful bluevictim. It must have been an amazing experience to be up there, somewhat otherworldly I would think.

Wednesday night I was a chaperone on a confirmation trip to some rope thing and while we were sitting there waiting for the kids to undo a knot-filled rope without letting go or using their hands  :Rolleyes: , I took this picture of the surroundings. I added a little glow and it made it look positively magical, like you'd expect to see elves and fairies leep out at you. And it's proof positive that there are at least a few trees in North Dakota.  :Tongue:

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## BulletproofDork

These are flowers from my mom's garden.

(sorry, I can't make this one smaller)





And this one is my cat, Garfield.

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## bluevictim

> Those really are beautiful bluevictim. It must have been an amazing experience to be up there, somewhat otherworldly I would think.


Thanks. The views up there are very awesome!

Here's one of a couple of climbers descending the Hotlum-Bolam Ridge, on the other side of the mountain (and at a different time of year):

It's a little grainy, but I think that gives it a cool effect. Plus, I like how the clouds look.




> Wednesday night I was a chaperone on a confirmation trip to some rope thing and while we were sitting there waiting for the kids to undo a knot-filled rope without letting go or using their hands , I took this picture of the surroundings. I added a little glow and it made it look positively magical, like you'd expect to see elves and fairies leep out at you. And it's proof positive that there are at least a few trees in North Dakota.


Watch out for those elves!



BulletproofDork, those flowers look very nice, and Garfield does too!

----------


## Niamh

nice roses!

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## SleepyWitch

> This was taken at Kew Gardens, inside one of the glass houses.


lookie here, I took a pic of the exact same spiral staircase. they are the ones in the big tropics green house, are they?
how did you manage to go up there?
http://www.online-literature.com/for...0&postcount=31

lovely pics of Canada and U.S., *kiz* and *blue*. I'm born on the wrong continent!!!

----------


## Weisinheimer

Great pictures everyone.



I really love this one, blue.



> Here's one of a couple of climbers descending the Hotlum-Bolam Ridge, on the other side of the mountain (and at a different time of year):
> 
> It's a little grainy, but I think that gives it a cool effect. Plus, I like how the clouds look.

----------


## Mortis Anarchy

These are some I took in Mexico...in Mazamitla and Tecalitlan.

My cow friends


Mazamitla-Chapel 


This is the dance of Jalisco, the state where my family lives. Its blurry, but thats because my shutter speed wasn't fast enough for them! They were flying!

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## Weisinheimer

Nice pictures, mortis.

----------


## Idril

> Thanks. The views up there are very awesome!


It's awe-inspiring just looking at the pictures, I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be up there and confronted with such formidable nature. There would be part of me that would feel like I've really conquered something and another part of me that would feel like I'm trespassing where humans were never meant to be. 




> Watch out for those elves!


 :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:  That was very clever.  :Wink:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:

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## Virgil

Wow, I haven't kept up. Too many to single out. Great pictures all.

----------


## bluevictim

SleepyWitch, the railings on your staircase look different than the railings on CdnReader's staircase. It's pretty neat to see different perspectives from Kew Gardens, though.

Mortis Anarchy, I like the blurry picture of that couple dancing. I wish women would wear flowers in their hair more here in California!





> It's awe-inspiring just looking at the pictures, I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be up there and confronted with such formidable nature. There would be part of me that would feel like I've really conquered something and another part of me that would feel like I'm trespassing where humans were never meant to be.


That's an interesting way to put it. In fact, that "something" you've conquered is precisely the part of you that feels like you're trespassing where humans were never meant to be.

----------


## Idril

> That's an interesting way to put it. In fact, that "something" you've conquered is precisely the part of you that feels like you're trespassing where humans were never meant to be.


Exhilarating and humbling at the same time. Nature is good at inspiring those seemingly disparate emotions.  :Wink:

----------


## papayahed

From my last trip home:

----------


## Niamh

*sighs* I really want to go to Mexico. I've been promising my friend lici i'd visited for seven years now. But now she living in mexico city and while she working i wouldnt feel safe wandering around on my own..... :Frown:

----------


## Virgil

> From my last trip home:


Is that Detroit's new stadium, Papaya?

----------


## papayahed

> Is that Detroit's new stadium, Papaya?


Yep - Comerica Park. Actually, it's both stadiums - In the bottom picture Ford Field is just across the street from the park.

----------


## Virgil

> Yep - Comerica Park. Actually, it's both stadiums - In the bottom picture Ford Field is just across the street from the park.


Hmmm, I guess you were sitting in the nose bleed section.  :Wink:  Did the Tigers win at least?

----------


## papayahed

> Hmmm, I guess you were sitting in the nose bleed section.  Did the Tigers win at least?


Definately nose bleed seats! They lost that game, but I went with a large group and didn't really see a lot of the game :Biggrin:   :FRlol:

----------


## Niamh

heres some of the pics i took of Newgrange and Knowth during my trip to Bru Na Boinne. Plenty more in my blog.
This Is Newgrange


And this is Knowth with its satalite tombs


the view from Knowth

----------


## CdnReader

Beautiful shots, Niamh. I must be sure to see your country before they kick me out of the UK and send me back to Canada. LOL!

----------


## Lote-Tree

Some nice pics Niamh...:-)

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## Janine

Wonderful pictures, *Niamh!* I am at the gate boarding my plane now (haha - just kidding - wish I was...)

Those satalite tombs are amazing! Everything is so green - guess it is from all the rain....love these photos....pretty different than here and quite pretty and rural, too.

----------


## Weisinheimer

Beautiful pics, niamh. The grass is so green. It's gorgeous.

----------


## Shurtugal

those pics are beautiful niamh! just plain spectacular!

----------


## Niamh

the area surrounding Bru Na Boinne is some of the best farmland in Europe.

----------


## BulletproofDork

Very nice.

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## bluevictim

Niamh, those pictures are great, and the pictures in your blog entry, too! Thanks for posting them and the short descriptions in your blog. I wish someone would build _me_ one of those tombs and bury me in it when I die!

----------


## Niamh

> Niamh, those pictures are great, and the pictures in your blog entry, too! Thanks for posting them and the short descriptions in your blog. I wish someone would build _me_ one of those tombs and bury me in it when I die!


So would I! :Tongue:  That would be some farewell eh? 
I only wrote up a little bit of what i know about these sites in my blog. If i'd written ALL of what i know it would have been very long indead. :Biggrin:  Maybe i should use my blog as an educational blog for people to learn about Irish Archaeology. What do you all think? :Idea:

----------


## bluevictim

> I only wrote up a little bit of what i know about these sites in my blog. If i'd written ALL of what i know it would have been very long indead. Maybe i should use my blog as an educational blog for people to learn about Irish Archaeology. What do you all think?


I'm sure many people would find it very interesting. I, for one, have a lot to learn, since just about everything I know about Ireland comes from watching Lucky Charms commercials.

Pink hearts! Yellow moons! Orange stars! Green clovers! Purple horseshoes! Frosted Lucky Charms -- they're magically delicious!  :Smile:

----------


## Idril

Those pictures are beautiful Niamh! Like Bluevictim, I'm not that fluent in Irish history either but it's long been a place I've wanted to visit. I'm not much of a blog reader but I may just read yours if it's educational.  :Wink:

----------


## kiz_paws

*bluevictim* -- beautiful shots of California!
*CdnReader* -- your takes of Kew Gardens are very inspiring!
*Idril* -- that tree shot would make a great giant wall poster! But in any case, your finishing touches did lend a magical air to it -- gorgeous!
*Bulletproof* -- Your pictures are so clear, that second flower was stunning! And need I say that I fell in love with little Garfield? Sweet!
*Mortis* -- cool pictures, love those cows!
*Papayahed*, your stadium shots are totally professional looking, WOW!
And *Niamh*, I love looking at the Irish scenery -- post any time!

----------


## Niamh

> I'm sure many people would find it very interesting. I, for one, have a lot to learn, since just about everything I know about Ireland comes from watching Lucky Charms commercials.
> 
> Pink hearts! Yellow moons! Orange stars! Green clovers! Purple horseshoes! Frosted Lucky Charms -- they're magically delicious!


 :FRlol:  



> Those pictures are beautiful Niamh! Like Bluevictim, I'm not that fluent in Irish history either but it's long been a place I've wanted to visit. I'm not much of a blog reader but I may just read yours if it's educational.


fair enough! I'll start thinking up stuff to tell you all about Ireland then. I'll do up a blog entry soon so keep watching that spot! :Wink:  Anything particular request?

----------


## Madhuri

I went on a 4 day vacation to Udaipur and Mount Abu, it's in western region of India in Rajasthan. 

Here are some pics to share. Once all get uploaded, i'll post more.  :Smile:  These are of the places I visited in _Udaipur_ city.

1) This picture shows the rising Sun. Many Hindu rulers used to worship Sun god.



2) An elephant carving at the entrance.



3) An arch at the entrance.



4) This equipment is an ancient way for making rose water. You will see a furnace and this huge pot, inside which there are rose petals and water. The manner of making rose water is, that when petals and water boil, condensation happens and the water that distills is gathered in another pot, which is later used as rose water.



5) View of the City palace of Udaipur from _Pichola lake_



6) This bench is inside the garden known as _Sahelion ki badi_. It was made for the Kings daughter, where she would come with her friends.



7) Shield & Sword at the entrance



8) A statue of _Maharana Pratap_ and his horse called _Chetak_. This horse is considered very loyal and courageous. During the battle, when Chetak got injured with one leg missing, he took his master to a safe place before expiring. He jumped a 22 ft long empty stretch between two small hills.



9) This image (in black) is showing how the battle was fought, before Chetak got injured.



10) Picture of a China rose.



11) This is also a very ancient way of making Sugarcane juice, it is no longer practiced. The place that we were visiting kept these as attraction for the visitors and to show them how things were done in those days. 

The bull will be moving in a circular motion and will make the wheels turn, the cane is then put between the wheels and crushed to make the juice, its then collected in a pot and later served in glasses.



12) Outside you could also go for a camel ride. Camels were the common means of transport in early days and in some villages, I believe this will still be the means of transport. The people with turbans you see are the locals (_Rajasthani's_ ) who make their living by such rides.





13) A puppet show




I will post more images, as I have tonnes of pictures  :Biggrin:

----------


## Niamh

:Frown:  Those pics are wonderful Madhuri!  :Frown:  Sould have been going to India today but couldnt afford it.*sniff* :Bawling:

----------


## Madhuri

> Those pics are wonderful Madhuri!  Sould have been going to India today but couldnt afford it.*sniff*


Thanks, Niamh  :Biggrin:  

Don't worry, you will surely be visiting India soon, and these pictures are of the places that you had planned to visit earlier. These places are worth visiting, you will definitely enjoy here, whenever you plan come  :Smile: .

----------


## Weisinheimer

Gorgeous pictures, Maddie.

----------


## Pensive

Very nice pictures, Madhuri! Loved them!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Beautiful pictures Maddie. Thank you.  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Thank you guys  :Biggrin: 

In continuation here are some more pictures from inside of the City palace  :Biggrin: 

1) This is the place where the _Rani's_ (queens) would get ready. Notice that the walls and the ceiling has mirrors. The red coloured material hanging from the ceiling is a fan, and the string coming out of it (from the center) was used to move it; some maid would sit outside of the room and pull the string to move the fan.



2) This is a place for the _Rani's_ to lounge around on a swing.



3) This is the waiting area, where the _Rani's_ would wait for the _Raja_ (king) after getting ready. 



4) This is the chamber of a king who had polio. Although, he was married he never really live like a married person, and his needs were simple.

----------


## Madhuri

Some more pics  :Biggrin: 

5) A peacock carved on the palace wall.



6) A dome



7) A window below the dome



8) Another picture of Sun, decorated with jewels. This particular structure is made of real gold.

----------


## Niamh

*gasps* :Eek:

----------


## AdoreroDio

Here are some of the photos I have taken- mostly in KY :They are basically all natural pictures, landscapes, etc.



















 (that's my dog, Jake  :Biggrin:  )






They aren't very good but they capture Kentucky well, I think.

----------


## bluevictim

Madhuri, those are very fascinating pictures from India. That palace is so ornate!

AdoreroDio, I really like those landscape shots. I couldn't figure out what the last picture was, though.

----------


## AdoreroDio

It's sort of abstract but it's a walk way- with gravel, grass, and concrete.

----------


## bluevictim

> It's sort of abstract but it's a walk way- with gravel, grass, and concrete.


aaah... now I get it. Thanks.

----------


## Mortis Anarchy

These are from my trip to Washington D.C.---which was amazing by the way!



Arlington National Cemetary---changing of the guard


Who do you think won?

----------


## bluevictim

Nice pictures of D.C., Mortis Anarchy. I remember being really impressed by the subway there!

If the Air Force won, that would have been a very exciting 29 seconds!

----------


## BulletproofDork

Yes, very nice, Mortis Anarchy. 

Did the . . .Navy win?

----------


## Niamh

Heres some pics from my trip to Worcester.

Shakespeares Birthplace




 :Smile:

----------


## Logos

Were you allowed to take pics inside? or even go inside?

----------


## Niamh

we were allowed inside but not allowed to take pics. Was the same with Newgrange in Co.Meath and Mary Kings Close in Edinburgh. What you wanted to photograph most you werent allowed to. :Frown:

----------


## Virgil

> Heres some pics from my trip to Worcester.
> 
> Shakespeares Birthplace


Nice pictures Niamh. But Shakespeare wasn't born in Worcester.  :Confused:  I thought it was Strafford-Upon-Avon.  :Tongue:

----------


## Virgil

> Here are some of the photos I have taken- mostly in KY :They are basically all natural pictures, landscapes, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They aren't very good but they capture Kentucky well, I think.


I liked them Adorero. They are quite nice. I have been through Kentucky and even spent a day or so in Lousiville. I like the way this picture with the American flag stands out against a darkening evening.

----------


## Niamh

virg if you read the title above the post i said Stratford Upon Avon. We went from worcester to stratford. Its only 30 mins away. I holidayed in Worcester.

----------


## Virgil

> virg if you read the title above the post i said Stratford Upon Avon. We went from worcester to stratford. Its only 30 mins away. I holidayed in Worcester.


 :Alien:  How did that get there?  :Tongue:   :FRlol:  I figured as such anyway.  :Wink:

----------


## Niamh

> How did that get there?   I figured as such anyway.


Maybe you need glasses Virg! :Tongue:   :FRlol:

----------


## Virgil

> Maybe you need glasses Virg!


I've been wearing glasses for almost thirty years. I bet that's longer than you've been alive.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Niamh

Some more pics from my trip to Worcester.
These are some taken on the river Severn. You can see Worcester Cathedral in the backround of some of them.

----------


## SleepyWitch

aw, those swans are cute! 
did you go to the other Shaky houses as well? (that one outside Stratford, what was it, his wife's birthplace or something?). I've visited Shaky's house two or three times but not the other ones  :Frown: 
Worcester cathedral is nice  :Smile:  i ended up in Worcester once because I fell asleep on the train to Stratford and it went on to Worcester for some reason although it didn't say anywhere on the timetable. so I had to stay there because there was no train back on the same day  :Tongue:

----------


## Niamh

> aw, those swans are cute! 
> did you go to the other Shaky houses as well? (that one outside Stratford, what was it, his wife's birthplace or something?). I've visited Shaky's house two or three times but not the other ones 
> Worcester cathedral is nice  i ended up in Worcester once because I fell asleep on the train to Stratford and it went on to Worcester for some reason although it didn't say anywhere on the timetable. so I had to stay there because there was no train back on the same day


no we just went to his birthplace.

 :FRlol:  worcesters not that bad a place to wake up in. Could have been worse i suppose. :Tongue:

----------


## bluevictim

Thanks for sharing those pictures, Niamh.




> 


"Look! There he is!"  :Smile:

----------


## Lote-Tree

I love the pictures Niamh especially the swans  :Biggrin:  but something spoilt one of the pictures it starts with B and has two words and ends with D ;-)

----------


## Idril

My oldest son and I drove to Minot this morning to go to the Norsk Høstfest. It had been a cold night so there was frost covering everything and it was horrendously foggy, there were times when all I could see was the 10 feet or so of the road right in front of me but there were breaks in the fog and one such break was just as we were nearing a wind farm. We were in a bit of a hurry but I thought the chance of the particular combination, windmills, fog, frost and sunrise would be a hard one to replicate so I stopped. The frost didn't show up very well which was a little disappointing but the rest was captured nicely.

----------


## Virgil

Nice Idril.  :Smile:

----------


## Shalot

Can anyone recommned a good inexpensive digital camera for someone like me - I am not much of a photographer but I need a camera. My husband bought me one for Christmas a few years ago, but it was an inexpensive recorder also, and I don't like it. It's too hard to use and it makes poor quality images (mustek) anyone got any suggestions? I need something easy to use with good results and I don't want to spend a whole more than 200. I could possibly go a little higher, but not much. Mainly I am looking for something idiot proof.

----------


## Virgil

> Can anyone recommned a good inexpensive digital camera for someone like me - I am not much of a photographer but I need a camera. My husband bought me one for Christmas a few years ago, but it was an inexpensive recorder also, and I don't like it. It's too hard to use and it makes poor quality images (mustek) anyone got any suggestions? I need something easy to use with good results and I don't want to spend a whole more than 200. I could possibly go a little higher, but not much. Mainly I am looking for something idiot proof.


I k now what you mean Shalot. I've had my camera (a nikon coolpix) for a couple of years and all the different settings still confuse me. I did a quick research for you and this is what I found: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2174702,00.asp. I can't vouch for it from personal experience, but it sounds like something that might workout for you. And with 8 megapixals, that should take very nice pictures. Actually I can't believe you can get an 8 megapixal camera for under $200. Sounds like a good deal.

----------


## SleepyWitch

> 


wow, this is awesome Idril. your part of the U.S. must be so beautiful

----------


## SleepyWitch



----------


## Petrarch's Love

> Can anyone recommned a good inexpensive digital camera for someone like me - I am not much of a photographer but I need a camera. My husband bought me one for Christmas a few years ago, but it was an inexpensive recorder also, and I don't like it. It's too hard to use and it makes poor quality images (mustek) anyone got any suggestions? I need something easy to use with good results and I don't want to spend a whole more than 200. I could possibly go a little higher, but not much. Mainly I am looking for something idiot proof.
> Yesterday 07:32 PM


I would highly recommend any of the Kodak Easyshare cameras. Both the camera and the software that come with it are very user friendly and the price is right. The version I have is older and cost under $100 but takes beautiful pictres for my wholly amateur purposes. My mom recently got one for about $130 that takes spectacular photos, and she also loves the printer dock she got, which produces Kodak quality prints for you at home. I just took a quick look on their site, http://cameras.kodak.com/ and it looks as though within your price range you could get a camera with 8.2 megapixels and a 3X optical zoom for about $180, and there are other more economical but still quality options to choose from.

----------


## Virgil

Nice photos Sleepy. How cute. They seem too friendly to be wild.

----------


## Idril

> wow, this is awesome Idril. your part of the U.S. must be so beautiful


Well, that would depend on who you talk to, there are those that find it mind-numbingly dull but I think it's beautiful. It has a very simple, natural, rustic beauty unencumbered by development or large cities.  :Tongue:  I live in the capitol which is the second biggest city in the state and and yet within 10 minutes I can be out in the middle of nowhere and I love that. It may not be exciting but that's what travel is for.  :Smile: 

And I like the pictures of the boars, Sleepy. What are you feeding them? It looks like uncooked spaghetti.  :FRlol:

----------


## kiz_paws

*Maddy*, the pictures were totally breath-taking. Thank you for posting them!

*AdoreroDio*, you have captured Kentucky well. I enjoyed not only the photos themselves, but the artistic method in which you captured them. Lovely.

*Mortis* -- cool photos, I have never been to Washington.  :Smile: 

*Niamh*, You make me wish I could be there -- lovely pictures, thanks for sharing them! 

*Idril*, your photos are stunning -- what kind of camera do you take these with, the clarity is awesome!

*Sleepy*, those were endearing photos (you know me and my animal-loving-side). I LOVED those cute boars! Lucky girl to have fed them!  :Smile:

----------


## SleepyWitch

> And I like the pictures of the boars, Sleepy. What are you feeding them? It looks like uncooked spaghetti.


uncooked macaronis  :Smile: 




> 


you know what's really funny, Niamh? those pics of Ireland are the stereotypical picture of _England_ we have over here!!! whenever there's a cheap edition of British Short Stories etc there's be a pic like this on the cover! so when I lived in England I kept looking for these landscapes but couldn't find them anywhere! and now I realize I lived in the wrong country alltogether! I feel cheated  :Blush:

----------


## Niamh

Idril those Pics are amazing! We've NOTHING like that in Ireland!

Sleepy lovely pics of those Boars! They like like they are enjoying their feed! :Tongue:  




> you know what's really funny, Niamh? those pics of Ireland are the stereotypical picture of _England_ we have over here!!! whenever there's a cheap edition of British Short Stories etc there's be a pic like this on the cover! so when I lived in England I kept looking for these landscapes but couldn't find them anywhere! and now I realize I lived in the wrong country alltogether! I feel cheated


 :FRlol:  There are parts of Scotland that are like the pics. Also some really nice parts of the east Midlands. 
Speaking of the east midlands, Heres some pics from my visit this weekend and some from July 06.
the wonderful Lincoln!




Jen, Baby Kaia(most beautiful baby in the world) and Me.


This is the location of my all time favourite Antiquarian Book shop!

Me and my two beautiful friends from last year when Jen (who is in the pic with me infront of the cathedral) was Pregnant.

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* what incredible photos. I just love them all! Very nice photos of you and your friends. I like that last one of you in particular. Now we know what our Niamh really looks like and she is quite pretty indeed. Keep these cool photos coming.

----------


## Virgil

Beautiful pictures Naimh. Such a charming looking place. And photos of you and your friends.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Ok. I haven't posted in a while. In July we spent a little over a week in Santa Barbara, California. Here are some photos.

----------


## Idril

I love those trees, Virgil.

And Niamh, your pictures really make me want to visit the Midlands. I'm just so fascinated the history and age of those buildings, there's just nothing like that here.

----------


## Pensive

Some really good additions!  :Biggrin:  And the baby is very cute, Niamh! How old is she?  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

> I love those trees, Virgil.
> 
> And Niamh, your pictures really make me want to visit the Midlands. I'm just so fascinated the history and age of those buildings, there's just nothing like that here.


We have a lot of lovely castles, churches and cathedrals in Ireland but we just dont have those beautiful wooden framed houses that they have in britain.



> Some really good additions!  And the baby is very cute, Niamh! How old is she?


I think shes one next month. Shes a beautiful baby. Only cries when shes sleepy.



> *Niamh,* what incredible photos. I just love them all! Very nice photos of you and your friends. I like that last one of you in particular. Now we know what our Niamh really looks like and she is quite pretty indeed. Keep these cool photos coming.


Thanks Janine! I've popped myself into a few photos i've posted onlitnet but i think the best one of me is the one with my friends. I'm not pulling a wierd goofy face in it! :Tongue:  



> Beautiful pictures Naimh. Such a charming looking place. And photos of you and your friends.


Thanks Virgil. You pics of Santa Barbara are lovely Virg! Very spanish.!

----------


## SleepyWitch

> There are parts of Scotland that are like the pics. Also some really nice parts of the east Midlands.


just my luck to have lived in the _West_ Midlands then. grrrrrrrrrr  :FRlol: 

very nice pics Uncle Virgil. i love the first and third one. another place in the U.S. I'll have to visit if/when I go there in 2009

----------


## Niamh

> just my luck to have lived in the _West_ Midlands then. grrrrrrrrrr


 :FRlol:   :Brow:  also the peak district is pretty. Not to mention Wales. :Tongue:  
(these photos from photo bucket. Not mine)
wales

Scotland

East midlands

Peak district

----------


## SleepyWitch

yep, I've been to Scotland and Wales, not to the Peak District, though

----------


## Niamh

I've never been to the peak either. The only part of wales i've been to was a pub in holyhead! :Tongue:  day trip from dublin.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Niamh--Wanted to say how much I've been enjoying seeing all your fine pictures of your beautiful country. These latest of Wales and Scotland are gorgeous to. Makes me want to take a long trip traveling around all the green isles. 

Virg.--Your pics made me so nostalgic for my undergraduate years at UC Santa Barbara. I know and love all the places in those shots.

----------


## Niamh

the most recent pics i've posted are from my trips to England. :Smile:  As soon as i get around to it i'll post more of Ireland for you.

----------


## Virgil

Niamh those are fabulous pictures. The remind me of the American west. Where is the Peak district? I have never heard of it.

Yes Santa Barbara, as most of California, has a deep Spanish history. There was a church and old Spanish fort that went back to the 15th century, and that is very old for America.

----------


## Lily Adams

> Ok. I haven't posted in a while. In July we spent a little over a week in Santa Barbara, California. Here are some photos.



I live a half an hour south of Santa Barbara.  :Biggrin:  Gorgeous, isn't it? That's definitely it. I know where you were. We go there for special occassions and walk on the pier and stuff. We like shopping on Main Street, too. I think it's Main Street...or State Street or something like that. We actually visit Santa Barbara quite a bit. You know that big area of houses on that hill overlooking the harbor? I like to look at it and think that all the rich, famous people live there. I'm sure some do. But I pay more attention to the ocean.  :Biggrin:  Very gorgeous city qith beautiful Spanish influences.

I was actually there on the Fourth, so maybe we ran into each other and didn't know it? XD

And I love all your photos, Niamh, whether you took them or not. The U.K. is the first foreign country I want to visit. So gorgeous and emotional. Old and charming.

----------


## Janine

*Virgil,* I love your Santa Barbara Photos - lets give them double exposure here, because they are so lovely! This really takes me back to my brief visit there some 20 or more years ago. I see the place has not changed a hair - beautiful beyond description, as usual. Is that the mission on the hill? I went and toured the mission - loved it and the view from up there. One of the buildings down below across from the beach looks just like one I had lunch in. Oh how I long to go back there. I just loved Santa Barbara so much. Those palm trees are amazing and I like the way your photo is sort of misty in that one - very atmospheric. Your camera takes great pictures....and of course, so do you, behind the shutter do, too! :Thumbs Up: 




> Ok. I haven't posted in a while. In July we spent a little over a week in Santa Barbara, California. Here are some photos.

----------


## Virgil

> *Virgil,* I love your Santa Barbara Photos - lets give them double exposure here, because they are so lovely! This really takes me back to my brief visit there some 20 or more years ago. I see the place has not changed a hair - beautiful beyond description, as usual. Is that the mission on the hill? I went and toured the mission - loved it and the view from up there. One of the buildings down below across from the beach looks just like one I had lunch in. Oh how I long to go back there. I just loved Santa Barbara so much. Those palm trees are amazing and I like the way your photo is sort of misty in that one - very atmospheric. Your camera takes great pictures....and of course, so do you, behind the shutter do, too!


Thanks Janine. I don't remember if that is the mission. I want to say yes, but I'm not sure. I took that picture from the tower in the last picture I posted, that fancy building with the tower and courtyard. That fancy building is a court building but tourists are allowed to tour the murials in the rooms (which were OK but rather Hollywoodish) and go to the tower. The tower is the highest structure in town and snapped the picture of the church from up there.

If you liked the picture of the trees, here are a few more taken in early morning sunshine with the fog breaking up. 





And here's a picture of me with the mountains in the background.

----------


## bluevictim

Idril, I love those hazy windmill pictures; they look so dreamy.

SleepyWitch, your pictures make me hungry for some kalua pork!

Niamh, that cathedral in Lincoln looks magnificent. The cars in the foreground make an interesting juxtaposition.

Virgil, great pictures of Santa Barbara. I love the California coast.

I thought I'd contribute some more pictures from Yosemite National Park:

Here's one of the very photogenic Cathedral Peak:

(I posted another shot of this peak before)

Here is a shot of Yosemite Valley from Half Dome at sunrise:


I hope you enjoy!

----------


## cactus

Hi There,

Either you guys are great photographers or you are just darn lucky to be visiting very beautiful places.

Cactus

----------


## Niamh

Blue Victim you pics of yosemine are awesome!

Lily: doncha wanna come to Ireland First? :Frown:   :Tongue:  

Virgil the Peak District is in England. Its practically a national park its so beautiful. I think its located in and around Derbshire. I've never been.

----------


## Virgil

> Idril, I love those hazy windmill pictures; they look so dreamy.
> 
> SleepyWitch, your pictures make me hungry for some kalua pork!
> 
> Niamh, that cathedral in Lincoln looks magnificent. The cars in the foreground make an interesting juxtaposition.
> 
> Virgil, great pictures of Santa Barbara. I love the California coast.
> 
> I thought I'd contribute some more pictures from Yosemite National Park:
> ...


Fabulous! Thanks.

----------


## Janine

*Manny,* those new photos are stunning! I love the tree one and that is a very nice photo of you. Did you wife take that one? Good job - I like the way you have captured that early morning California coastal fog. Those trees are amazing looking. I want to go back there and these photos make me long for it.

Wow,*Bluevictim,* I can't stand it - I want to go back to Yosemite so badly, too. These picture furture convince and are truly inviting. I adore that second shot...the shadow of Halfdome is unbelievable. Wow, you were there just the right moment of the day. That lake looks inviting, but it is probably quite cold. I love both - they could be picture postcards!

*Hey, everyone* ~ all of you could make up a nice calender with your great photos. You should consider doing it, no kidding. Some wonderful shots on this thread.

----------


## manolia

> Here's one of the very photogenic Cathedral Peak:
> 
> (I posted another shot of this peak before)




WOw!!!! America is so beautiful! 

I have heard of Yosemite park i think. When i was doing my dissertation..does it have weird and extraordinary rock formations?

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Beautiful pics of Yosemite, Bluevictim. My family vacations there every year, so I thought I'd post a few more pictures of the place. 

Since Manolia asked about rock formations, this is Yosemite's most famous formation, Half Dome:


Half Dome again around sunset:


This is North Dome and Washington's column at sunset. This gives you an idea of the immensity of the cliffs, since that green stuff at the top of the cliff are hundred foot high pines. 


Some of the local wildlife:

----------


## symphony

Great photos, Petrarch. Esp. the sunset ones.

----------


## manolia

Thanx Petrarch  :Smile:  Yes i remember now..the Half Dome  :Wink: 
What an extraordinary place..

----------


## BulletproofDork

*faints dead away* Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!

----------


## Niamh

thats a really beautiful place!

----------


## Janine

*Petrarch,* I have been to Yosemite, too. One friend of mine told me years ago, before I went there, that he thought he was in 'heaven' when he was in Yosemite. I had to agree - the place is pure magic. 
I love these Half Dome shots you took. The one with the sun glowing on Half Dome is amazing and vibrant - you captured it right at the exact moment it hit the dome and made it glow - wow! These photo of yours and *Bluevictim's* are true gems. I like your other ones very much as well. Good job on all, *P.* Thanks for sharing with us.

----------


## bluevictim

Petrarch's Love, thanks for those great shots of Half Dome and Washington Column / North Dome! I think the first one really captures what it feels like to visit Yosemite Valley -- you're going about your business (like those rafters) surrounded by these enormous granite formations; you feel like a tiny speck. 

Yosemite is definitely one of California's finest treasures. Hopefully it's interesting enough to warrant a few more pictures, which I can't resist posting (thanks to all of your compliments  :Smile:  ).

Half Dome is probably the most recognizable peak in California. In fact, it's on California's quarter. Here's a picture of Half Dome from North Dome, with some nice looking clouds (thanks to Petrarch's Love, you know what North Dome looks like!):


Here's a view of Half Dome in the distance, taken from Mariuolumne Dome:


In case anyone is wondering, the height of the face of Half Dome (measured as in the figure below) is approximately 2000 ft (600 m).



Here's another shot of Yosemite Valley, with Higher, Middle, and Lower Cathedral Rocks clearly in view (they are the three big rocks just to the left of the middle of the picture). For scale, that bushy stuff on the bottom is a forest of trees like those in the first picture Petrarch's Love posted (which has a raft and a bridge for scale).


Approximately the same scene, in the winter:

----------


## Virgil

Wow. Petrarch and Blue. Those are breath taking.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm glad you liked the pictures. 

And thanks Bluevictim for posting some more. I've never seen Half Dome from North Dome. Were you rock climbing up there? 




> I love these Half Dome shots you took. The one with the sun glowing on Half Dome is amazing and vibrant - you captured it right at the exact moment it hit the dome and made it glow - wow!


Half Dome faces west so you can watch the whole sunset take place by the change of light across its face. There are few things more beautiful. The shot I posted is part of a series of shots I took every ten minutes or so to try to capture the changing light on the rock. I did a similar thing at the Grand Canyon capturing the sunrise last year. A friend of mine thinks I've spent too much time looking at Monet's Rouen Cathedral series and it's addled my brain.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

> Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm glad you liked the pictures.


You are welcome but really these photos are stunning!




> And thanks Bluevictim for posting some more. I've never seen Half Dome from North Dome. Were you rock climbing up there?


Yes, I was thinking the same thing. So what is the deal,* Blue*?




> Half Dome faces west so you can watch the whole sunset take place by the change of light across its face. There are few things more beautiful. The shot I posted is part of a series of shots I took every ten minutes or so to try to capture the changing light on the rock. I did a similar thing at the Grand Canyon capturing the sunrise last year. A friend of mine thinks I've spent too much time looking at Monet's Rouen Cathedral series and it's addled my brain.


Well, all I can say is if it addled your brain, *Petrarch,* then I am glad for it since it obviously made you a superb photographer!

I am breathless looking at both your and Bluevictims outstanding photos. It make me want to go pack my bags and be on the first plane there. Keep them coming. Wonderful!

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> Well, all I can say is if it addled your brain, Petrarch, then I am glad for it since it obviously made you a superb photographer!
> 
> I am breathless looking at both your and Bluevictims outstanding photos. It make me want to go pack my bags and be on the first plane there. Keep them coming. Wonderful!


 :Blush:  Thanks Janine. I've never considered myself much of a photographer, but I do love my digital camera, since it's made me feel much freer about taking tons and tons of pictures for that one good shot. I agree that Bluevictim's shots are amazing. I want to go back to Yosemite this instant! 

Since we're on the topic of National Parks, thought I'd post some of those shots of the Grand Canyon at sunrise I mentioned. Here are two groups of pics, each showing a particular rock formation over about a 15 or twenty minute interval. I've put the time of each picture at the top of the shot: 
8:14

8:18

8:28

8:44


8:17

8:19

8:28

----------


## Janine

*Petrarch,* 
I am breathless again...seriously. I love the way you took these sequencually; what a great idea. I had not really thought of doing that before, so this is a good tip. I will pass it onto my son, who has a great love of photography. He has all types of cameras. In fact, he was just in Arizona and took other pictures in the Sedona (think that is the name) area. 
I know what you mean about digital cameras - they really free a person to become a good photographer. However, one has to have an eye (like you) for composition, as well. You did a fine job on this last set - I like the way the light changes everything - they look like entirely different rock formations in each shot. Good idea to post the times - that makes it more special and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share these great photos with us.

----------


## manolia

Petrarch your pictures are amazing!
(I had those too in my dissertation by the way  :Smile:  ). You have many interesting rock formations in US. Keep on posting  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Nothing compared to Petras but i took these yesterday morning at work. 



And heres a crazy Kiwi! :Tongue:  (some street theatre in dublin at top of grafton st beside stephens green. :Smile:  )

----------


## bluevictim

> Were you rock climbing up there?





> Yes, I was thinking the same thing. So what is the deal,* Blue*?


Yes, a lot of my pictures of Yosemite were taken while climbing (and I should note that many were taken by some friend I was climbing with rather than by myself). Yosemite is kind of a Mecca for rock climbers because of the great weather, convenient infrastructure, and of course the spectacular rock formations. Usually, though, a very similar angle can be accessed without any technical rock climbing; for example, both the summit and the base of North Dome are accessible by hiking, so that view of Half Dome from North Dome that I posted (or something very similar to it) can be reached by anyone who is adequately healthy.

Petrarch's Love, those sunrise pictures of the Grand Canyon are gorgeous!

Niamh, thanks for sharing those pictures of your workplace. I guess after every trip outdoors we all have to come back to work  :Smile: . That street performer looks very impressive, too.

----------


## Virgil

Thanks Petrarch and Niamh.

Petrarch is that the north rim or the south?

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> Petrarch,
> I am breathless again...seriously. I love the way you took these sequencually; what a great idea. I had not really thought of doing that before, so this is a good tip. I will pass it onto my son, who has a great love of photography. He has all types of cameras. In fact, he was just in Arizona and took other pictures in the Sedona (think that is the name) area.
> I know what you mean about digital cameras - they really free a person to become a good photographer.


Thanks again *Janine*. For the Grand Canyon pics I took 76 shots between 8:10 and 8:46 (more than two a minute). That is something I never would have been brave enough to do with precious film that I needed to develop in its entirety. I love having all those pictures though, because it helps me remember the once in a lifetime experience of watching that sunrise over that amazing place. Hope your son got some great pictures in Sedona. I've never been to that part of Arizona, but I hear it's beautiful. 




> Petrarch your pictures are amazing!
> (I had those too in my dissertation by the way ). You have many interesting rock formations in US. Keep on posting


*Manolia*--Glad you enjoyed the pics. So do you study geology and that's why you were looking at all these big rocks for your dissertation? 




> Yes, a lot of my pictures of Yosemite were taken while climbing (and I should note that many were taken by some friend I was climbing with rather than by myself).


*Blue*--It must be amazing to do rock climbing in Yosemite. I've never done it before, and not sure I have the upper body strength to try, but that must be the ultimate place to do it. Ever tried your hand at El Cap? 

*Niamh*--Great pictures, especially the ones of the street performer. That guy really is crazy!




> Petrarch is that the north rim or the south?


South rim. Right near the El Tovar, where we stayed the night. It was a detour off route 66 en route from CA to Chicago.

----------


## Virgil

> South rim. Right near the El Tovar, where we stayed the night. It was a detour off route 66 en route from CA to Chicago.


I don't recall what El Tovar is. Is that on the north rim, looking across? I was never on the north rim.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

No, it's the big hotel on the south rim. Here's a pic of the front of the hotel and one that shows where it's located right near the edge, though you can mainly just see the roof in the picture.

----------


## Virgil

I just don't remember the name. It was maybe 13 or 14 years ago. My wife and I went down the canyon with the Bright Angel Ranch mule ride down. Oh wait we stayed at the Bright Angel. That must be right there too. Camped over night at the river (Phantom Ranch) and mule ride back up the next day. Here's a little something on the mule ride:

http://www.grandcanyon.com/gcnmule.html
And this one has a real good write up of the experience:
http://www.opentravelinfo.com/north_...ule_experience

I have some great pictures, only this was before digital cameras. Canyon looks completely different as you go up and down and from the bottom.

----------


## bluevictim

> *Blue*--It must be amazing to do rock climbing in Yosemite. I've never done it before, and not sure I have the upper body strength to try, but that must be the ultimate place to do it. Ever tried your hand at El Cap?


You should try it sometime. Unlike climbing in an indoor gym, upper body strength is not an issue at all until the higher grades. It's very fun, especially at Yosemite. In fact, feel free to PM me, if you want, the next time you go to Yosemite and if I'm still around I'd be happy to "show you the ropes". I haven't tried El Cap yet.

Here's a picture of me climbing a route called Crescent Arch on Daff Dome, which is in Tuolumne Meadows (also a part of Yosemite National Park):

----------


## Virgil

:Eek2:  Ack!! Blue, what if you fall? I know I'm getting to be a real pansy in my old age, but I know what even a little fall might do one's bones.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> I just don't remember the name. It was maybe 13 or 14 years ago. My wife and I went down the canyon with the Bright Angel Ranch mule ride down. Oh wait we stayed at the Bright Angel. That must be right there too. Camped over night at the river (Phantom Ranch) and mule ride back up the next day. Here's a little something on the mule ride:
> 
> http://www.grandcanyon.com/gcnmule.html
> And this one has a real good write up of the experience:
> http://www.opentravelinfo.com/north_...e_exper ience
> 
> I have some great pictures, only this was before digital cameras. Canyon looks completely different as you go up and down and from the bottom.


Yes, the Bright Angel is practically right next door. The mule ride must have been amazing. I really wanted to try something like that, since I was so curious to see the base of the Canyon, but I only had a brief night before pushing on to Chicago.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> You should try it sometime. Unlike climbing in an indoor gym, upper body strength is not an issue at all until the higher grades. It's very fun, especially at Yosemite. In fact, feel free to PM me, if you want, the next time you go to Yosemite and if I'm still around I'd be happy to "show you the ropes". I haven't tried El Cap yet.


Hey, I may just take you up on that, though it'll probably be until next summer before I'm up that way again. About how high up are you in the pic. of the Tuolumne climb?

----------


## bluevictim

> Ack!! Blue, what if you fall?


That's what the rope is for!  :Smile: 


> I know I'm getting to be a real pansy in my old age, but I know what even a little fall might do one's bones.


You're right about short falls potentially leading to injury. There are some routes on which the climber needs to be very confident about his ability to climb without falling, and there are some routes on which falls are no big deal. The one in the picture is relatively safe.




> Hey, I may just take you up on that, though it'll probably be until next summer before I'm up that way again. About how high up are you in the pic. of the Tuolumne climb?


Great, that will give me time to brush up on Milton  :Smile: . In that picture, I'm probably about 500 ft (150 m) up.

----------


## Virgil

> That's what the rope is for! You're right about short falls potentially leading to injury.


Yeah, but larger falls might lead to death.  :FRlol:   :Wink:

----------


## Janine

* Hi petrarch,* wow, you have a spirit of adventure wanting to mountain/rock climb. Good for you. Just hold those ropes tightly. My son actually went mountain biking with his club in Sedona. He has gotten really fit and loves it. Poor *Virgil* cringes when I talk about it, and being a mom, I sometimes do worry, so I don't think too much of the danger or I would go crazy. His website has 3 sets of pictures available that other bikers took. If you want to see them go to Jersey Action Riders and click on photos and the first 3 are of Sedona. Sean told me he has not gotten his in yet. He usually takes tons of shots and is quite good. Someone asked him if he was a professional once when he was sorting his pictures out on his laptop. He took about 3 cameras with him so the photos should be fantastic. I can't wait to see them. 
Right now he is preoccuppied with his latest thought on becoming a first time father. I am going to be a grandmother! I am so excited.

With all these great photos, I will have to dig up a few I took in college that I particularly like around Philadelphia, B/W shots using a large negative camera so detail is sharp, and I developed them myself. I also have some I took of the sea-stakes and awesome beach (Rialto) in Washington state on the Olympic Pennisula I particularly love. I can scan them, since I had some blown up at the time to frame. Only had a Cannon Sureshot, but that camera took great photos. Sad to say it died awhile back. Now I just use my digital. That, too is older now but a Oympus and takes half decent photos.

*Virgil* my aunt took that mull ride down in the canyon. Now that sounds really hazzardous. I can't imagine whimp you doing it. Was it cool? My aunt liked it but thought it was pretty dangerous. I guess you were young then and not stodgy yet...haha

----------


## Virgil

> *Virgil* my aunt took that mull ride down in the canyon. Now that sounds really hazzardous. I can't imagine whimp you doing it. Was it cool? My aunt liked it but thought it was pretty dangerous. I guess you were young then and not stodgy yet...haha


It was a great ride. Their claim was that no one ever died or fell over. But the mules were literally walking the edge of the ledge and all you could see is six thousand feet down. Plus they had a wobble in thier gait so you were oscilating from side to side.  :Eek2:  I do highly recommend it.

As to what can happen to a human body from an impact. Ponder this. While in a car you are surrounded with steel frame, shatterproof glass, safety crumple features, strapped in with a safety belt, and have an air bag to cushion in a crash. And people still die. What do you have on a motorcycle or while skiing, or while climbing? What will the results of an impact to your body be? The human body wasn't made to absorb those things. I guess I'm too much of an engineer.

----------


## manolia

> *Manolia*--Glad you enjoyed the pics. So do you study geology and that's why you were looking at all these big rocks for your dissertation?


No i am a civil engineer and rocks are part of my work (mainly when it comes to foundations). But i have a passion for geology and my dissertation was on geology and had little to do with engineering  :Wink:

----------


## Lily Adams

I woke up this morning to the wind howling and the air hot and dry. I knew That a fire was going on, or a fire was going to start with those conditions. So this afternoon, I started smelling smoke and then later on the sky turned completely orange. There are seven fires around where I live, and there are hurricane-level winds. This is the single worst fire condition I've ever seen! Flakes of ash burn your eyes when you step outside and you are nearly choked to death when you try to breath. I took these risks to go outside and TAKE PICTURES!

Right outside my house. Hills are in the backround, but you can barely see them.


The red-orange dot is the sun. The bright specks are flakes of ash.


It looks like the apocolypse!!! Everything looks so ominous.

----------


## Niamh

Yikes Lily! Hope you are safe with the fires and the winds. Hope things dont get out of control.

----------


## Lily Adams

> Yikes Lily! Hope you are safe with the fires and the winds. Hope things dont get out of control.


I hope so, too!  :Frown:  Mom says we might just leave and go north if it stays like this tomorrow because it's so bad. 

One time there was a brush fire in my own town and I saw it from my school. That's as close as I've ever seen a brush fire get close to our house, but the air quality wasn't nearly as poor as this. I've never seen anything like this before.

----------


## Virgil

Please stay safe Lily. How far do you live from Malibu?

----------


## applepie

Wow Lily. I just got similar pics from a frend in California. I hope you all will take care of yourselves, and please be careful.

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## Lily Adams

> Please stay safe Lily. How far do you live from Malibu?



I live about 40 minutes north of Malibu.

I'm fine. I think things are getting more under control. I've been looking outside and I can actually see the sky now, and they've stopped televising the fire. Thank you for all your concern. That was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Wow, Lily my folks were just telling me how bad the fires and winds are out there. Your pictures are eerie looking. I hope you and your family are able to stay safe.

----------


## Niamh

HAs it died down? Think you ahould still head north as a precaution.

----------


## bluevictim

Lily Adams, thanks for sharing those pictures; they look crazy. I think this has been the worst fire season in Southern California in a long time. Some of my folks have had trouble sleeping because the wind has been so violent. I hope your family is not in the fire's path.

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## Lily Adams

It _was_ crazy!

Yeah, it's been hard to breathe and my eyes get all watery sometimes, but I'm fine. I'm healthy, so I can take it.

I seriously doubt any fires will come near my house, since I live in such an urban area. The closest fire is 20 miles away, but really, we're fine. I don't live in the hills, the firefighters are taking care of it, and there aren't really any canyons in my town that would cause any wind vectors or things like that that could worsen the fire.

----------


## Chava

My close friend

I took this after our lecture on political science. I love how oblivious he seems to the fact that he has a pen in his nose...

A girl in class

This photo I like, because I've not manipulated it to look like that, the light setting and the movement caused the white background, contra the blury dark of her face.

----------


## bluevictim

Lily Adams, I'm glad that you and your folks are ok.

Chava, I love that picture of your friend with a pen in his nose. It looks like he is enjoying himself.

----------


## Shurtugal

> You should try it sometime. Unlike climbing in an indoor gym, upper body strength is not an issue at all until the higher grades. It's very fun, especially at Yosemite. In fact, feel free to PM me, if you want, the next time you go to Yosemite and if I'm still around I'd be happy to "show you the ropes". I haven't tried El Cap yet.
> 
> Here's a picture of me climbing a route called Crescent Arch on Daff Dome, which is in Tuolumne Meadows (also a part of Yosemite National Park):


you've been to Yosemite?! i just love that place!

----------


## bluevictim

> you've been to Yosemite?! i just love that place!


It's impossible not to!  :Smile:  Just a few pages back in this thread there are a bunch of pictures from Yosemite. If you have some pictures from there that you'd like to share, I for one would love to see them, and I think a lot of others here would, too.

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## Shurtugal

i know we have some, just got to find them and find out how to put them on here...

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## bluevictim

> i know we have some, just got to find them and find out how to put them on here...


If your pictures are prints, you'll need access to a scanner to convert them to .jpg files. Here is a thread about how to post .jpg files.

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## Idril

Here's yet another flower picture...I seem to be taking a lot of those lately but they're such cooperative and beautiful subjects I can't seem to help myself. 

What strikes me about this picture is that when you look at the individual petals you can see so many imperfections, discolorations and bruises, the petals seem so vulnerable and delicate, yet there it stood in the beginning of November in North Dakota, not a hospitable time or place for delicate flowers. And inspite of those imperfections, the over all impression is one of beauty, it's the kind of thing that makes you think deep thoughts.  :Wink:

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## Niamh

idril thats such a beautiful flower!

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## bluevictim

Idril, that's a very beautiful picture, made richer with your reflective comments.

----------


## kiz_paws

*Idril*, the photo is stunning -- you have quite a talent for capturing flowers!

Also, I wanted to say to *Lily* that her pictures are awesome and I am sincerely glad that the fires have ended and life is getting back to normal. What a scare!

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## Niamh

> Also, I wanted to say to *Lily* that her pictures are awesome and I am sincerely glad that the fires have ended and life is getting back to normal. What a scare!


 :Nod:  I think we are all in agreement with that.

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## kiz_paws

I took a million pictures while in California of late, so here is just a few to share (my faves):






The beach scenes are from an area called Coronado, and the walkway was taken at the San Diego Animal Park/Sanctuary.

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## Petrarch's Love

*Kiz paws*, those are gorgeous photos. You've got a talent for framing them well. I especially like the beach pics. Gives me a sense of being on the shore. 

*Idril*, I love that photograph of the flower, and I agree with you that the best part about it is the way it shows the imperfections without detracting from the beauty of the flower. Little imperfections like that are something I often admire in nature, but find it's very hard to capture well on film. Beautifully done.

----------


## kiz_paws

> *Kiz paws*, those are gorgeous photos. You've got a talent for framing them well. I especially like the beach pics. Gives me a sense of being on the shore.


Thank you!  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

As soon as Idril found out that I'm back I noted a request for more pictures... And who am I to say no? Here goes: 


A (massive) stainless steel visent bull in Avesta, Sweden.


A tiny frog resting in my hand.


Glass art, on display in Varberg, Sweden, this summer.


Freshly cracked flintstones (the flint is inside) in Varberg, Sweden, 2007.


A razor sharp piece of flint from the stones in the previous picture.

/Claes

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## kiz_paws

Fantastic, Claes! My favorite would be the tiny frog.  :Thumbs Up:

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## Niamh

Kiz those pics are amazing!

Claes! Welcome Back! Havent seen you around in Months! And once again, amazing pics! 
Flint...My all time favourite rock! I thought for a minute there that it was actually chert, which is the same as flint, but black.

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## Virgil

> As soon as Idril found out that I'm back I noted a request for more pictures... And who am I to say no? Here goes: 
> /Claes


Welcome back Claes. I was thinking about you at tmes. I'm glad you're not gone for good. Yes I understand work load. I'm facing it too. Hopefully some day you'll have more time. Glad you're still around.

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## Idril

> As soon as Idril found out that I'm back I noted a request for more pictures... And who am I to say no? Here goes: 
> 
> /Claes


Yeah!! I missed your pictures, Claes. That glass art is quite stunning as is the calf. It's so good to have you back again.  :Wink:

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## bluevictim

kiz_paws, I love those beach pictures. The beaches near San Diego are very beautiful! I hope you had a good time down there.

ClaesGefvenberg, thanks for posting those pictures! That glass art looks very impressive.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Thank you all for the welcome back. :Thumbs Up:  




> I thought for a minute there that it was actually chert, which is the same as flint, but black.


You may very well be right. It felt like flint and behaved like flint, so I gave it no further thought in spite of the colour.




> ClaesGefvenberg, thanks for posting those pictures! That glass art looks very impressive.


It is... even more so in real life  :Smile:  




> Fantastic, Claes! My favorite would be the tiny frog.


I have a treat for you, then. See below:


Straight from the forest, this summer.


More "forest fruit"


Wire mesh art: Salamanders.


More wire mesh art.


Another little frog, but this one should not be handled. It's highly poisonous.


Another frog, just as poisonous as the first one.


another angle....


/Claes

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## Niamh

Oh my god those frogs colouring is amazing. Definitely wouldnt touch them.
The wire mesh art is beautiful and the fruit is making me hungry.

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## Petrarch's Love

Wonderful to see you posting pictures again, Claes. Beautiful as always. Where did you take the shots of the frogs?

----------


## Janine

> As soon as Idril found out that I'm back I noted a request for more pictures... And who am I to say no? Here goes: 
> 
> 
> A (massive) stainless steel visent bull in Avesta, Sweden.
> 
> 
> A tiny frog resting in my hand.
> 
> 
> ...


*Claes,* these photos are stunning. Glad you gave into the urge to post some more. Now I want to see even more. First, the bull is fanastic - the way you captured the lighting on it just so...that is just so golden and amazing....looks like a god-bull.

The frog photo is so cool and did you realise you can even see your fingerprints in that photo - the detail is so fine? I sure hope the 'authorities' are not after you!  :Wink:  

I love rocks and geology so I was fascinated by the flintstones you photographed. Wow, I used to watch "The Flintstones" cartoon on TV when I was a kid. I never really knew what a flintstone was before. Thanks for educating me. That piece of flint sure looks sharp. Is that what the primitives used to make fires with? 

It is hard to tell exactly how the art is to be viewed but it certainly is interesting. You have a real photographer's eye for interesting shots. Keep them coming on here. I reposted your photos, since I think they are well worth seeing twice.

WOW, I had to revise this - I did not realise you just had posted more. I have to go look at those now. Great!


*Kiz,* nice ocean photos, too. I love the beach and the surf and ocean - it looks so peaceful there.

----------


## TEND

Well, I don't have any new or recent pictures, buuuut I have some old ones from my trip to Italy....


From on top of the Duomo of Florence. 


A shot of St. Peter's Basillica in Vatican City.


An Italian villa, while I was on a boat ride.


A picture of the grande canal of Venice, mid-gondola ride.


Beautiful mountains in Switzerland.

----------


## Virgil

Oh TEND those pictures are magnificent. I have never seen that villa. Was that on one of the northern lakes? It looks beautiful. Nice to see you back here.

----------


## Idril

They are all beautiful Tend (It's nice to see you back!  :Wave: ), that Villa is absolutely breathtaking...and I'm always a sucker for nature pictures, those mountains are just gorgeous.

----------


## Shalot

Those mountains look so LOTR TEND! very pretty.

----------


## cracking muse

That was taken in Victoria, BC, Canada during the summer.

----------


## TEND

> Oh TEND those pictures are magnificent. I have never seen that villa. Was that on one of the northern lakes? It looks beautiful. Nice to see you back here.


Yes, it was real close to the border, actually the first stop I made after crossing over from Switzerland. 




> They are all beautiful Tend (It's nice to see you back! ), that Villa is absolutely breathtaking...and I'm always a sucker for nature pictures, those mountains are just gorgeous.


 :Biggrin:  Glad you liked them, I have more but I think those were my favorite, I have one in Assisi I rather like and another in Florence off of a bridge thats beautiful (Florence is definitely the most beautiful city I've ever seen).

----------


## Virgil

> Glad you liked them, I have more but I think those were my favorite, I have one in Assisi I rather like and another in Florence off of a bridge thats beautiful (Florence is definitely the most beautiful city I've ever seen).


I actually think Venice is more beautiful than Florence. But both are great. Unfortunately all my Italian pictures are not digital so I can't share. At least not yet.

----------


## TEND

> I actually think Venice is more beautiful than Florence. But both are great. Unfortunately all my Italian pictures are not digital so I can't share. At least not yet.


Hmm, I don't know why I preferred Florence honestly. It was also one of the most amazing experiences walking through Florence, I walked beside a museum but it had statues of so many famous Italians, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante. I walked on these cobblestone paths that have been there for hundreds of years, and I just couldn't help but think about who could have walked, exactly where I've walked and I jsut felt amazing.....
Oh, and I met a girl in Florence  :Tongue:  maybe thats it  :Biggrin:  .

----------


## samercury

> Another little frog, but this one should not be handled. It's highly poisonous.
> 
> 
> Another frog, just as poisonous as the first one.
> 
> /Claes


They are so adorable!
-poison dart frogs are some of my favorite animals in the entire world  :Biggrin:

----------


## Niamh

Wow Tend they are lovely! I also loved florence more. It was such a beautiful city. I take it you walked around the roof of the Duomo? I did that with my friend, held onto her the whole time. Even had a couple of really nice American guys help me around a narrow bit. Fear of Heights.


Janine, Flint was one of the stones that is used to make a fire. It was also used for may other purposes; 
Hunting, cooking, making clothes, building and shaving.
very versitile rock, but also very sharp.

----------


## stephofthenight

my cat allure



my yard



a random tiger at the zoo




gingerbread house


whenever i find it ill put a picture of a monkey i took.

----------


## Virgil

> Hmm, I don't know why I preferred Florence honestly. It was also one of the most amazing experiences walking through Florence, I walked beside a museum but it had statues of so many famous Italians, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante. I walked on these cobblestone paths that have been there for hundreds of years, and I just couldn't help but think about who could have walked, exactly where I've walked and I jsut felt amazing.....
> Oh, and I met a girl in Florence  maybe thats it  .


 :FRlol:  Oh that will do it. Florence does feel like the whole city is a museum. Actually so does Venice.


Nice photos Steph. I like your back yard.

----------


## miss tenderness

you've been posting such an awesome pictures ,I went through 

the pages and wow!

 :Thumbs Up:  

Cales you keep amazing us . Good job : )

----------


## kiz_paws

Beautiful photos, *Tend*!
Those poisonous frogs were beautiful, as were the other photos you posted, *Claes*. Thanks!
*Steph*, your cat is so huggable, what a beautiful face! Your backyard shot is cool, too, love the choice in colours that you used. I don't have the patience to make a gingerbread house, but yours was awesome -- makes me hungry!  :Smile:

----------


## bluevictim

Claes, I love the frog pictures.

TEND, that's a wonderful shot of those mountains. Do you remember the names of the peaks in that area?

cracking muse, I think that flower is very beautiful.

stephofthenight, great gingerbread house!

----------


## stephofthenight

<the monkey picture. one of my fav's

and sadly we thru the gingerbread house away... something about it sitting out for a week just didnt make me want to eat it...it wasnt realy that hard, you shoud deff make one  :Smile:  althou i think i ate more candy than i put on the house. but it was fun...

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Where did you take the shots of the frogs?


At the Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm (And I had a bear of a time getting the angles right, with people crowding me all the time  :FRlol:  )




> and did you realise you can even see your fingerprints in that photo - the detail is so fine? I sure hope the 'authorities' are not after you!


Oops  :Eek2:  I never thought about that! Right everyone, I'm off to my hideout...




> That piece of flint sure looks sharp. Is that what the primitives used to make fires with?


It is *very* sharp. Flint was used mainly to fabricate tools, which is what i was trying when I produced that sliver. If you want start a fire, you need to strike the flint with something containing iron, such as pyrite or marcasite. That will make the sparks fly...  :Thumbs Up:  




> You have a real photographer's eye for interesting shots.


Thank you... I have to tell you though, that I often discard heaps of pictures before I get something I want to keep.

More pictures, perhaps? Here we go:


How about an emerald Boa?


...or maybe a Black Mamba?


Not poisonous...


A night shot of Stockholm seen from Skansen.

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Love the photos steph!

I hate snakes! Going to have nightmares!

----------


## kiz_paws

Yes, cute monkey, *Steph*!

And *Claes*, you should work for _National Geographic_, your photos are well thought out and very colorful/beautiful. Thanks again for letting us see them!

----------


## Lily Adams

Look at all the critters!!!

And what a beautiful picture of Stockholm. I love that.

I went to the pier today, so here are some pictures I took:

I live here.


Restaurants on the pier.


Hotel.


Walkway.


Have you ever been at sea? No place that I'd rather be.


The reason why I posted a really stupid picture of the hotel was because if you've seen "Little Miss Sunshine". it should look familiar to you. No, it's not a Redondo Suites. I don't live in Redondo. I guess they could'nt afford Redondo, so they chose us cuz we're awesome. The walkway is where they drove around in the van when they were hopelessly lost.  :FRlol:  And then that freeway...yep. I live there. And the pier is where Dwayne and the...uncle? Was he an uncle? I don't remember. Anyways, that's where they talked. I love it down there.

----------


## stephofthenight

god those are beautiful snakes...makes me miss mine.  :Frown:  o well at least i can come look at your wonderfull picutres  :Biggrin:

----------


## BulletproofDork

Lovely pictures, all. Esp. yours, Lilly. I adore beaches.

----------


## Niamh

Are they recent photos lily? If so, you have wonderful weather!! So unfair! Its wet and cold here. :Frown:  It looks really nice where you live.

----------


## kiz_paws

Woot, Lily! I loved "Little Miss Sunshine", and yeah, that was his uncle.  :FRlol:  

Your pictures were totally awesome, especially that one of the pier, I have a wobbly pier in my neck of the woods that they put up after Spring and take down after Autumn (for obvious reasons -- wouldn't want that baby up when it hits forty below!). Anyhow, enjoyed those!  :Smile:

----------


## Lily Adams

> Lovely pictures, all. Esp. yours, Lilly. I adore beaches.


 Thank you.  :Biggrin: 




> Are they recent photos lily? If so, you have wonderful weather!! So unfair! Its wet and cold here. It looks really nice where you live.


Those were taken yesterday.  :Biggrin:  I do. I am so lucky to live here. I really am. I love how this town has never really quite grown out the 1950s/60s. We've got the surfers, the vintage Foster Freeze, and all the classic cars putt-putting around because the weather allows classic cars to stay in good condition.

Listen to the song "California" by The Beach Boys.




> Woot, Lily! I loved "Little Miss Sunshine", and yeah, that was his uncle.


Yep.  :Biggrin: 

*puts on Orinoco Flow* Gahhh I wanna go sailing...oceannnnnn.

----------


## jon1jt

I had some trouble uploading this one. Anyway, this is a photo I took a couple summers ago when I was living in Vermont. I forget what street this is, just a few blocks from the famous Church Street coming from the top end.

----------


## jon1jt

Stopping for picnic, an afternoon drive in Northern Vermont.

----------


## jon1jt

Ms. Sunflower, say hello.

----------


## Niamh

such beautiful scenary Jon! And that sunflower is gorgeous!

----------


## kiz_paws

Oh, to have a picnic at such a beautiful location! Jon, awesome photo -- and the sunflower really is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your photos here!  :Smile:

----------


## Lily Adams

Here's one I took a few weeks ago when I went to the art museum in Santa Barbara. It was my favorite piece and luckily it was outside. It's called "Cultural (In)difference".



And here's another one from Sunday that I like a lot.


Contrary to what it looks like, it's fairly nippy here. Honest. Expecially that water. Here for me, the ocean is for looking at, not to swim in. Too cold! Santa Rosa Island is in the backround.

----------


## Virgil

Lily, the Pacific ocean is much colder than the Atlantic. Going to the beach on the east coast is different than the west coast.

----------


## Lily Adams

> Lily, the Pacific ocean is much colder than the Atlantic. Going to the beach on the east coast is different than the west coast.


Yup.  :Biggrin:  In my three travels to the east coast, I stepped into the Atlantic once. It was in Atlantic City, no less, in New Jersey, and I remember it was soooo warm. Quite surprising for me.

----------


## kiz_paws

I really loved the photo of the ocean, Lily, gorgeous!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Lily Adams

> I really loved the photo of the ocean, Lily, gorgeous!


Thanks.  :Smile:  It is.

----------


## Niamh

that ocean photo is amazing! So beautiful! 
As for the atlantic, its freezing my end! But not where the gulf streem current goes. Thats warm.

----------


## SleepyWitch

we had a mouse in our flat and he kept my hubby awake for a couple of nights.
so we bought a trap (the cage variety), but he nicked the food a couple of times and the trap didn't shut.
when we returned from the Christmas market today, what do we find? Fred the mouse  :Smile:  He was so cute!
We sat him free outdoors.

----------


## Chava

I did a photo shoot for the restaurant i worked out, this is their custom wine, and the restaurant is for sailors, hence the boat. 
The really cool part is that it isn't photoshopped at all.

Another take on the wine glass, again no photoshop, and no, i'm not a raging alcoholic  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Very creative shot of that glass, Chava. Good job.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## kiz_paws

Yay *Sleepy*, for doing the right thing! You rock!  :Thumbs Up:  And the pictures were really sweeeeeet!

Yes, *Chava*, I totally agree with *Claes*. You did a wonderful job of capturing that photo!  :Smile:

----------


## subterranean

I was walking by the busy road with my camera and I caught this guy

----------


## Chava

Haha, I know that guy, and the street i believe is Str&#248;get...in central Cph? It's going to be fun to show you around  :Smile:

----------


## subterranean

You know him?

Yes, I was walking around Str&#248;get yesterday, taking pictures of building, people in skating ring, and that guy.  :Biggrin: 

O yea, you should be a good host and show me around.. :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

----------


## Chava

Well, not personally, but i've seen him several times. Small city really, you get to meet people like that. There is also a very handsome man handing out newspapers that i 'know' you just start to recognise familiar faces after a while, and they recognise you  :Smile: 
I'll show you around. Time to get you off str&#248;get and into the more interesting districts!

----------


## kiz_paws

Wow, wonder how that guy would be received out my way? But dressed all in white like that, he might get trampled because everything is snowy white here...  :FRlol:  (sorry, cheap laughs). But anyhow, how intriguing, and I do wonder what he is all about? Have fun, *subterranean* on your tour with *Chava*!  :Smile:

----------


## Chava

Haha, well basically Kiz, he just stands there, then you put money in his box and he "turns to life", you don't get those accross the ocean?! they're every where here, in all varieties! Maybe it's a european thing...

----------


## kiz_paws

Now you have me wondering! I have never seen nor heard anything like that! We have street musicians that pass the hat, and we have guys who are called the SQUEEGIES (they clean the car windshield at the stop light, so you are basically trapped!), and this kind of thing. But someone all in white (or whatever colour), no. Not yet....  :Wink:

----------


## Chava

haha, tell you what, when Sub and i meet up, we'll find him (or another one) and we'll drop a coin and have him pose? Man... crazy as a dane gains new meaning every day  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Was walking around town on sat evening and decied to take a few snaps with my phone so here they are. I want to take some more.

----------


## subterranean

> I'll show you around. Time to get you off strøget and into the more interesting districts!



Yeah, take me out of that street and show me civilization!!!  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

----------


## bluevictim

This thread is so hard to keep up with!

jon1jt, I really like that picture of the leaves changing color in Vermont.

Lily Adams, I agree that the ocean is too cold to swim in; it's sure fun to watch the surfers, though!

SleepyWitch, you are very kind to keep that mouse from harm. There was a mouse / rat that kept visiting my office once, and we just used an old fashioned mouse trap, as well as the sticky mouse traps. One day, we found a tail in the drawer it was raiding -- that was the last sign we ever saw of it.

Chava, the sailboat reflection in the wine glass was very clever.

subterranean, that guy reminds me of the robot-people that are all over the touristy streets of San Francisco -- they move like robots and nowadays they cover themselves with metallic paint.
 
Niamh, that little girl by the nativity scene is adorable!

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* I finally found the pictures you promised. I am glad I suggested them to you. They are wonderful! Dublin looks like a fascinating city. I liked the lights, but I really love the street market. Wow, that must be fun to go shopping there or browsing, whichever is your preference. That little girl is adorable.

That street performer is interesting, *Sub,* dressed all in white. I think you might see someone like that in NYC - anything can happen there - at least that is my experience in the city.

----------


## kiz_paws

Great photos, Niamh. I can shoot photos with my camera, but I don't know how to get them onto the computer.... **sigh**. One day, right?

Anyhow, here are three pictures the depict winter in the Prairies, hope you like 'em:



^^ That crazy bench again, but I can't help taking pics of it... ^^





^^ A field near my place after the first real snowfall ^^




^^ My backyard (took this photo this morning) -- yay one hour photo!! ^^

----------


## bluevictim

Beautiful! It's like you're walking in a winter wonderland.

----------


## mmanuelap

that's amazing, kiz! beautiful pictures!


this was taken in my mother's farm  :Biggrin: 


same place, but my mother is there  :Tongue:  


this one I took in my apartment, at the balcony. those are raindrops (oh, really? hahaha)  :FRlol:

----------


## Niamh

Well those pics of snow and sun really do go from one extreme to another! both are beautiful pics!

----------


## kiz_paws

Those are beautiful pictures, *mmanuelap*, the raindrops one is totally awesome!  :Smile:

----------


## mmanuelap

> Those are beautiful pictures, *mmanuelap*, the raindrops one is totally awesome!


 :Blush:  thank you!  :Smile:  it is one of my favourites

----------


## Lote-Tree

> that's amazing, kiz! beautiful pictures!
> 
> 
> this was taken in my mother's farm


Does your mum require a farm-hand - its beautiful  :Biggrin:

----------


## Idril

> Anyhow, here are three pictures the depict winter in the Prairies, hope you like 'em:


Kiz, those pictures look like home.  :Smile:  We're leaving tomorrow to spend some time with my parents and I hope to take many pictures like while I'm there. I just hope they have at least a little snow.

----------


## Lily Adams

:Eek:  Those are so BEAUTIFUL, Kiz! I'm seriously contemplating saving those on my computer. Gorgeous! I feel a bit jealous, actually!  :FRlol:

----------


## TEND

:FRlol:  Nice pictures Kiz, although you don't seem to have all that much snow in your backyard  :Tongue:  , lots of tree cover perhaps? Oh....Manitoba, what a great crummy province we are  :Biggrin:  .

----------


## B-Mental

:P LOL what a great crummy province...Gotta find the beauty in it somewhere. Cool pics Kizz

----------


## kiz_paws

Have fun on your trip, Idril (and yes -- take lots of photos!)

Lily -- for sure save the pics, I don't mind! The third one is actually my desktop right now.

TEND, crummy? Not! Gotta love it for all the reasons that I blog about and more... (although the summer mosquitoes can take a hike any time)  :Wink:  

Thanks, *B* (and loved the pun "_cool_" pics...)  :FRlol:

----------


## TEND

> TEND, crummy? Not! Gotta love it for all the reasons that I blog about and more... (although the summer mosquitoes can take a hike any time)


I also said it was great! See it didn't come across properly, it's great and crummy, it's good and bad, I think that most Manitobans love and hate the place (especially in Winnipeg). It's a wonderful place to live, but I feel we're very self-depreciative.

----------


## B-Mental

I know exactly what you mean...but Kizo has it right...she finds the beauty in the everyday things...I love the way you both think. Cheers. B

----------


## Idril

> It's a wonderful place to live, but I feel we're very self-depreciative.


We know all about that tendency here in ND as well.  :Wink:  There are many things I love about this place but I still feel the need to apologize for living here.  :FRlol:

----------


## Niamh

Here are more pics from Dublin. The First one i took for Sub. Its evidence that the painted people the move about are here in Ireland too. This guy is a replica of the James Joyce statue that is only yards away from where he is standing!

A view of the H'penny Bridge from the MIllenium Bridge.

A couple from Temple Bar

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* wonderful! More Dublin photos....I love them....I love that statue of James Joyce - how interesting; must be neat to sit in that cafe and drink tea and see Joyce, right outside the window.

Thanks again for posting such great photos. I must show these to my son, he went to Ireland a number of years back.

----------


## Idril

I finally got out of the cabin to get some pictures (it's been freakishly cold here the last couple of days). These were taken in a valley called the Knife River Valley that is about 5 or 6 miles from where my parents live. My dad and I took a drive and brought our cameras, some of these pictures were taken by my dad and some by me.

This one is mine. It's still quite cold, only about 7 degrees F when we took the pictures and there was a very light, fluffy snow. The effect on the trees was quite stunning, especially with the sun as the back lighting.


My dad took this picture. It's was taken in the same area, just a different perspective. I love the bend in the road, it gives a nice frame to the picture.


This is another one of my dad's. I love the barbwire in that picture, I'm not sure why though.  :Tongue:  


There's nothing I love more than shots of the prairie, this one is mine.



This one is mine as well. Second only to pictures of the prairie, I love these old abandoned houses and to get both the snow and frost tipped prairie grass and the house in the same shot is heaven.  :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

You caught the light well there Idril. I particularly like the last picture.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures Niamh and Idrill.  :Smile:  That's how I picture Dublin and North Dakota.

----------


## mmanuelap

lovely pictures, idrill! (:

----------


## andave_ya

Lovely pictures indeed!! Gorgeous, belike!!

BTW, Idril, I finished "Morgoth's Ring" some months ago. 

It is now a favorite book of mine.  :Biggrin:   :Nod:

----------


## kiz_paws

Great pictures, Niamh! That replica guy of the statue of Joyce .... wow! Awesome!  :Thumbs Up:  

Idril, your photos are very well thought out. Each one has a special beauty. I know what you are saying about that barbwire -- I have a few pics of it too, but why? Well, why not!  :Tongue:  My favorite is the last one, too.

----------


## Pensive

Very interesting pictures!

I have also liked that of house the best. It gives a very neat look. And Dublin looks nice, Niamh!  :Smile:

----------


## SleepyWitch

great pics, Idril, I can't decide which one I like best, the first, the one with the barbwire or the last one ???

----------


## SleepyWitch

hey guys, I've posted some pics of the world-famous *Nuremberg Christmas Market* in the Kraut Konspiracy
http://www.online-literature.com/for...7&postcount=78


we visited the wild boars again and I fed the big fat daddy boar. I even touched his fur and his bushy ears and my sissy little husband touched him, too  :Smile: 

*Big fat daddy*


*A cute little boar pulling a funny snout*

*
Sleepy feeding big fat daddy*

----------


## Niamh

Wow Idril! ND must be an amazing place to be at thins time of year!

Sleepy, I was eating some lebkuchen yesterday and today! Some where part covered in chocolat and others fully covered.Yummy!

----------


## B-Mental

> Here are more pics from Dublin. The First one i took for Sub. Its evidence that the painted people the move about are here in Ireland too. This guy is a replica of the James Joyce statue that is only yards away from where he is standing!


LOL...Did anyone see the movie 'Hot Fuzz', the village was trying to keep the painted people out. I had to laugh when I thought of that.

----------


## LadyWentworth

> 


Oh, I absolutely LOVED this picture!!! I love the look of the abandoned homes, too. I find something very sad about them, though. To think someone, perhaps a family, once lived there. Now it is just a sad ghostly image. Still, I absolutely loved this one. I especially liked the touch of winter to it!  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

> LOL...Did anyone see the movie 'Hot Fuzz', the village was trying to keep the painted people out. I had to laugh when I thought of that.


Yeah i thought that was hilarious!

----------


## Virgil

> Oh, I absolutely LOVED this picture!!! I love the look of the abandoned homes, too. I find something very sad about them, though. To think someone, perhaps a family, once lived there. Now it is just a sad ghostly image. Still, I absolutely loved this one. I especially liked the touch of winter to it!


You are absolutely right Lady Went. That is a marvelous picture. Idrill, you should enlarge and frame that.

----------


## B-Mental

I travel a lot, and take pics of those old buildings all over the West. That is a classic photo, and I love the late autumn, wintry feel.

----------


## Idril

> Oh, I absolutely LOVED this picture!!! I love the look of the abandoned homes, too. I find something very sad about them, though. To think someone, perhaps a family, once lived there. Now it is just a sad ghostly image. Still, I absolutely loved this one. I especially liked the touch of winter to it!


I'm so thrilled you liked the pictures! I'm quite proud of the house one, I think it was more luck than skill but it did turn out quite nice. I have many of the same thoughts about those old houses, Lady, I think of all the stories it has to tell, all the events that went on there and now it's just a shell. The country side is littered with them around here but a lot of them are really just homesteading shacks, this one was a little more substantial.

I have a few more pictures to share and then I should be done.  :Blush:  We made it out to the lake today which is always fascinating, it freezes a little different every year and every year there are new and bizarre 'ice scupltures'.

This year, there is a significant pressure ridge in the bay which was a source for all kinds of oddities, this was the first one we encountered.


This was the second, this one truly looks like a sculpture.


This is a picture of the same feature, just from a different perspective and here you can see a good length of the pressure ridge.


This is one my dad took. That's me, messing with my camera settings.


And this was a scene on our walk back home, this is one the beach, I just love the red of the willow.

----------


## Niamh

oh my god! that is unbelievable! How did that form?

----------


## stephofthenight

kiz, what beautiful pictures! i love the white fluffy stuff...what do they call it,,,uhh. SNOW! lol, sorry. i completly envy you...anyone want to vaulenteer to mail steph some snow? but yes i love your picture kiz, the snow is realy pretty i cant wait until i get to see snow, its going to be so much fun! yay! i bet its realy fluffy and pretty!

----------


## kiz_paws

*Sleepy*, I absolutely love those wild boars! You are so lucky that they let you come so close!

*Idril*, those naturally occuring ice 'sculptures' are totally awesome. We have that phenomena occur, too, but it is in the Spring that one must catch the pictures (that is the best time). I'll have to be quick this year (last year I missed 'em).

The willow photo is gorgeous -- you have some contest-winning material, Idril, just so you know! Glad that you share this beauty with us, thanks!  :Smile: 

Thanks, *Steph*, for the kind words. 

We woke up this morning, and it was great, a truly "foggy Christmas Eve" (as in the song, lol), complete with frost covering everything - from branch to barbwire. Anyhow, I rushed around and caught some of it on camera, then off to the one-hour photo, and here are a couple of ones I liked:






Yeah, there is just _something_ about barbwire, dunno....  :Wink:  



This one was my favorite. 

Thanks for the opportunity to share these with everyone, Kizzo  :Smile:

----------


## stephofthenight

yay!kiz u r like so lucky to have snow, its so pretty!!! i agree with the barbwire thing, there is just something about it that makes it completely lovley.

----------


## Janine

This photo is a bit blurry but I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season.....

----------


## Lily Adams

Chirstmas again at the same beach I took pictures of earlier:








(My favorite.  :Biggrin: )

----------


## BulletproofDork

They're all so pretty! I wish it snowed here!  :Frown:

----------


## kiz_paws

*Steph* - thanks again  :Smile: 

*Janine* -- pretty tree, but I love your lace drapes, totally lovely!  :Smile: 

*Lily*, those are awesome pictures, each is so clear and concise. My favorite would have to be the fourth one down. Cool!  :Smile: 

Happy Holidays, all!  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

Thanks, *Kiz,* and those drapes are so easy to maintain - just wash and hang up wet. We have finer lace ones, I like even better. I will take some photos soon. This is a funny thing, I like lace and antiques and my son and his wife like all contemporary/very plain; so tonight at their house, I noted he had a lace tablecloth over a small table displaying snowmen....I said "I never thought I would see the day there would be a drop of lace in your house". Come to find out, his neighbor lended him the lace cloth and the tablecloth for our dinner...I just laughed.

I love those snowy Christmas pictures! Wow, a white Christmas - how cool! I really like the one with the picnic benches covered in snow in the background, *Kiz*. I always think they look interesting in the winter and empty and forlorn looking.

*Kiz* I hope you are having a great Christmas.

*Lily,* hard to believe those are Christmas day photos - how warm it must be there. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas - almost over now here!

----------


## farnoosh

I dont know if i should put this or not but here it goes
(im not going to put a picture from me im going to put my freind or better say my best freind )hooman

----------


## farnoosh

I dont know if i should put this or not but here it goes
(im not going to put a picture from me im going to put my freind or better say my best freind )hooman
http://www.online-literature.com/for...1&d=1198676323

----------


## mmanuelap

wow, Idril! I really loved those pictures, the last one in particular! I'll put them in my favorites, really  :Biggrin: 

I really wished it snowed here in Brazil :/ That's the only thing I can think of when seeing this amazing pictures, hahaha!

----------


## kiz_paws

*Janine*: I also like lace and antiques, they really knew what they were doing back then!  :Smile: 

Sweet that your son's dinner had a special touch just for you, now that is love.  :Smile: 

My Christmas was great, hope yours was too, Janine.... but I couldn't help wondering what it would be like to celebrate *Lily's* way just once  :Wink:  ..... 

*Farnoosh*, your best friend Hooman is very nice looking.  :Smile:

----------


## Lily Adams

> Lily, those are awesome pictures, each is so clear and concise. My favorite would have to be the fourth one down. Cool!


Those are my best ones. Most of them came out terrible because I couldn't see because the sun was too bright.  :Biggrin:  So most of them were of the sky.  :FRlol:  But that one's definitely my favorite, too.




> Lily, hard to believe those are Christmas day photos - how warm it must be there. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas - almost over now here!


They are!  :Biggrin: 

I did, thank you. Hope you had a great one, too.




> I couldn't help wondering what it would be like to celebrate Lily's way just once


Yep, it's a tradition for us to go down the beach on Christmas, and apparently it is for a lot of other people, too. It's quite nice. But you know, I've never seen a white Christmas.

----------


## Janine

> *Janine*: I also like lace and antiques, they really knew what they were doing back then!


*Kiz,* I didn't know that; I think old things have such character and charm. I collect antiques and will have to post some more of my photos in this thread, sometime soon. I think you will all enjoy them very much. I decorated another small tree this year (we decided against the big real tree, for convenience sake). This artificial is about the same size as this one I posted but in our living room picture window overlooking a lake....it would be great if it would snow now. I decorated this one with antique and repro balls and victorian bead garlands. I will take a photo and post it this week. You will like it - more colorful.




> Sweet that your son's dinner had a special touch just for you, now that is love.


Yes, well, I have known for a over 4 months now and we all are thrilled - first grandchild in the family. My mother will be a great-grandmother. All in all, the child will have 4 great-grandparents - isn't that cool? What a great thing to celebrate at Christmas - the miracle of a new life.




> My Christmas was great, hope yours was too, Janine.... but I couldn't help wondering what it would be like to celebrate *Lily's* way just once  .....


*Kiz,* it was wonderful! Glad yours was, too! Did it snow anymore? It must be beautiful there. :Smile: 

*Lily,* awww, you must see a white Christmas someday or at least snowfall. *Kiz,* send Lily some of the white stuff.

----------


## Pensive

Beautiful pictures, Idril, kiz, Lily and Janine (your Christmas tree is lovely)!  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

*Pensive,* thanks so much! J

----------


## kiz_paws

> *Kiz,* I didn't know that; I think old things have such character and charm. I collect antiques and will have to post some more of my photos in this thread, sometime soon. I think you will all enjoy them very much. I decorated another small tree this year (we decided against the big real tree, for convenience sake). This artificial is about the same size as this one I posted but in our living room picture window overlooking a lake....it would be great if it would snow now. I decorated this one with antique and repro balls and victorian bead garlands. I will take a photo and post it this week. You will like it - more colorful.


That would be great, look forward to it!




> Yes, well, I have known for a over 4 months now and we all are thrilled - first grandchild in the family. My mother will be a great-grandmother. All in all, the child will have 4 great-grandparents - isn't that cool? What a great thing to celebrate at Christmas - the miracle of a new life.


Wow indeed! Congratulations to you and your family!  :Smile: 




> *Lily,* awww, you must see a white Christmas someday or at least snowfall. *Kiz,* send Lily some of the white stuff.


With pleasure. Here you go, *Lily*!  :Wink:  



Thanks, *Pensive*, for the kind comment!  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

*Kiz,* that photo is awesome. Snow looks deep and fluffy....I can just imagine being bundled up and walking down that path lined with all those winter trees. Wonderful! Such peace....

----------


## pussnboots

> This photo is a bit blurry but I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season.....


Very nice tree. I think next year I will get one for the tabletop. When my husband and I first got married we bought a 6 foot artificial one. We put it up I think the first 2 years and then it became too much of a pain to put it up. Besides it took up too much room.

----------


## Idril

> oh my god! that is unbelievable! How did that form?


As the lake freezes, it expands and the ice has to make room anyway it can. It's the same concept as tectonic plates and mountains, just on a much smaller scale of course.  :Biggrin:  There was a bigger ridge farther on, my brother discovered it while skating, he said the ridge was at least as tall as him and he's 6'2". I didn't get out that far though so I didn't get to see it.  :Frown:  

Kiz, you have so much snow! My family and I were just discussing how much snow there was when we were little, snow tunnels and forts, 5+ months of several feet of snow. Now if we get a few inches, it's usually gone within a week and even to get a few inches is becoming more rare, it's usually just a dusting, which is what we have now. On one hand, I really don't miss it all that much but it does seem like an alarming trend.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Yes, well, I have known for a over 4 months now and we all are thrilled - first grandchild in the family. My mother will be a great-grandmother.


Hey, that's great  :Thumbs Up:  Congratulations!

I decided to give my new camera a test run. It was pitch black outside, 
so I stayed at home just playing around with it. Behold the final proof: 
It is now blindingly obvious that I have gone nuts  :Wink:  :


The new camera.









I needed something to try the macro ability on, so... well... 

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Lily those pics are cool!
Kiz... i'm so jealous of all that snow!
Idril thanks for telling m that! :Thumbs Up:  I'm a bit embaressed now! :Blush:  Thats something i should have copped on!(having studied geology....)
Claes, that looks like a really good camera! Cant wait to see landscape photos!

----------


## samercury

Really nice, crisp pictures Claes 
(especially love the second one  :Nod:  )

and Kiz, the snow pics look really beautiful

----------


## kiz_paws

Yeah, gotta love that snow! Thanks for all your comments  :Smile: 

*Claes*, your photos are awesome! I eagerly await some more samples that this new camera can produce!  :Smile:

----------


## mmanuelap

Claes, great macro pictures!  :Smile: 
Hope you can post some more  :Biggrin:

----------


## Lily Adams

All your snowy photos are Christmas card worthy, kiz! Absolutely gorgeous. I'm saving them. Thank you! I feel loved.  :Biggrin: 

Hopefully I shall see a white Christmas someday!

----------


## grace86

*Lily* I love a California Christmas...I've had one every year since I was born...but this year mom and dad moved to Texas. I was actually hoping to have a white Christmas, well that didn't happen...but it has been butt cold!!! My sister is jealous that I get to return to weather in the low seventies!!!

I love all those white Christmas pictures.

----------


## Idril

> Hey, that's great  Congratulations!
> 
> I decided to give my new camera a test run. It was pitch black outside, 
> so I stayed at home just playing around with it. Behold the final proof: 
> 
> 
> I needed something to try the macro ability on, so... well... 
> 
> /Claes


That is one impressive macro feature! Imagine all the little tiny things you can take beautiful pictures of with that ability. I'm positively jealous.  :Tongue:   :Wink:

----------


## Riesa

> I'm so thrilled you liked the pictures! I'm quite proud of the house one, I think it was more luck than skill but it did turn out quite nice. I have many of the same thoughts about those old houses, Lady, I think of all the stories it has to tell, all the events that went on there and now it's just a shell. The country side is littered with them around here but a lot of them are really just homesteading shacks, this one was a little more substantial.
> 
> I have a few more pictures to share and then I should be done.  We made it out to the lake today which is always fascinating, it freezes a little different every year and every year there are new and bizarre 'ice scupltures'.
> 
> This year, there is a significant pressure ridge in the bay which was a source for all kinds of oddities, this was the first one we encountered.
> 
> 
> This was the second, this one truly looks like a sculpture.
> 
> ...










holy misprounounced tolkien! these are absolutely incredible, Idril.

----------


## Lily Adams

> *Lily* I love a California Christmas...I've had one every year since I was born...but this year mom and dad moved to Texas. I was actually hoping to have a white Christmas, well that didn't happen...but it has been butt cold!!! My sister is jealous that I get to return to weather in the low seventies!!!
> 
> I love all those white Christmas pictures.


Aw, I'm sorry!  :Frown:  But you are coming back, so... :Biggrin: 

Me, too. Those ones Idril took are really wacky!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Further trials with the new camera:


Close-up of a popcorn.


Some tiny mushrooms I found in the forest today (On New Years Eve, no less!  :Eek2:  )
In case you're wondering, we *had* snow but it disappeared...


The sad remains of a nice tree.


And another one.


My car on the other side of a small tunnel.
(Note how the zoom contracts the view).

/Claes

----------


## Zelly

> They're all so pretty! I wish it snowed here!


You mean on Mars? :P

----------


## Idril

> holy misprounounced tolkien! these are absolutely incredible, Idril.


But they don't have nearly the personality of the tree pictures, do they?  :Wink:  

And Claes, that camera is amazing. I especially like the picture of the mushrooms, the colors are so rich and the detail is so precise. I love the shadows on the popcorn too.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Very nice pictures Claes. I meant to ask you. You chose Canon over Nikon. Was there any criteria you went by? I'm looking to buy a digital SLR in the near future. I traditionally have gone with Nikon in the past. Was it a conscious thing on your part to go with Canon?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Was it a conscious thing on your part to go with Canon?


In a way, yes. There was in fact a Nikon in my sights for a while, but I soon realized that the Canon (N.B: In *this* particular case, using *my* particular criteria) provided a much bigger bang for the €. It actually outshone the other cameras I tried in performance as well as price.
I have a feeling that Canon produced a winner with this one.

Criteria? I obviously wanted good optics and this one has a great 10x zoom lens with good macro ability to boot. I also wanted to be able to abandon auto, and fiddle with the settings myself (I do that a lot). It uses std AA batteries which is a great advantage over all those custom made things. Once I decided, it became a matter of trying it out and getting used to it which I'm working on at the moment. 

I'm pretty satisfied thus far, but it will take a while yet until I'm really familiar with it. By that I mean being able to set it up fast and correct without much thought, and basically without looking. That takes time.

P.s. I almost forgot: Happy New Year, all. It's 2008 here by now, and all of a sudden we have snow again.

/Claes

----------


## Janine

*Claes,*Amazing pictures; I love closeups and I love woodland photos, such as your mushrooms and that neat tree trunk. Your new camera seems to be delivering and doing a wonderful job. The photos are so clear and crisp!That last shot, with the can as the tunnel, looking towards your car, is incredibly creative. Keep up the good work!

I love *Idril's* too - where exactly is that - is it a beach?...Those formations in the ice are amazing! Good job, *Idril!* It looks mighty cold there, but awesomely beautiful. The snow is so white.

Yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! 
LET US HOPE AND PRAY FOR A PEACEFUL 2008!

----------


## Idril

> I love *Idril's* too - where exactly is that - is it a beach?...Those formations in the ice are amazing! Good job, *Idril!* It looks mighty cold there, but awesomely beautiful. The snow is so white.


The last picture is on a beach but the rest are on the middle of a frozen lake. Every year it's a great adventure to get out on the ice for the first time and see what odd things the lake has done. And it was cold there, very cold... and windy, which just adds to the fun.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## Virgil

> In a way, yes. There was in fact a Nikon in my sights for a while, but I soon realized that the Canon (N.B: In *this* particular case, using *my* particular criteria) provided a much bigger bang for the . It actually outshone the other cameras I tried in performance as well as price.
> I have a feeling that Canon produced a winner with this one.
> 
> Criteria? I obviously wanted good optics and this one has a great 10x zoom lens with good macro ability to boot. I also wanted to be able to abandon auto, and fiddle with the settings myself (I do that a lot). It uses std AA batteries which is a great advantage over all those custom made things. Once I decided, it became a matter of trying it out and getting used to it which I'm working on at the moment. 
> 
> I'm pretty satisfied thus far, but it will take a while yet until I'm really familiar with it. By that I mean being able to set it up fast and correct without much thought, and basically without looking. That takes time.
> 
> P.s. I almost forgot: Happy New Year, all. It's 2008 here by now, and all of a sudden we have snow again.
> 
> /Claes


Thank you Claes. I have seen that Canon in certain evaluations has edged Nikon in the digital SLR. I will personally evaluate both. But I do have a certain loyalty to Nikon, so if it's close I will probably stay with Nikon.

----------


## Niamh

That camera is amazing Claes! I really like the picture of the mushrooms.

----------


## kiz_paws

Claes, your pictures are awesome. My favorite was the popcorn, but they were all well done. Hope you will continue to give us samples of your work! And a Happy New Year to you, too (and to everyone else, YAY!)

----------


## Idril

I was reorganizing my 2007 pictures before I burned them onto disc and I found this one I wanted to share. Every summer we go to the local Pow Wow (local to my parents and local to where I grew up, not to where I live now) and I get tons of pictures but my camera isn't really up for that job. It doesn't have a quick enough shutter to pick up the the action of the dancing and it doesn't have a strong enough zoom to capture all the wonderful detail of the costumes but I snap away nonetheless. This picture may not be a great action shot but I love it and I think it captures the experience well. I wish those shadows at the bottom weren't there but to take those away is to wash out everything else so I have learned to live with them.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I was reorganizing my 2007 pictures before I burned them onto disc and I found this one I wanted to share.


I'm glad you did. Do you have more from the those events?

I have been in action too, and would like to show you some wintery pictures:


Ferns on a churchyard wall in Eskilstuna.


An overambitious Periwinkle fighting the snow outside my door.


A pot of bamboo on the other side of the house. Surprisingly enough no worse for wear due to the weather.


Driving along a dark country road through falling snow.
Dark, isn't it? Would you believe that this picture was taken around 5 pm?

/Claes

----------


## Idril

> I'm glad you did. Do you have more from the those events?


I have tons! They aren't that great, however, because the action is so far away. I've cropped most of them about as far as they can go without getting too grainy and there is still an awful lot of lawn. I'll go through them and find the best of the bunch, there are a few worthwhile ones admist all that grass.  :Tongue:  

I just can't get over that macro feature, Claes. The pictures are so sharp and the color so vibrant. I love the one of the Periwinkle, besides the fact that flower is beautiful and that it exists in the middle of winter, that snow is just amazing. You can almost see each individual flake.

And it's that dark, that early here too...one of the things I hate the most about winter.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## Virgil

Claes, that country road one is classic. That one should be blown up and framed. Idril, I loved the native American photo. Loved those feathers.  :Smile:

----------


## manolia

I wanted to post these for a while..
These are some pics from Nauplion, one of the most beautiful cities in greece. Nauplion was the first capital of greece (after the liberation from the turks).

Here are two of its three castles (Burtzi and Palamede)





and two of my favourite buildings there..
Colocotrones tower (he was one of the most important heroes during the greek war of independance)



and the first greek gymnasium (meaning the first gymnasium of greece as a free country)



more pics to follow  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'll go through them and find the best of the bunch, there are a few worthwhile ones admist all that grass.


PLease do. I'm waiting  :Thumbs Up:  




> I just can't get over that macro feature, Claes.


Tell me about it.  :Biggrin:  I have always liked macro photography, but never before been able to exploit it with such ease. It used to take a lot of effort to get such pictures.




> And it's that dark, that early here too...one of the things I hate the most about winter.


I couldn't agree more. Don't you just long for some light at this time of year?




> I wanted to post these for a while..
> These are some pics from Nauplion, one of the most beautiful cities in greece. Nauplion was the first capital of greece (after the liberation from the turks).
> 
> more pics to follow


Yes! Those were *really* good, and that goes for both pictures and motives. Keep them coming, please.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## Idril

Those are really cool pics, Manolia! I'll have to add Nauplion to the long list of places I want to visit.  :Biggrin: 

I gathered a few more Pow Wow pictures. These first ones are from 2006 and the 200th celebration of Lewis and Clark. They reunited here on their way back East so instead of the usual competition, the Pow Wow that year was more of a celebration and exhibition with several ceremonial dances that aren't typically done.



This one is not a really great picture and certainly doesn't capture the intensity of the dance but I'll add it anyway.


And this series is from what is called a Hoop Dance and it's one of my favorite dances. It's not something you see very often so this was truly a treat. This first picture is just to set up the dance, you can see a pile of hoops in front of the dancer, when he starts, they are all on the ground and during the course of the dance, he picks them up and...well...you can see...









And here's a couple from this last summer, the same time as the first pic because we can't forget the women and children.

----------


## kiz_paws

*Idril*, your photos are colourful and inspiring -- I love to see the pow-wows, too!

*Claes*, I can never decide which photo I like the best, each has its own reason to be number-one! Beautiful stuff, you would win contests with your work, I know it!

*Manolia*, your photos are breath-taking. The first one looks just like a post card. Beautiful!

----------


## SleepyWitch

wow, great pics, Claes, manolia and Idril. :Thumbs Up:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Idril, those pictures were just what I expected. I'd really like to see that Pow Wow live one day... 

...and now I finally get that Barefoot Prairie Goddess thing.  :Idea:  

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Idril those pictures are wonderful!

Claes i absolutely love the picture of the periwinkle!!!!

Manolia what a beautiful place!

----------


## kiz_paws

I really hope that I am not repeating myself, but I think I meant to post this one and didn't... forgive me if I already did!  :Blush:

----------


## crazefest456

Wow, *kiz* no you didn't repeat it...Canada's beautiful..

----------


## kiz_paws

Merçi beaucoup, mon amie! I like it here in the Prairies, but I wouldn't mind seeing old Montreal!

----------


## Idril

Ooooh, that is nice, Kiz! I still can't believe how much snow you have.

----------


## manolia

Thanks guys  :Smile:  
Nice pics everyone  :Smile:  

Kiz this place is marvelous (reminds me how much i like snow)

----------


## Lote-Tree

> I really hope that I am not repeating myself, but I think I meant to post this one and didn't... forgive me if I already did!


Kiz you certainly have an Eye for Photographs  :Biggrin: 

Are you a professional photographer by any chance  :Biggrin:

----------


## kiz_paws

> Kiz you certainly have an Eye for Photographs 
> 
> Are you a professional photographer by any chance


No, I only wish. I have an 'el cheapo' camera that serves me well with this passion of mine. But I appreciate the compliment indeed.  :Blush:  

As well, thanks for the kind comments, *craze*, *Idril*, and *Manolia*.

BTW, that bridge is a foot bridge and was crossed only once by a motor vehicle. The vehicle(s) in question were driving the Queen of England, she was in the main car and then there was her 'entourage' (is that the word?). Neat, eh?

----------


## Niamh

Oh my god Kiz that photo is so fairytale! Its so beautiful!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> No, I only wish. I have an 'el cheapo' camera that serves me well with this passion of mine. But I appreciate the compliment indeed.


 Which highlights the fact that a cheap camera not necessarily equals a bad camera. This one does seem to serve you well, because the picture is well done by camera as well as photographer.  :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## Lote-Tree

> No, I only wish. I have an 'el cheapo' camera that serves me well with this passion of mine. But I appreciate the compliment indeed.


Well, although I am not a professional photographer...but photography has been a passion of mine for a long time...I even learnt to develop my own black and white photographs...and I think your photographs are beautiful...you have the Eye...the Eye....and your pictures, they have this quality of admireabliity  :Biggrin:

----------


## kiz_paws

*Niamh*, *Claes* and *Lote*, such bad manners I have to not thank you for these lovely comments. A humble thank you I offer.

As for my photography -- I think I have just seen a moment (opportunity) and attempted to grasp it. Mainly luck, i think, but thanks again. **blush**

----------


## Niamh

Have you tought of classes Kiz?

----------


## kiz_paws

You will probably laugh, but I am afraid of those touchy new cameras (as much as I enjoy the artistic work of our friend Claes, that camera would have me in too much awe) ... so I plod away, waiting for just the right moment, and there you have it.... 

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and move on up?  :Wink:  (plus, classes sound like a lot of fun!)

----------


## Niamh

go on kiz! you really should!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I spent this week in Stockholm... and of course I brought the camera  :Smile:  

First, some pictures from the old town:







Then on to a bored guard at the Royal Castle:



and the site of our government:



A fountain (deliberately) turned into a skating opportunity:



And some pictures of Stockholm by night:









/Claes

----------


## zanna

Very cool, everybody! I'm so glad I found this thread. I'll have to dig up some of my pics and add them, once I figure out how!  :FRlol:  Keep up the amazing work.  :Smile:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'll have to dig up some of my pics and add them, once I figure out how!  Keep up the amazing work.


Try this old thread, with hints on that very subject. :Idea:  

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

*sighs* and thats why i so much want to go to Sweden....

----------


## kiz_paws

Claes, I enjoyed your pictures very much -- my favorite would be the fountain turned to skating opportunity -- wow, how I would love to try out that ice ....  :Wink:  

The other favorite would be the first Stockholm by night photo -- that looks just like a postcard.

Great eye, Claes!  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Thank you, Niamh & Kiz.

Some more Stockholm pictures...

Morning approaching:





Inside WTC, Stockholm:



/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Claes. I always enjoy your pictures.  :Smile:

----------


## Shurtugal

very nice pictures! jealous!

----------


## Idril

Oh, Claes, those are amazing! I love those little houses, they are so quaint, very much what I think of when I think of a big Scandinavian city.

----------


## Idril

I woke up this morning to find everything covered in this beautiful frost so after church and lunch, I went out to Ft. Lincoln by the Missouri River to take some pictures. Most of the pictures are from the On-A-Slant Mandan Village, with a few just random nature shots from around the area. A lot of the pictures had a weird color cast to them I couldn't get rid of entirely. I'm getting a new camera in a couple days and hopefully, that one will do better in lower light because this camera is hopeless.  :Rolleyes: 





The big ceremonial Earth Lodge


This is a tree right next to the ceremonial lodge and it captured the frost nicely.


And more prairie grass because I can't resist


And a broken tree I was particularly fond of

----------


## mmanuelap

amazing pics, Idril! really!!  :Biggrin:

----------


## kiz_paws

Idril, your photos are stunning -- love them! Never tire of taking prairie grass shots, you sure have a knack for catching them at their most pretty display.

Now I see that you guys don't really have the snow that we received -- wow! But anyhow, such beautiful countryside, thank you so much for sharing here.  :Smile:

----------


## eyemaker

I agree kiz!
Great!

----------


## Idril

You guys are very nice, the pictures really aren't all that great but I thought the subject matter, at least, was interesting.




> Idril, your photos are stunning -- love them! Never tire of taking prairie grass shots, you sure have a knack for catching them at their most pretty display.


Well, I don't know about that, I just take so many of them, one or two are bound to turn out.  :FRlol: 




> Now I see that you guys don't really have the snow that we received -- wow! But anyhow, such beautiful countryside, thank you so much for sharing here.


The funny thing is, just a few hours after those pictures were taken, we got snow, about 4 or 5 inches.  :Rolleyes:  I may take another trip out there this weekend, there were a lot of places I didn't get to because it was so cold and I'll have my new camera by then with a better zoom and more pixels and theoretically, better light recognition.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Idril, especially that last one for some reason.  :Smile:

----------


## LadyWentworth

> Very nice Idril, especially that last one for some reason.


I was just about to say the *same* thing to you!  :Tongue:  

But they are very nice indeed!

----------


## kiz_paws

> I may take another trip out there this weekend, there were a lot of places I didn't get to because it was so cold and I'll have my new camera by then with a better zoom and more pixels and theoretically, better light recognition.


I can't wait! You had awesome photos with your 'old' camera, so your new one might make you downright dangerous!  :Wink:

----------


## SleepyWitch

wow, I want one of those lodges. are they for living in or only ceremonial?

----------


## Idril

> wow, I want one of those lodges. are they for living in or only ceremonial?


They were for both, the smaller lodges were for living and the big monster lodge was for ceremonies. These earth lodges in the pictures are purely museum type buildings, you can go inside, they are fully functional but they are for display and instruction only (in the summer, each one has someone explaining various aspects to the Mandan way of life). However, there is another "village" by where my parents live where you can actually rent them out for a weekend or whatever and stay in them, sort of like a tent. They've been a pretty popular destination for a lot of travellers.

----------


## jon1jt

Idril, my only question is why Idril is not doing photography for a career. I've been checking out the photos, damn good too. And kizpaw, and that other guy is good too, I forgot his name, excuse me.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> You guys are very nice, the pictures really aren't all that great but I thought the subject matter, at least, was interesting.


Don't be so modest... Your pictures are very good... *and* interesting  :Thumbs Up:  Good luck with your new camera, btw.




> I just take so many of them, one or two are bound to turn out.


My method exactly  :Biggrin:   :Thumbs Up: .

Some of you may have note that I was absent last week: 
I have been to Tornio for some work related training, and I 
managed to make good use of the camera in the evenings. Here we go:

It was around -20C/-4F when we arrived, so everything was beautifully covered in frost.


How many of you used to build snow castles when you were kids? Here is a whopper of a Snow & Ice Castle in Kemi.


Here is the Bar. There is no shortage of ice. 


An Ice lion greeted us...


Some other íce sculptures. They were everywhere (Talk about cool art)


Another part of the bar, complete with ice tables and more art


Here is the hotel


One of the rooms.


The church


And its altar.


/Claes

----------


## 1n50mn14

^^Ahhh, that is SO COOL!

I'm an amateur photographer, but my camera died recently. Need a new one. Ew.


^NYC (I will live there... someday...)


^Thanksgiving weekend in October (Canadian)


Smokepipe's new kittens




A place very near and dear to my heart. Carter Bay

----------


## kiz_paws

*Claes*, this is wild! Last night, I posted a Blog entry about an igloo that has a lot of detail in it, almost like the pictures that you have posted above! Freaky! 

The main difference would obviously be that my igloo pictures posted are from the internet (unknown source), and yours are from your very own camera. 

Those are awesome photos, as always, Claes -- the top tree photo really stood out as my favorite.

*Becca*, your photos are sweet! The fall foliage one is awesome, and those kitties are tooooooo sweet!

I have a roll of unfinished business in my old camera-from-bygone-times (but serves me well, ha ha!) ... I want to get it developed soon, cuz I think (just maybe) there could be a couple of decent shots in there!... [she said hopefully...]  :Wink:

----------


## SleepyWitch

bohoo, I hate our crappy digital camera  :Bawling: 
I gave my 'real' camera to my English friend to take photos with while she was living in Germany and she took it to England and has kept it for 2 years. I don't think I'll ever see it again  :Frown:

----------


## pussnboots

> bohoo, I hate our crappy digital camera 
> I gave my 'real' camera to my English friend to take photos with while she was living in Germany and she took it to England and has kept it for 2 years. I don't think I'll ever see it again



Time to buy a new camera or have your friend give it back

----------


## kiz_paws

> bohoo, I hate our crappy digital camera 
> I gave my 'real' camera to my English friend to take photos with while she was living in Germany and she took it to England and has kept it for 2 years. I don't think I'll ever see it again


Oh Sleepy, that is awful -- I am so attached to my little camera that I'd die if that happened. Hope you get it back, I really do!

----------


## vheissu

*Becca*, what kind of camera are you thinking of getting? Just asking 'cause I'm looking into getting a new one...as soon as I manage to get the money for it  :Tongue:  and I'm trying to figure out what people think is best.

Your pics are really good, but I love the first one in black and white!

----------


## Idril

Claes, that hotel is fabulous. Do people actually sleep there? I just can't imagine there could be enough blankets in the world that would keep me from shivering in a bed of ice.  :FRlol:  I love the frosty tree! 

I haven't been able to play with my new camera very much because the weather has been incredibly uncooperative, nothing but blizzard warnings and windchill and winter weather advisories and there is nothing of any interest in my house to take pictures of but I did manage to get outside and take this picture of one of the ornamental firs in the front yard. It's exciting to me for a couple reasons, the zoom is wonderful and it was really overcast that day and it was later in the afternoon but yet the color is not blue! 



Becca, the colors in your pictures are so vibrant and realistic, very professional looking.

----------


## Virgil

Claes, what wonderful pictures. It looks erie in there, and very cold.

Becca, how pretty. You've definitely have a photographer's eye.

Idril, another nice one. I like the colors in that one.

----------


## 1n50mn14

vheissu- I'm looking to get a Nikon, either D40x or D80 model. Canons are good as well, just not my personal preference. =]

----------


## kiz_paws

Idril, those colours are crisp and clean, beautiful shot. I can't wait for more of your stuff!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Virgil

> vheissu- I'm looking to get a Nikon, either D40x or D80 model. Canons are good as well, just not my personal preference. =]


Hi Becca, I've also been considering getting a digital SLR, and am debating between a Nikon and a Canon. I asked Claes about it and he preferred Canon; I've always had a Nikon in the old film type. I see you are looking at a Nikon for a digital. I'll ask you the same thing I asked Claes. Why that choice? I'm leaning to a Nikon myself, but just out of what I know, not because of anything tangible.

----------


## vheissu

> vheissu- I'm looking to get a Nikon, either D40x or D80 model. Canons are good as well, just not my personal preference. =]





> Hi Becca, I've also been considering getting a digital SLR, and am debating between a Nikon and a Canon. I asked Claes about it and he preferred Canon; I've always had a Nikon in the old film type. I see you are looking at a Nikon for a digital. I'll ask you the same thing I asked Claes. Why that choice? I'm leaning to a Nikon myself, but just out of what I know, not because of anything tangible.


I've used a Nikon D50 for quite some time (not mine, but I manged to borrow it for a month or so). Now, Nikon is meant to be very good...but I actually didn't like the way the camera felt in my hands...I just felt clumsy with it.

I have a few friends who have top SLRs made by Canon, and they (of course) think its the absolute best.

On the other hand, I have a manual Olympus which I've grown quite attached to, but I can't seem to find anyone with a digital olympus SLR.

I guess, for the time being I would go with a Canon...of course they are the most expensive ones (so it will be a few months till I actually get one). 
Then again, a lot of people who are seriously into photography will hardly ever change brand if they ever get a new model....

Oh, this is complicated and I'm supposed to be writing a 4000 word essay, not think of my dream SLR!

Any of you have a dSLR? I'd like to know what you think of it!

----------


## Virgil

> Then again, a lot of people who are seriously into photography will hardly ever change brand if they ever get a new model....


I know, this is so true. It's very hard for me to change from Nikon. In film photography, Nikon had the better reputation and I was always proud of it. In digital I hear it's Canon. Perhaps I'll wait a little longer and hope that Nikon will come up with a knock out new model.  :Smile:

----------


## Lote-Tree

If you are crap photographer then no Nikon will improve your photography ;-)

----------


## Virgil

> If you are crap photographer then no Nikon will improve your photography ;-)


 :FRlol:  So true. The advantages are really miniscule. But it's nice to think I'm an expert, even if it's only in my head.  :Wink:

----------


## vheissu

Lol! yeah, but they make you look cool and such a pro when you walk down the street with this massive SLR!  :Tongue:  

Actually, there is no point in spending a thousand or so for the latest model, which, granted, will be amazing but will not do you much good if you don't know what to do with it. So, another idea I was having was of getting a second-hand one, for say a couple of years, or at the very least the cheapest SLR, and improving the few techniques I've learned.

Still not focusing on my essays....I just got word that we have an extension for the one essay that everybody in my class has finished, but not for the ones for which we are worried about.  :Sick:

----------


## 1n50mn14

Virgil: I just prefer the Nikon for my style of photography. The quality of the photos is preferable to me than that of Canon. Canon images are way too sharp looking for my taste. Also, I just love the way Nikon feels in my hands. I use a Canon Rebel when I do portrait photography because of the clarity of the image it produces. When I'm doing landscape or nature though, Canon just makes it look staged. (to me)

----------


## Virgil

> Virgil: I just prefer the Nikon for my style of photography. The quality of the photos is preferable to me than that of Canon. Canon images are way too sharp looking for my taste. Also, I just love the way Nikon feels in my hands. I use a Canon Rebel when I do portrait photography because of the clarity of the image it produces. When I'm doing landscape or nature though, Canon just makes it look staged. (to me)


Hey thanks. That's good to know.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> *Claes*, this is wild! Last night, I posted a Blog entry about an igloo that has a lot of detail in it, almost like the pictures that you have posted above! Freaky!


Did you really? Yes, that is freaky... Or maybe great minds.... Nah.  :Wink:  




> Claes, what wonderful pictures. It looks erie in there, and very cold.


Not very cold. Just a couple of degrees below freezing.




> Claes, that hotel is fabulous. Do people actually sleep there?


Oh yes, it's no big deal as long as you are properly insulated from the ice and the 
furs take care of that. Winter sleeping bags will do very nicely. In fact, it is not 
nearly as cold as sleeping in a tent in the winter (Done that during my military
service), and the sound insulation is way better  :Wink: 




> I asked Claes about it and he preferred Canon.


Yes, from what I was choosing between: I stayed in the high end compacts. I admit that I would have liked a SLR, instead, but this one I can bring along nigh on all the time. It's really up to your individual yardstick.

Further pictures:

Laponian central heating (In a lap cot).


And a couple of close ups:




An interesting fact: This sauna changing room was open to the elements... 
Like in *No glass in the window*  :FRlol:  


We went skinnydipping btw: Not in the river (it would have taken too much effort to get through the ice), but in the snow. This tub came in handy afterwards.


Just a kerosene lamp...


And the odd snowmobile...


/Claes

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## Niamh

I cant believe i've missed all these amazing pics! You all have such a talent!

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## B-Mental

the reindeer antlers are cool, I have a nordic lodge in the mountains of Montana. Our door is a blanket, and we have a small smokeless fire inside it

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## kiz_paws

Claes, beautiful pictures -- that second fire one was my favorite -- how wonderfully you took that picture!

*B* -- let me guess, you are changing over to the Pirates?  :Wink:

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## Madhuri

From my blog, some pictures of The Taj

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## bluevictim

I brought my new camera to Yosemite last weekend.

El Capitan:


Glacier Point:


Yosemite Valley:


Enjoy!

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## kiz_paws

Those pictures are stunning!  :Thumbs Up:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Maddie and bluevictim: I may never see those places "live", so I really enjoyed your great pictures... Well done, and keep them coming.  :Thumbs Up: 

About El Capitan in Yosemite: Would I be correct in assuming that it attracts base jumpers?

/Claes

----------


## Idril

Oh Blue, those are beautiful! They almost make me want to leave the prairie.  :Wink: 

I'm going to post a few of my dad's pictures again. The first one is of the lunar eclipse earlier this week. If you look really carefully to the north and southwest of the moon, you can see Jupiter and...Venus? Mars? I can't remember now but there's a couple planets there as well.  :FRlol: 



My dad just sent me these pictures. We were supposed to go there this weekend but my oldest boy came down wtih influenza so we had to stay home but my dad sent this picture this morning with the message, "Not to make you feel bad or anything but this is what we woke up to this morning". I replied that it did make me feel bad.  :Tongue:

----------


## kiz_paws

Great photos, Idril! (That lunar eclipse came on Kurt Cobain's 'birthday', so I found that rather cool.) The photo looks like something you'd see on the cover of _Scientific American_!  :Thumbs Up:  

And the winter scenes -- yeah!! But we'll be getting some of that dusting for the forest in due time (once the cold snap goes back to whence it came...). I believe this weekend will unveil some hoarfrost because the minus thirty to forty range is now done. [Maybe ....]  :Wink:

----------


## jon1jt

Breathtaking photos, Idril, wow.

So here's my photo looking out my front door, taken in late October, 6pm-ish. The photo is fuzzy and there's a strange light in the middle of it, looks like a swann, or duck, or flamingo. I dunno. Whatever it is, it's pretty cool.  :Tongue:

----------


## kiz_paws

Jon, that is really cool! I'd venture to say that it was a duck ... but it is difficult to tell. Such colours, though, WOW!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## jon1jt

> Jon, that is really cool! I'd venture to say that it was a duck ... but it is difficult to tell. Such colours, though, WOW!



A duck, yes, I agree!!!  :FRlol:  Colors, yes yes yes!!! That's exactly what I thought of when I ran for the camera after seeing that scene! Yippeee!

----------


## jon1jt

Flowers!!!!!!! Taken at the end of last yippeee summer.

----------


## bluevictim

> About El Capitan in Yosemite: Would I be correct in assuming that it attracts base jumpers?


I don't know much about BASE jumping. It is illegal in Yosemite National Park -- if caught, your gear is confiscated, you get jailed (there is a jail in the park), and you get fined something like $2000. People still jump El Cap despite this deterrent, usually jumping before dawn to minimize their chance of getting caught. There are two high profile fatalities that I've heard about. In one incident, some jumpers arranged a day when they would jump openly and surrender to the authorities, who evidently agreed not to jail them. One of the participants died because she couldn't open the parachute she borrowed to avoid having her own gear confiscated. In an unrelated incident, a man drowned because he was trying to escape the authorities after successfully completing his jump.

Idril, that's a great shot of the eclipse! Unfortunately, it was cloudy that night where I live. My friend was able to get a few good shots of the beginning of the eclipse, but the clouds eventually obscured the view.

jon1jt, the light in the middle of your sunset shot made me think of a cobra ready to strike -- I guess there is still a little remnant of my adolescent male mind.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures everyone. 

Idril I particuarly liked these. Was that blue hue natural, created with a filtered, or computer manipulated? It's captivating.



>

----------


## Etienne



----------


## Idril

> Idril I particuarly liked these. Was that blue hue natural, created with a filtered, or computer manipulated? It's captivating.


I'm not sure. I know my dad doesn't like to mess with color too much so I'm guessing it's just the way the pictures turned out. I've taken pictures myself on those frosty outings and they often turn out really blue, I just generally try to take the blue cast out but looking at those pictures, I'm rethinking that practice. :Tongue:  I'll ask him though and let you know what he says.

----------


## Idril

Oooh Etienne, those are gorgeous! They weren't there when I wrote my response to Virgil so I just had to add that they are breath taking.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Oooh Etienne, those are gorgeous! They weren't there when I wrote my response to Virgil so I just had to add that they are breath taking.


I agree: Very nice. Etienne: Could you tell us a bit more about the pictures? 

/Claes

----------


## Etienne

The first one is a tea plantation in Darjeeling, over 2000 meters in Hymalayas.

The second one is cannabis on the side of the road, which is growing freely and literally everywhere in many parts of India.

The third, is a picture of Darjeeling again. (Google Earth Darjeeling, you can see very well the relief, it's a cool sight.)

The fourth one is a holy pond in Nepal, around 3000 meters in altitude, the water is black and never freezes.

The fifth is in Varanasi, India, the river is the Ganges.

The sixth, is a camel in the Thar desert close to Jaisalmer, India.

The seventh is in Darjeeling again, and it's not fog there, it's clouds.

The eighth is in Greece on the island of Chios, in a small village in the mountains.

The ninth is a picture of Rhodes, Greece.

The three next are pictures from an island of Fiji.

The three last are from New Zealand: Queenstown, West coast and Nelson grape crops.

----------


## Virgil

Excellent pictures Etienne.  :Thumbs Up:  

Thanks Idril.

----------


## mahishi

:Thumbs Up:  


> Here is the most recent pic I've taken.. my kitty 'helping' me write, errr, type at my desk


sure, your kitty is so kute :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Idril

> Thanks Idril.


My dad confirmed that the pictures are just what came out. He said he used a "night" setting because it was very foggy and in the very early stages of dawn and he did try to take the blue cast out with editing but the pictures lost a lot of their charm so he left them as is.

----------


## Etienne

Yes, the pictures do look real and that's what I believe makes their charm. I like especially the first one, it has a very bleak and natural feeling.

----------


## jon1jt

> The first one is a tea plantation in Darjeeling, over 2000 meters in Hymalayas.
> 
> The second one is cannabis on the side of the road, which is growing freely and literally everywhere in many parts of India.
> 
> The third, is a picture of Darjeeling again. (Google Earth Darjeeling, you can see very well the relief, it's a cool sight.)
> 
> The fourth one is a holy pond in Nepal, around 3000 meters in altitude, the water is black and never freezes.
> 
> The fifth is in Varanasi, India, the river is the Ganges.
> ...


Unbelievable photos, Etienne. Wow.

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## jon1jt

Somewhere nearby. 


[

----------


## TEND

I Loooove that first picture Etienne, absolutely gorgeous.

----------


## Pensive

> 


Beautiful pictures! I especially like this 'cow' one. 

^ And nice cat, Logos!  :Smile:

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Beautiful pictures all. I see that Blue recently posted some pics of Yosemite, but thought I'd still go ahead and post some of my own recent Yosemite pics, because it's so darn gorgeous in winter. 

These are in addition to the pics I posted on my blog: http://www.online-literature.com/for...941&entry=4663

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## jon1jt

My neighborhood.

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## bluevictim

Very nice pictures, everyone!

jon1jt, your neighborhood looks like a very nice place to live.

Petrarch's Love, I love those photos, and the ones in your blog; your reflection shots were gorgeous. I never knew there was an ice skating rink there, but I guess I'm not surprised. I'm impressed that you didn't fall during your first time ice skating; it looks like you had a lot of fun. Winter in the Valley is wonderful, isn't it? No crowds, no excessive heat, and beautiful snow! You look all bundled up in your pictures! I think I was there a week after you and it was very warm during the day (but when the sun went down it got cold very fast -- my friends and I woke up under a layer of ice on our sleeping bags).

By the way, I'm sorry for being so annoying and pedantic, but the formation in the picture you labeled "Cathedral Rock" in your blog entry is actually Sentinel Rock. The Cathedral Rocks (Higher Cathedral Rock, Middle Cathedral Rock, and Lower Cathedral Rock) are to the west, right next to the two Cathedral Spires (Higher Cathedral Spire and Lower Cathedral Spire). If that isn't confusing enough, there is a formation called Cathedral Peak in the Tuolumne Meadows area, which is next to Upper Cathedral Lake and Lower Cathedral Lake. HCR, MCR, and LCR are in the background in your picture labeled, "Open field with cross country skier to give a small idea of the scale". Also, the picture labeled "Cliff face" is basically the cliff face below Glacier Point; Glacier Point is a little to the left of the edge of the picture (I thought I'd point it out in case you gave it that label because you forgot which cliff face it was -- pretty easy to do in the Valley  :Smile:  -- and you were wondering).

----------


## Niamh

love those yosemite pics!

----------


## Petrarch's Love

> Petrarch's Love, I love those photos, and the ones in your blog; your reflection shots were gorgeous. I never knew there was an ice skating rink there, but I guess I'm not surprised. I'm impressed that you didn't fall during your first time ice skating; it looks like you had a lot of fun. Winter in the Valley is wonderful, isn't it? No crowds, no excessive heat, and beautiful snow! You look all bundled up in your pictures! I think I was there a week after you and it was very warm during the day (but when the sun went down it got cold very fast -- my friends and I woke up under a layer of ice on our sleeping bags).


Glad you liked the pics, Blue. I loved being there in winter. So gorgeous and, as you say, fewer people too. I was really surprised I didn't fall down ice skating. The rink (as you may have guessed from the perspective on Half Dome) is at Curry at the spot where they rent bikes and rafts in the warmer weather. If you get there right when the rink opens there's practically no one there. I had the ice to myself, just skating around (once I figured out how to skate around that is  :FRlol: ) with glacier point looming impressively to one side and half dome just across the way. The temps were probably in the high thirties to lower forties while I was there, so cold enough that I wanted a winter coat if I was going to be out walking for hours. Ice on the sleeping bags!  :Cold:  You're more intrepid than I. I stuck to a nice little heated room at the lodge with a few evening visits to the Ahwanee to sit inside their enormous fireplace.  :Biggrin:  




> By the way, I'm sorry for being so annoying and pedantic, but the formation in the picture you labeled "Cathedral Rock" in your blog entry is actually Sentinel Rock. The Cathedral Rocks (Higher Cathedral Rock, Middle Cathedral Rock, and Lower Cathedral Rock) are to the west, right next to the two Cathedral Spires (Higher Cathedral Spire and Lower Cathedral Spire). If that isn't confusing enough, there is a formation called Cathedral Peak in the Tuolumne Meadows area, which is next to Upper Cathedral Lake and Lower Cathedral Lake. HCR, MCR, and LCR are in the background in your picture labeled, "Open field with cross country skier to give a small idea of the scale". Also, the picture labeled "Cliff face" is basically the cliff face below Glacier Point; Glacier Point is a little to the left of the edge of the picture (I thought I'd point it out in case you gave it that label because you forgot which cliff face it was -- pretty easy to do in the Valley -- and you were wondering).


Ack! I did mislabel Sentinel. Thanks for pointing that out. I made up my captions before inserting the pictures from photobucket and was going to put a picture of one of the real Cathedral Rocks there but decided at the last minute that it was kind of lopsided and fuzzy and that I liked the Sentinel pic better so I replaced it without, apparently, changing the caption. Yes, I do know the cliff face is the one under Glacier Point. It's one of my favorite cliffs as seen from the valley. In fact, you've inspired me. I have so many memories surrounding that cliff that I think I'll do a blog entry in connection with it later this evening.

----------


## bluevictim

> Glad you liked the pics, Blue. I loved being there in winter. So gorgeous and, as you say, fewer people too. I was really surprised I didn't fall down ice skating. The rink (as you may have guessed from the perspective on Half Dome) is at Curry at the spot where they rent bikes and rafts in the warmer weather. If you get there right when the rink opens there's practically no one there. I had the ice to myself, just skating around (once I figured out how to skate around that is ) with glacier point looming impressively to one side and half dome just across the way.


That sounds like a lot of fun. I haven't ice skated for a long time, and it has always been in indoor rinks -- just going around and around with lots of people, bad music, and that funky indoor skating rink smell (I guess you are fortunate enough not to know what I'm talking about). I bet your experience was a lot more enjoyable!




> The temps were probably in the high thirties to lower forties while I was there, so cold enough that I wanted a winter coat if I was going to be out walking for hours.


Actually, now I remember having checked the weather that weekend and deciding to go somewhere warmer instead. It was nice and comfy with highs in the fifties the next weekend.  :Smile: 




> Ice on the sleeping bags!  You're more intrepid than I. I stuck to a nice little heated room at the lodge with a few evening visits to the Ahwanee to sit inside their enormous fireplace.


I guess it would be more accurate to call it frost than ice. Sometimes I hesitate to hang out at the Ahwahnee fireplace because I'm afraid of getting kicked out. I don't hesitate to use their really nice bathrooms, though.  :Smile: 




> I made up my captions before inserting the pictures from photobucket and was going to put a picture of one of the real Cathedral Rocks there but decided at the last minute that it was kind of lopsided and fuzzy and that I liked the Sentinel pic better so I replaced it without, apparently, changing the caption. Yes, I do know the cliff face is the one under Glacier Point.


Oops, nevermind, then. Sometimes I end up with pictures of scenery and I don't quite remember where they were taken from, but I wish I did.




> It's one of my favorite cliffs as seen from the valley. In fact, you've inspired me. I have so many memories surrounding that cliff that I think I'll do a blog entry in connection with it later this evening.


Sounds interesting!

Just to stay on topic, for those wondering what we're talking about, here's a shot of Middle Cathedral Rock and Lower Cathedral Rock:

( <--- Sentinel Rock, the Ahwahnee Hotel, and Glacier Point would be that way)

A couple of pictures of the Ahwahnee Hotel:

( ^^^ Glacier Point is up there, and to the left a little)


(Sentinel Rock and the Cathedral Rocks would be that way ---> )

And a little waterfall near the Ahwahnee:

(The Ahwahnee Hotel would be behind you)

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Great pictures, Blue. I especially like the ones of the Ahwanee from above. Where did you take those from? Climbing up by the royal arches. That little waterfall by the hotel was my brother's favorite when he was a little kid. We would take him over to see Yosemite Falls in all its splendor, but all he wanted to do was go back and see the little waterfall. :FRlol: 

By the way, I did the blog entry on the Glacier Point cliff in case you're curious:

http://www.online-literature.com/for...941&entry=4789

----------


## bluevictim

> Where did you take those from? Climbing up by the royal arches.


Yep, you guessed it!




> That little waterfall by the hotel was my brother's favorite when he was a little kid. We would take him over to see Yosemite Falls in all its splendor, but all he wanted to do was go back and see the little waterfall.


That's cute.

----------


## zanna

Cool pictures, everyone! I especially liked the one taken in Yosemite by Petrarch's Love that had the stream with all the snow piled on the rocks! Good stuff.  :Smile:  Maybe after I get back from Death Valley, I'll have to add some pics here.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Maybe after I get back from Death Valley, I'll have to add some pics here.


Please do. I, for one, would like to see them. 

/Claes

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## kiz_paws

*Jon*That photo of the yellow flowers _from the end of last yippeee summer_ were beautiful!  :Wink: 

As well you have lovely pictures posted of your surrounding area. Hope you will post more, it looks so rustic!  :Smile: 

*Etienne* Your pictures are fantastic, the cannabis one caught my eye, but loved all of them. Hope you will share more of your pictures here!

*Petrarch's Love* Your pictures are so crisp and clean and of such beautiful landscapes. Wow!

*Blue*, your photos were lovely, too! And my favorite would have to be the waterfall near the Ahwahnee.

----------


## SleepyWitch

wow, Etienne, PL and Blue, I love your pics!
I can't wait to visit the U.S. and see Yosemite!

----------


## Amundsen

Logos your cat is nice and I know this problem, sometimes my dog also destroys my computer

----------


## Madhuri

Latest picture uploaded of my trip to a river (Krishna) and a dam (Nagarjuna Sagar) nearby.

Original picture -- a fisherman in his circular boat (not sure what it is called other than that)



Edited picture

----------


## Niamh

nice maddie. i think we call those boats curricles in ireland...

----------


## Virgil

> nice maddie. i think we call those boats curricles in ireland...


I woouldn't even call that a boat. Looks like a wheel barrel flipped over.  :Biggrin:  You've got to be crazy to float on that thing.

Excellent photo Maddie, and the edited version looks like a prize winning picture. You should submit that to a photo contest.

----------


## kiz_paws

Maddie, love both versions of the picture! That fellow is brave, too, to go in water in a tiny craft like that!  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

> nice maddie. i think we call those boats curricles in ireland...





> I woouldn't even call that a boat. Looks like a wheel barrel flipped over.  You've got to be crazy to float on that thing.
> 
> Excellent photo Maddie, and the edited version looks like a prize winning picture. You should submit that to a photo contest.





> Maddie, love both versions of the picture! That fellow is brave, too, to go in water in a tiny craft like that!


Thanks  :Biggrin: 

These fishermen are so used to such kind of living, it's like it's in their blood. There must be some name of this type of boat in their local language, unfortunately I don't know their language.

----------


## Madhuri

The same boat being used for shade by these fishermen.

I am experimenting with the pictures today.

So, here is the Original version



Edited picture of the same

----------


## Madhuri

This is actually a very tiny coonch (some 2-3 cms long). I zoomed and took this picture. The crust was very fragile, more like the shell of a very tiny snail. There are very big size coonch as well with harder shell.

Original picture 



Edited picture

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Great pictures, Maddie. My favorites are the one of the man floating on the round boat and of the shell. They're very well composed. I like both best in the pre-edited version.

----------


## AdoreroDio

I love the man in boat, both edited and unedited versions, the conch shell is simple and beautiful, I think I like the coloring of the unedited version better.

----------


## AdoreroDio

I went to an orchid show and here are some of my photos-

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Maddie & AdoreroDio: *Great* pictures from both of you. Keep up the good work.

/Claes

----------


## Dori

Here are a few photos I took recently.

This was taken from just outside my home at 6:30 AM:


On the way down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina:


Just outside the condo at Myrtle Beach:


My three true loves: Nature, Coke, and the USA.  :Wink:

----------


## Virgil

Adoereo - Very nice pictures. I can't wait for the spring flowers to bloom. I've seen crocuses bloom around here and the daffodils and tulips are sprouting.  :Smile:  

Dori - I love that first picture very much. Of course I always stand at attention and salute the flag.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Wow they are great pics Maddie and AD!

----------


## water-lily

wow amazing thread

I'll post mine as soon as possible

 :Biggrin:

----------


## Madhuri

Some more pictures 

Taj 



Sunset (the evening on Saturday)



Flowers 







Our feet (me and my friend), when we were sitting at the river bank. I showed this picture to some of my colleagues, and a few were laughing at it, as in -- I should have taken of the hands seperately, then one side of the face and then the other side; in the end I should have joined all the pieces and made one picture  :Rolleyes: . Well, all I wanted to capture in the picture was the casualness. I don't know if it's there or not.

Anyhow, heres the picture




Sky (original)



Sky (edited)



Waterfall (original)





Waterfall (edited)





Hope you like them  :Biggrin: 

*Adoreo*, loved the flowers  :Biggrin: .

Nice Sunrise shot, *Dori*  :Nod:  .

----------


## AimusSage

You know maddie, I took a picture once, but it was in a black hole, you don't have things like that in a black hole, and those pictures are awesome. 

The desaturated look of the waterfall works best, the sepia tones are nice too, but add a bit of artificial ageing, like a few scratches, and it'll be even better. 

Oh, and the Taj Mahal looks like it is sinking, but that's only because the horizon is just a little bit off. It gives me a strange feeling of movement though, like something is about to happen. Hmmmm, I better not think too much on this and just enjoy these pics.

----------


## LadyW

> Here are a few photos I took recently.


*Dori,* I'm disappointed... where are my favourite orange shorts?  :Biggrin:

----------


## Dori

> Nice Sunrise shot, *Dori*  .


Thanks.  :Smile:  I am fortunate enough to experience sunrises like that from time to time, though that particular sunrise was the most stunning, I think. Your photos are quite good, I must add. 




> *Dori,* I'm disappointed... where are my favourite orange shorts?


Well, most pictures of me are not taken by me.  :Wink:

----------


## Niamh

they are lovely Maddie!!!!!!!!

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Maddie. What software are you using to edit the pictures? I've been thinking of getting one.

----------


## Dori

> Very nice Maddie. What software are you using to edit the pictures? I've been thinking of getting one.


Even though the question was not directed towards myself, I feel oblidged to answer anyway. When I edit pictures (I do so rarely), I use _The GIMP_. Best of all, it's free! See the following links for more information: 

Wikipedia Article ~ GIMP
Official GIMP Website

Sadly, as far as I know, unless you run Linux rather than Windows (or perhaps with Windows), I'm afraid you might not be able to use it. So if you ever decide to convert to Linux (if you haven't already), then it will probably come with it anyways (as it did with my distribution).

All in all, the easy way out would be to buy Adobe Photoshop.

----------


## Madhuri

> You know maddie, I took a picture once, but it was in a black hole, you don't have things like that in a black hole, and those pictures are awesome. 
> 
> The desaturated look of the waterfall works best, the sepia tones are nice too, but add a bit of artificial ageing, like a few scratches, and it'll be even better. 
> 
> Oh, and the Taj Mahal looks like it is sinking, but that's only because the horizon is just a little bit off. It gives me a strange feeling of movement though, like something is about to happen. Hmmmm, I better not think too much on this and just enjoy these pics.


Thanks, Aimus. The analysis is helpful  :Smile: 





> Thanks.  I am fortunate enough to experience sunrises like that from time to time, though that particular sunrise was the most stunning, I think. Your photos are quite good, I must add.


The Sunrise picture was really beautiful  :Smile: .




> they are lovely Maddie!!!!!!!!


Thanks, Niamh  :Biggrin: .




> Very nice Maddie. What software are you using to edit the pictures? I've been thinking of getting one.


I used Picasa for these pictures. I find it quite user friendly and above all its a free software  :Biggrin:

----------


## Petrarch's Love

More great looking pictures, Maddie. I thought the one that turned out best with the editing was the one with the water and sky. It looked O.K. in colour, but the sepia made it really pop for some reason. I liked the top waterfall picture best in both the color and the sepia tones. All very enjoyable pictures. Hope to see more from you.

----------


## Madhuri

> More great looking pictures, Maddie. I thought the one that turned out best with the editing was the one with the water and sky. It looked O.K. in colour, but the sepia made it really pop for some reason. I liked the top waterfall picture best in both the color and the sepia tones. All very enjoyable pictures. Hope to see more from you.


Thanks, Petrarch  :Biggrin: 

I was doing all the editing just to see if any picture can be improved, so that I can keep the better version. I am glad you liked the pictures.

----------


## vheissu

I said somewhere I'd post some red neurons, can't remember to who it was, but here they are:





I've played with the contrast a bit so it's clearer.

----------


## manolia

Wow Vheissu are those microscope pictures?

----------


## vheissu

> Wow Vheissu are those microscope pictures?


Yes, they are microscope pictures. It was *so* difficult to focus on that machine though, it took me forever! But I now have a rather nice collection neurons!  :Tongue:  


Maddie, I just saw your pics, they are gorgeous!!

----------


## SleepyWitch

beautiful pics, *Maddie* and these neurons look really cool, *vheissu*.

hubbers and me visited the wild boars again today. they've got babies. two of them were really tiny, but the were fit enough and ran of with the pasta we gave them to eat it on their own.

grrrrrrrrrr, photobucket is so slow! I'll load up more pics later

----------


## SleepyWitch

:Mad:  grrrr, stupid photobucket. still more to come.

----------


## SleepyWitch

there are more baby boars on the previous page ^^^^

----------


## Idril

My dad and I were taking a walk in the coulee while I was home for Easter and we came upon this tree. Dad got the great idea of taking a picture looking up into the middle of the tree and it was quite brilliant. It was his idea, but my version of it turned out better than his.  :Tongue: 



And because I mention him so often in this photography thread, here is a picture of my dad getting ready to shoot up into the tree.



And one of the things we did for Easter was to take a trip to visit graves, an odd thing to do on an Easter afternoon but my youngest son had mentioned that he'd never seen the graves of any of his relatives so we took a little trip to where my dad grew up, about 45 minutes from where they currently live, to visit the graves of his parents and grandparents. His parents are buried in the city graveyard but his grandparents are buried in this great spartan graveyard in the middle of nowhere, nothing but prairie and buttes as far as the eye can see. This is the view to the south of where my great grandparents lie. The buttes are called Teepee buttes and someone has erected this wierd metal cross there, it made for a very striking view. Sam, my son, has decided that's where he wants to be buried.

----------


## kiz_paws

*Maddie*, your pictures are awesome!

*AdoreroDio*, gorgeous shots of the orchids!

*Dori*, your sunrise photo is beautiful!

*vheissu*, the red neurons were totally unexpected -- what great pics!

*Sleepy*, I LOVE the pictures of the wild boars. Wish we had them here, they are sooooo cute!  :Smile: 

*Idril*, Your pictures are so clear and well centered, and all of it (you are a great photographer)! The pic of your father was cute -- a photographer at rest.  :Tongue:

----------


## Dori

Here's another sunrise shot:



Nothing better than quickly scarfing my sister's camera and sprinting 100 meters or so to an ideal spot and taking pictures of the sunrise. Especially in the winter!  :FRlol:

----------


## Chava

My friend took this yesterday, we spent a lot of time finding the location running around in the deserted bunkers outside copenhagen, we took hundreds of photo's, so I felt compelled to share. An awesome experience.

----------


## bluevictim

Idril, it's nice to see your father! The picture with the buttes is striking indeed. I think your son has good taste.

Dori, I love sunrise pictures; I have very few sunrise pictures but many sunset pictures because I'm too lazy to ever be up before the sun.

Chava, thanks for sharing that lovely photo; I really like the composition and the muted colors. It looks like wandering around those bunkers would be a surreal experience.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

vheissu: I really liked your red neurons. Have you got any more?

SleepyWitch: Lovely piglets (who needs a bulldozer when you have them around?).

Idril: You keep coming up with inventive shots.

Dori: Excellent sunrise shot, and you are right: One has to be quick getting to the right spot at the right time for those shots.

And last but not least, Chava: That is a remarkable shot. I'm sure there must be a lot of work behind it. Very impressive.

I have had very little time for photography lately (Just too much work and no fun  :Frown:  ), but I have managed a few shots. Here we go:


Early spring, and finally things are coming back to life again.
The light conditions were a bit unusual here. Diffused light seemed to come from all directions.


Beavers at work along my route to work (I actually go cross county on my MTB to get there).


Still some work to do here.


Wood Anemones. The first flowers we see in the spring.


I actually don't know what these are called, but they turn up very early in the year too.


A close up of the same.


Close up of the first small Birch leafs. Notice the occupant on its opposite side?


The final part of my route to work (500m to the left of the red building in the background. 
This was taken with my 2 Mp phone cam, btw). 


Apple blossoms in Esklstunas old town. This place is a restaurant located by the river 
(the landing is in fact *on* the river) in a 18th century building.
Picture taken with the phone cam.


The place in the previous picture from another angle.
Picture taken with the phone cam.

----------


## kelby_lake

Photo of John Taylor taken on mobile.

----------


## sprinks

Awesome photos everyone!!  :Biggrin:   :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:  


I love these types of photos, like the one I'm about to post here:



Hope my friend doesn't mind me posting this, as it's her in the photo  :Tongue: 

I took this on camp, we were walking somewhere and I saw the sunlight and I went off and took a photo of it shining through the trees, and then she began to walk in front of me so I took a photo of her and I think it's pretty cool  :Biggrin:  And also it really suits her personality (most of the time)

----------


## Themis

A look at Prague:

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Themis. Looks pretty.

----------


## Virgil

I was at a wedding last year where the affair was held overlooking the New York harbor from the Brooklyn side. Here are soem pictures.







Now what you're seeing in those pictures above is the downtown Manhattan skyline with the Manhattan Bridge in the fore with the Brooklyn Bridge behind.

Here are a couple of photos of the Empire State Building.

----------


## kiz_paws

*Chava*, your picture is stunning. Well done indeed.

*Claes*, beautiful work -- the flowers are gorgeous!

*kelby* and *sprinks*, cool pics!

*Themis* -- great shots of the incredible architecture of Prague (wish I could go there!)

*Virgil*, great shots of New York, another place I should love to visit some day.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Time for another round: I have been out and about a bit.


Bowling with a bunch of friends from work.


Colourful, eh?


Sunset seen from a boat on lake Mälaren near Eskilstuna.


Same sunset as above a couple of minutes later.


And again....


Traffic jam due to a highway accident, close to my home.


I have no idea what those are called in English, but a straigtht translation
from Swedish would be "Luitenants Heart".


A closer look.


I have to admit that I dont know the name of those either... in any language.


A composite panorama from our bedroom window, put together from 20 different shots. 

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> Sunset seen from a boat on lake Mälaren near Eskilstuna.
> 
> 
> Same sunset as above a couple of minutes later.
> 
> 
> And again....


I love your sunsets Claes. Very nce.  :Thumbs Up:  




> I have no idea what those are called in English, but a straigtht translation
> from Swedish would be "Luitenants Heart".
> 
> 
> A closer look.


I believe those are called Bleeding Hearts in English.



> I have to admit that I dont know the name of those either... in any language.


Those look familiar too but I can't quite place the name.




> A composite panorama from our bedroom window, put together from 20 different shots.


20 different shots pasted together is quite a feat. Nice work.

Thanks for all that Claes. I enjoyed it.  :Smile:

----------


## Idril

Claes, those are just amazing, especially the sunset ones. They are downright spiritual. And the details in those flower ones are stunning. 

This picture isn't all that great but it shows exactly why it's so impossible for me to keep our dogs off the couch. With this kind of encouragement, keeping them off is a lost cause.  :Rolleyes:  That's my oldest son, Isaac and Smeagol the beagle. Smeagol actually isn't a very cuddly dog normally but he loves Isaac, he will cuddle with Isaac.

----------


## Weisinheimer

that's a really cute pic, Idril

----------


## Sweets America

Oh, I love the doggy!!  :Smile:  

Nice pics everyone (with a special squeeze of my heart for the New-York pics of Virgil  :Tongue:  )

----------


## Nyu001

Nice pic of your son and the dog Idril.  :Biggrin: 

Here I present you Satan my cat...  :Wink:

----------


## Virgil

Ah cute doggy and cat. Nice pictures.

----------


## bluevictim

> This picture isn't all that great but it shows exactly why it's so impossible for me to keep our dogs off the couch. With this kind of encouragement, keeping them off is a lost cause.  That's my oldest son, Isaac and Smeagol the beagle. Smeagol actually isn't a very cuddly dog normally but he loves Isaac, he will cuddle with Isaac.[/IMG]


Smeagol the beagle -- I love it! Very cute picture.

----------


## Niamh

lovely pic of your son and dog Idril.

Man thats one scary cat!

----------


## Nyu001

And never eat near of him or he will get "mad" wanting food. If you don't give him, he will bite you. If you rub him and stop of rub he will chase you! if you don't pay attention to him... he will bite you.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes, those are just amazing, especially the sunset ones. They are downright spiritual. And the details in those flower ones are stunning.


Thank you, Idril.

I like that picture of Isaac and Smeagol the beagle. Er.... Smeagol? I'm afraid to ask how he earned his name...  :Wink:  




> And never eat near of him or he will get "mad" wanting food. If you don't give him, he will bite you. If you rub him and stop of rub he will chase you! if you don't pay attention to him... he will bite you.


Sounds like a normal cat to me...  :FRlol:  

/Claes

----------


## Idril

> Thank you, Idril.
> 
> I like that picture of Isaac and Smeagol the beagle. Er.... Smeagol? I'm afraid to ask how he earned his name...  
> 
> /Claes


Well, we were going to name him Frodo but my dad, having had a beagle of his own once upon a time suggested Smeagol would be better, that eagerness to please along with the single minded pursuit of food and the evilness and cunning that comes with it seemed more apt for a beagle...and also, it rhymed.  :FRlol:  He lives up to his name quite well.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## Virgil

> Well, we were going to name him Frodo but my dad, having had a beagle of his own once upon a time suggested Smeagol would be better, that eagerness to please along with the single minded pursuit of food and the evilness and cunning that comes with it seemed more apt for a beagle...and also, it rhymed.  He lives up to his name quite well.


How come you didn't name your son after a Lord of the Rings character?  :Tongue:   :Biggrin:

----------


## Idril

> How come you didn't name your son after a Lord of the Rings character?


Don't think I didn't think about it.  :FRlol:   :Wink:  I did try to talk them into legally adding a LOTR name as a middle name but neither of them went for it...I continue to suggest it though.  :Biggrin:

----------


## kiz_paws

*Claes*, enjoyed your photography as always! The panorama photo was very well done indeed, and the sunsets stunning.  :Smile:  

*Idril*, that picture is totally endearing! Your son is privileged to be the one and only who gets to cuddle with your doggie! Lovely picture, good job!  :Smile: 

*Nyu001*, your cat is cute, I love black cats. Your description of him made me smile because he surely has a character and then some! Good photo, hope you will post more!  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

some pictures of Agra from my blog

http://www.online-literature.com/for...083&entry=5571

----------


## Gaiam

My friends while camping over Memorial Day weekend. Not exactly a work of art, and they were all a bit tipsy but they're adorable and I love them to death! haha

----------


## Idril

You look like you're having a lot of fun, Gaiam.  :Thumbs Up: 

We spent the weekend with my parents and managed to get to the Badlands for an afternoon of climbing. Here's a few pics. 

This first one is actually not of the Badlands, it's the view from my parents' yard as we were coming back from the beach...we got home just in time:


This one is on the top of the butte we climbed. There were 9 people there, 7 with cameras and here we are taking pictures of the vista. I'm at the end in that pic with my nephews and niece ahead of me, my brother, who was obviously behind me, took this shot:


This is my son, Isaac on the descent, taking it all in:


The view from the top:


This picture was a happy surprise, those are my boys, Isaac is on the roof and Sam is in the window frame. This pose was completely spontaneous, I was actually trying to get the backgrond, which makes it even more impressive:


And this is the view in the direction Isaac was facing:


Some of the weird formations:


And caves. There are three children you can't see in that dark hole, I'm taking their picture:


It was a fun day. Lots of pictures were taken, between the 7 of us, there were hundreds, I'm sure.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## pussnboots

nice pictures. I've never been to the Badlands. I've been to Yellowstone national Park, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon and Arches National park. Have you ever been to any of those ? It is absolutley beautiful at all these places.
I would love to see more pictures!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I would love to see more pictures!


Likewise. Good pictures, Idril, and please post more if you have them. About that first picture: I suppose everything turned jolly wet soon after it was taken?

/Claes

----------


## Gaiam

Those photos are beautiful, Idril! My favorite is the one of your two sons in the little 'house' thing.  :Smile:

----------


## Shalot

> My friends while camping over Memorial Day weekend. Not exactly a work of art, and they were all a bit tipsy but they're adorable and I love them to death! haha


Does her shirt say "I have a great as.s?" 

Looks like good times.

----------


## Idril

> nice pictures. I've never been to the Badlands. I've been to Yellowstone national Park, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon and Arches National park. Have you ever been to any of those ? It is absolutley beautiful at all these places.
> I would love to see more pictures!





> Likewise. Good pictures, Idril, and please post more if you have them. About that first picture: I suppose everything turned jolly wet soon after it was taken?
> 
> /Claes


Pussnboots, I haven't seen any of those, I don't travel nearly as much as I should.  :Frown:  If you ever do decide to see the Badlands, I'll show you around.  :Wink:  There are 2 units of Badlands in ND, the North Unit and the South, easy enough to remember. We were in the North Unit, it's close to where my dad grew up, practically in his back yard so he knows all the good places to go and every feature has a story for him. I don't know if that's the reason why I prefer the North Unit but it seems like it's a little more wild and varied than the South Unit.

Claes, it poured! As soon as we stepped onto the lawn the wind started and about 2 minutes after we got into the house, the rain came.

Here's a few more pictures since a couple of you were interested. 

This was at the beginning of our climb, you can see the odd little cannonball shape rocks there in the right bottom corner:


These tiny little lizards are everywhere and are an endless fascinations to the boys of the family:


Isaac climbing:


Going back down:


More odd formations:


The muddy Little Missouri River:


By the river:

----------


## Virgil

Wow, Idril, I had no idea what Badlands looked like. I had just heard of it as a destination to go. But that is impressive. Thank you for posting.  :Smile:

----------


## kiz_paws

Those are fantastic pictures, Idril. Thank you so much for posting them!  :Smile:

----------


## Gaiam

> Does her shirt say "I have a great as.s?" 
> 
> Looks like good times.


Haah, yeah, her husband purchased it for her when they saw a stand-up comedian in Las Vegas. That's what the front says and the back says something like "And I'm Not Even In High School". I forget the context, but it was some joke the comedian told. They saw the show with her parents and her 58 yr/old mother bought the same shirt, too. Hah, they're a darling family.

----------


## Gaiam

I just can't get over how beautiful those photos are, Idril. And the little lizard is adorable!

----------


## Idril

> Wow, Idril, I had no idea what Badlands looked like. I had just heard of it as a destination to go. But that is impressive. Thank you for posting.


I think a lot of people hear ND and thing rolling plains and prairies and obviously, there is a lot of that but there's also this and it is extraordinary. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

And Gaiam, those lizards are pretty cute but they are so hard to see because they're the exact same color as the rocks. Only young eyes can see them.  :Wink:

----------


## Shalot



----------


## djy78usa

Those are great pictures Idril. I was lucky enough to visit the Black Hills when I was a kid, but I've never been into the Badlands. Your pictures make me want to plan a trip there.

----------


## cipherdecoy

Taken in Spain  :Wink:

----------


## Shurtugal

idril those pictures are beautiful!

----------


## Shurtugal

here's some pictures of my guinea pig!

the orange and white one is Dolly. the gray and white one is Ayra...



ayra is so cute.... :Blush:  



a rare moment when dolly is actually resting! :Brow:

----------


## sofia82

Wonderful pictures from wonderful sceneries, *Idril*!

----------


## sofia82

> here's some pictures of my guinea pig!
> 
> the orange and white one is Dolly. the gray and white one is Ayra...
> 
> 
> 
> ayra is so cute.... 
> 
> 
> ...


WOW! These are so cute.

----------


## Virgil

Really cute Shurty. They're beautiful.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

*Shurtugal,* 
I just love guinea pigs! I think they are so adorable and lovable and funny. I love these photos you have of yours. They are all of the above, plus sooo sweet looking - totally cute fuzzy creatures!

----------


## sofia82



----------


## cipherdecoy

Cool that you managed to capture something like that :P

----------


## sofia82

Always my brother says what are these useless photoes you take instead of taking photoes of me!

----------


## sofia82



----------


## Nightshade

( havent seen much beyond the old town square yet really but these are some of my favourite pictures to date)







I do like using sepia, and odd angles  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Sofia and Nightie - Those are wonderful pictures.

----------


## sofia82

> ( havent seen much beyond the old town square yet really but these are some of my favourite pictures to date)
> 
> I do like using sepia, and odd angles


These are really beautiful. I like odd angles, too. 

And thank you *Virgil*!

----------


## Shurtugal

sofia, those pictures of the water are wonderful!

nightshade, love the color tinting.

----------


## Shurtugal

here's a picture of a flower my little sis took.

----------


## sofia82

> here's a picture of a flower my little sis took.


Thank you Shurtugal!!! I like flowers, Your little sister will be a good photographer in the future  :Wink:

----------


## Nightshade

Prague... "the old town square" being a place there. WOW sofia I love the first water and the bird picture

----------


## bluevictim

Idril, romping around those rock formations at Badlands looks like a lot of fun! Those egg-shaped formations are very interesting.

Shurtugal, your guinea pigs are very cute.

sofia82, thanks for sharing your fountain pictures -- I really like the one with just a blob of water in front of some palm trees.

Nightshade, the sepia makes those buildings look like they are in an old town indeed.

To do my part:

Here is a shot of Yosemite falls with some low clouds:



Here is a shot from Mount Shasta of Shastina rising up above the clouds:

----------


## bluevictim

Thanks, Antiquarian. Which is called quelle, the cloud or the waterfall?

----------


## bluevictim

Thanks for the compliment and for the tidbits of info! Leave it to people living by the Alps to have a specific word for Nebelmeer, I guess.  :Smile:

----------


## sofia82

> [B]
> *Sofia*, those are gorgeous. You really have a natural talent for photography.


Wow! Thank you Anti!!! I become so happy to hear that!! I think about that camera of my dreams seriously!!!

----------


## sofia82

> Prague... "the old town square" being a place there. WOW sofia I love the first water and the bird picture


Thank you Nightshade! I love your pictures, too!!! is it ghotic?!

----------


## sofia82

> sofia82, thanks for sharing your fountain pictures -- I really like the one with just a blob of water in front of some palm trees.


Thank you bluevictim!!! I love your photos. Especially the shot of Yosemite falls! Wonderful! I wishe I were there and can take photos.

----------


## sofia82

The picture is taken in Perspolice!!

----------


## sofia82



----------


## Virgil

> My friend took this yesterday, we spent a lot of time finding the location running around in the deserted bunkers outside copenhagen, we took hundreds of photo's, so I felt compelled to share. An awesome experience.


Chava that is one excellent photo. Thanks for sharing it.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Sofia. And as usual, Blue, awesome.

----------


## sofia82

*Chava*, wonderful picture!

----------


## sofia82

> Very nice Sofia. And as usual, Blue, awesome.


Thank you, *Virgil*. *Anti* said I have a talent for photography, I will try this as soon as I buy the camera I dream  :Biggrin:

----------


## sofia82

> *cipherdecoy*, *Idril*, *sofia*, *chava*, *blue* gorgeous photos. *Chava*, those are beautiful effects.


Thank you, Antiquarian!!  :Blush:

----------


## zanna

Oh man, I love coming to this thread and seeing everyone's awesome pictures. 

@sofia; your brother's comment is funny.  :Smile:  I'm a 'thing' picture-taker too; I don't take very many people shots.

@nightshade, the sepia is cool, and so are your odd angles! I love finding interesting perspectives.  :Smile: 

@everybody else; just because I don't comment on your photo, don't take offense, please! I just had specific comments that applied to these two people; but I still enjoyed all the others.  :Smile:

----------


## sofia82

> @sofia; your brother's comment is funny.  I'm a 'thing' picture-taker too; I don't take very many people shots.


I just take pictures of people in unusual positions and gestures especially those of my brother. He is funny, too. Imagine, he is in every corner of most of my pictures  :Bawling: and because of this if I ask him take my picture, he will take half of me in the picture  :Biggrin:

----------


## sofia82

What are these called in English?

----------


## Madhuri

Bouganvilla.

----------


## tractatus

Beautiful Begonvil, in Turkish  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> What are these called in English?


From the picture it looks like azaleas to me. Do they blosom in the spring for a couple of weeks and then look like a green bush until the leaves fall in the autumn?

----------


## Weisinheimer

I was thinking azalea, too, but I'm no plant expert.  :Wink:

----------


## sofia82

> From the picture it looks like azaleas to me. Do they blosom in the spring for a couple of weeks and then look like a green bush until the leaves fall in the autumn?


I don't thin they are azaleas! We call other flowers azaleas!
I found they are Bouganvilla as *Madhuri* and *tractatus* said.




> I was thinking azalea, too, but I'm no plant expert.


I am no plant expert too. I call all flowers, flowers just a few can name and all trees just trees  :FRlol:  I think I have to respect their identities but so sorry  :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

They do look like Bouganvilla - I saw those in CA, when I was out ther years ago. They grow abundantly along, or in the middle of some highways. They are quite beautiful. I think I also saw them growing wild in the Bahamas. 
*Sophia,* this one particular bush you have posted is quite lovely - I love that shade of pink and the blooms look so papery and delicate. I bet they smell heavenly. 
Did you look up Bouganvilla on Wikipedia, to see if they do look the same?

----------


## sofia82

> They do look like Bouganvilla - I saw those in CA, when I was out ther years ago. They grow abundantly along, or in the middle of some highways. They are quite beautiful. I think I also saw them growing wild in the Bahamas. 
> *Sophia,* this one particular bush you have posted is quite lovely - I love that shade of pink and the blooms look so papery and delicate. I bet they smell heavenly. 
> Did you look up Bouganvilla on Wikipedia, to see if they do look the same?


yes, I checked and it is Bouganvilla. We had this flower, but now not. Oh papery, we call them in persian papery flower. They are really beautiful.

----------


## Virgil

> yes, I checked and it is Bouganvilla. We had this flower, but now not. Oh papery, we call them in persian papery flower. They are really beautiful.


I've never seen Bouganvlla. I looked it up. It looks cool. They can grow up to 12 meters high. Wow. Here's a google image:

----------


## sofia82

> I've never seen Bouganvlla. I looked it up. It looks cool. They can grow up to 12 meters high. Wow. Here's a google image:


Wow! I've never seen Bouganvill in this size. Where I live, the weather is cold, of course not like Canada and Alaska, but this flower can't grow outdoors, just indoors and most people have at thier home. In warmer parts near Persian gulf, there are huge kind of these outdoors with beautiful view. I love them especially in different colors.

----------


## subterranean

From the wine museum, Budapest



From a narrow street in Prague



Bergen (Norway) under our feet  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Hey Subby, nice to see you. Thanks for the pictures. What's with the second one, someone hanged?  :Wink:

----------


## subterranean

It's a sculpture, Virg. So, no worries...no one was hurt  :Wink:

----------


## Virgil

> It's a sculpture, Virg. So, no worries...no one was hurt


A sculpture? Really? What's it suppose to mean?

----------


## Argus

Spring in Texas.
Horses in the wildflowers



Morning mist on a millpond



sunrise from the highway



bluebonnets

----------


## Nightshade

> From a narrow street in Prague


Which street and does that mean you wre here recently then? And who is that just dangling there?

----------


## sofia82

*Argus*, these are wonderful sceneries. Especially horses!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Some recent pictures from Karpathos, Greece. We enjoyed good food and drink, warm water and lots of sun.... and four earthquakes (nothing big, just up to 5.3 on the Richter scale, but quite enough for me) And yes, the camera got a workout, too  :FRlol:  


View from the mountains (The locals call their island the rock).


A sleepy cat. I suppose he had been partying the previous night?

There were lots of those pigeons around. We could hear them around the clock.


Lots of those around too. 


Just another angle.


Pigadia harbour. 


Fishing boats. 


A busy bee. 


Olympos. A small and old mountain village. 


A good place to visit if you need a bit of physical exercise.

More to come...

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures Claes. They are all fascinating. But I must say the one with the cat is absolutely marvelous. You caught it at the perfect moment. I'm sure you're a good photographer but that was very lucky.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Thank's Virgil


> Great pictures Claes. They are all fascinating. But I must say the one with the cat is absolutely marvelous. You caught it at the perfect moment. I'm sure you're a good photographer but that was very lucky.


Yes, but I was unlucky with the 10 - 15 pictures I wasted before the cat finally decided to yawn at the right time...  :Wink:  It's a good thing I don't use film anymore.  :FRlol:  

/Claes

----------


## Kafka's Crow



----------


## Virgil

Nice photo Kafka. The cloud formation is just perfect for that eirie feeling.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

*The Little Mermaid!*


*Godrevy Lighthouse near Hayle, Cornwall. Inspiration for Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse*






*An "Indian Summer" in London!*

*Land's End*

*Somewhere on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall*

(read this poem to have an idea about this peaceful spot: http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=35704)

----------


## sofia82

> 


This is wonderful! I wish one day I can visit this place.

----------


## sofia82

*Kafka*, the pictures you took are really beautiful. The first thing got into my mind seeing the lighthouse was Woolf. And the birds are so cute and marvolous.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> *Kafka*, the pictures you took are really beautiful. The first thing got into my mind seeing the lighthouse was Woolf. And the birds are so cute and marvolous.


We have a huge population of Indian ringneck parakeets in Berkshire, Middlesex and Surrey. I live on the Surrey border and we have thousands of these very exotic birds here. They were first sighted in a park in Richmond around 10 years ago and everybody was so excited about them. Now we have thousands of them. They are lovely though noisy which has changed the English suburban soundscape thoroughly, specially in the suburbs of London. 

People think it is crazy but I do sometimes jump in my car and drive as far as Cornwall just to look at the sea! I go to Stonehenge quite often on Sunday evenings, just a 'little' 140 odd miles round-trip!

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Here is Stonehenge on a sunny day:

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> Great pictures Claes. They are all fascinating. But I must say the one with the cat is absolutely marvelous. You caught it at the perfect moment. I'm sure you're a good photographer but that was very lucky.


No, you just park next to them and ask them nicely to show their teeth!

----------


## Kafka's Crow

... and yes, my cat is bigger than yours:


*MUCH bigger!*

----------


## Kafka's Crow

... and no, these 'cats' are not allowed in _my_ car:

*When you are old and gray and full of sleep...*

*Attack of the clones?*

*Hey, I wanna be a big rock-star!*

----------


## pussnboots

Kafka: love the lion shots and the one of the gorilla

----------


## kiz_paws

Great pictures, *cipherdecoy*, *Shurtugal*, *sofia82*, *Nightshade*, *bluevictim*, *subterranean*, *Argus* (love horses!), *Claes*, *Kafka* -- I'd love to see Stonehenge, you are lucky! 

We sure have some great photographers here!  :Nod:

----------


## TheFifthElement

Cool photos *Kafka*, you're lucky to live close enough to Cornwall to be able to get there in a day and back. 

Taken last night. How I love the sky.

----------


## Virgil

I love the lions too Kafka. Thanks.

Oh Fifth, that is a stunning photo. That's a contest winner, if you can find a contest to enter it in.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Another batch, also from Karphatos:

Olympos.

Olympos again. Pretty steep, eh?

A mountain overlooking Pigadia.

Another representant of the rather large cat population.

Bee movie...

Bouganvillea.

I found a large tree full of these, but what are they called?

Well... A tree. 

Pigeon.

A very stylish cat.

/Claes

----------


## djy78usa

This is my favorite picture from Korea. A friend has since told me that this sign has been taken down. Its replacement? "Hunt Kids!"
Don't worry, it's a childrens' clothing store, not an infanticide warehouse. Gotta love those mistranlations :FRlol:  



And this one is a late Happy Birthday to the U.S. I took this picture a few months ago at Fort Benning, GA.

----------


## sprinks

Absolutely amazing and beautiful photos!!  :Thumbs Up:   :Smile: 




> I found a large tree full of these, but what are they called?


They look like frangipanis. We have some frangipani trees in our garden:





And some black and white photos from a beach further up the coast here:




(look familiar? It's my avatar!!  :Biggrin: )

----------


## Xoote

some nice pics

----------


## sofia82

> We have a huge population of Indian ringneck parakeets in Berkshire, Middlesex and Surrey. I live on the Surrey border and we have thousands of these very exotic birds here. They were first sighted in a park in Richmond around 10 years ago and everybody was so excited about them. Now we have thousands of them. They are lovely though noisy which has changed the English suburban soundscape thoroughly, specially in the suburbs of London. 
> 
> People think it is crazy but I do sometimes jump in my car and drive as far as Cornwall just to look at the sea! I go to Stonehenge quite often on Sunday evenings, just a 'little' 140 odd miles round-trip!


How interesting?! But where did they come from? Birds from other lands just start living in another place, so intresting and more interesting is that they become larger in number, I love them so cute and so beautiful.

I don't think it is crazy, If I had a car, I would have done the same. About half an hour or a little more we have a lake (I think the second saltiest lake of the world) I like to be there but don't have any car for myself  :Biggrin: .
I wish I become rich enough to travel around the world and see these wonders, one is your Stonehenge (of course, I should see all of the wonders in my own country  :Biggrin: ).




> Here is Stonehenge on a sunny day:


These are beautiful photos, it is a little bit different from what I imagined as I saw in the movies or other photos ...




> No, you just park next to them and ask them nicely to show their teeth!


Great idea, and what a good lion which did what you asked her  :Biggrin: 
Great animal and great photo!




> ... and no, these 'cats' are not allowed in _my_ car:
> 
> *When you are old and gray and full of sleep...*
> 
> *Attack of the clones?*
> 
> *Hey, I wanna be a big rock-star!*



What are they doing outside of the cage or the zoo?! Do they live like this in freedom?

----------


## Themis

Pictures from Ireland:




(The Burren):


Cliffs of Moher:


Kylemore Abbey:

----------


## motherhubbard

amazing Themis. so beautiful it doesn't even look real!

----------


## Niamh

they are lovely picturesque images of Ireland Themis. The first one looks postcard perfect! Hope you had a good time!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Yes, that first one is magnificent. Let us know how your trip went.

----------


## pussnboots

OK, finally figured out how to download my pictures to computer so I can post them here.
This is a squirel that I have named Rocky. I took this from my backyard.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> They look like frangipanis. We have some frangipani trees in our garden


Frangipanis... Thank you, sprinks.  :Thumbs Up:   :Smile:  

Kafka's Crow: Great pictures from that Zoo.

Themis: I loved your Irish pictures in general, and that first one in particular. Very dramatic.

pussnboots: Well done to capture Rocky so well. I know how hard it is get a good shot of a squirrel.
They are too fast to make it easy.

More Karphatos pictures:


We found this spider on the bedroom wall. The missus promptly freaked out.


Fishing boat and crystal clear water.


A very beautiful location for a graveyard.


A tiny grasshopper, gently coaxed out of the shadow so i could get this shot.


Cactus flower. It only lasted two days.


Pigadia by night. 


Pigadia Harbour at sunset.

/Claes

----------


## kiz_paws

Lovely sky shot, *Fifth*! Whenever our skies have something prettier than usual (pink clouds, etc.) I always think of you.  :Nod: 

*Claes*, your photography is stunning. That is some camera you have! By the way, I almost freaked out over that close up of the spider, very good photography indeed.

Great pix, *djy78usa*!

*Sprinks*, lovely pix, wished those flowers would grow in my garden!  :Wink: 

*Themis* your photos from Ireland are awesome, just like postcards (as Niamh pointed out).  :Smile: 

*pussnboots* - Rocky is indeed a sweetie -- but does your dog get along with him? I know that Pepper would have a heyday with a squirrel that made itself at home in our yard, lol!

Here's a couple from me:



That tree flowering is our ornamental plum. I love that tree.

Both photos were obtained thanks to the technology contained in my cell phone ...

----------


## Dori

It has become a habit (not to mention an activity of great pleasure) of mine to go on 4-6 mile bike rides (in a place with no flat roads!) at around 8:15pm. The sun sets here around 8:45pm, producing wonderful effects on the clouds. O how much I love clouds!

I have a whole album of pictures on my facebook (I'm not sure if anyone who doesn't have a facebook can see them or no--here's the link: Cloud Chasin'). If not, here are just a few of the more stunning ones:

----------


## djy78usa

Those are cool pictures Dori. I love watching the clouds at sunset too. When I used to live in Alaska, the sunset would reflect off the snow and the entire sky would turn that pinkish-orange color. I wish I had some pictures of that to post on here.

----------


## pussnboots

nice sunsets Dori

----------


## Pensive

> It has become a habit (not to mention an activity of great pleasure) of mine to go on 4-6 mile bike rides (in a place with no flat roads!) at around 8:15pm. The sun sets here around 8:45pm, producing wonderful effects on the clouds. O how much I love clouds!
> 
> I have a whole album of pictures on my facebook (I'm not sure if anyone who doesn't have a facebook can see them or no--here's the link: Cloud Chasin'). If not, here are just a few of the more stunning ones:


Wow! These are beautiful, Dori. Would make really good windows screen wallpapers if it were not for the image size.  :Smile:

----------


## Dori

> Wow! These are beautiful, Dori. Would make really good windows screen wallpapers if it were not for the image size.


I think Facebook sized the pictures down when I uploaded them. They were larger on my desktop. 

Thank you, and thanks *djy78usa* and *pussnboots*, for all of your comments.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Yes very nice Dori. I like the first one best.

----------


## Dori

Thanks *Virgil*.  :Smile:  What's particularly striking is that all of these were taken within a span of 45 minutes or so. And they are in the order I took them, surprisingly.

----------


## Themis

@All who commented on my Ireland-pictures: Glad you all like them.  :Smile:  I had a very good time taking them. 

@Dori: I really like your sky-pictures. They remind me of some of the pictures I like to take at sunset.

----------


## Pensive

kiz paws, I just noticed these two pictures that you took. Really good. I especially like the later one!  :Smile: 




> (I'm not sure if anyone who doesn't have a facebook can see them or no--here's the link: Cloud Chasin'). If not, here are just a few of the more stunning ones


And btw, even those with a facebook profile can't see them.  :Tongue:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> By the way, I almost freaked out over that close up of the spider.


So did my wife, I'm afraid: First when she found the spider and then once more when she saw the picture  :FRlol:  And you are right about the camera. By now I have had so much practice with it that I don't have to give much thought to how I set it up. I just do it and shoot.




> O how much I love clouds!


I hear you. Clouds have always been one of my favourite targets to point the camera at. I used to be a glider pilot after all.  :Biggrin:  




> I'm not sure if anyone who doesn't have a facebook can see them or no


We can not, so thank you for posting them here.

/Claes

----------


## sprinks

> Frangipanis... Thank you, sprinks.


Glad to help  :Smile: . Lovely and interesting photos! 




> *Sprinks*, lovely pix, wished those flowers would grow in my garden!


Thank you  :Smile: . I love that second photo of yours  :Smile: 



Dori - lovely skies in those photos  :Smile:

----------


## muhsin

:Thumbs Up:

----------


## kiz_paws

The first picture is of a field of flax that is beyond the path that Pepper and I walk; and the second is what we see as we go on our daily jaunt. Sometimes I think a photo is in order, and sometimes nothing strikes me. But anyhow, these pictures were obtained by the camera in my cell phone. Love those cell phones, eh?  :Wink:

----------


## Dark Muse

They have huge dandalions up in the mountains. Here are some I took pictures of.

----------


## Virgil

> and the second is what we see as we go on our daily jaunt. Sometimes I think a photo is in order, and sometimes nothing strikes me. But anyhow, these pictures were obtained by the camera in my cell phone. Love those cell phones, eh?


The color and light of that picture is imensely interesting. 

Nice pictures Kizzo and Dark Muse. Thank you.

----------


## Equality72521

Those were pictures of my boston terrier, Barbie. 

These are from a workshop in Denver I attended with my mother. These are from the park that we went to later that day. Toby Keith was actually setting up for sound check, so we couldn't climb all the way to the top of the mountainous park that I was looking foward to doing, but oh well I think some of these are pretty cool.

----------


## Virgil

Barbie's a cutey.  :Smile:  Nice pictures of outside of Denver. The mountains are pretty high there. I remember visiting a friend a long time ago who lived outside of Denver and we took a ride up a mountain that was over 12,000 feet. That's like 3700 meters. When we got to the top I was completely not used to the elevation and was incredibly light headed, like I was drunk. Very weird.

----------


## kiz_paws

Nice photos, everyone (I especially LOVED those ones of Barbie!). And thanks for the kind words, Virgil. Depending on the lighting, or how I shoot a picture based on the lighting, I can actually get lucky with that crazy cell phone camera. Which is wild, I have always depended on my old fashioned camera, tried and true. Anyhow, happy picture taking, everyone!  :Smile:

----------


## Dark Muse

Thank you Virgil

Equality, love the picture of the rocks. 

Here are a couple of my conceptual pictures that I took on my vaccation:

----------


## Nightshade

Some pictures from my travels...

but it just *wouldnt* open its wings properly.

is this a red panada or red racoon, anyone? 

Been experimenting with sky and cloud bank pictures this is my favourite so far:

----------


## Virgil

Cool pictures Nightie. I believe that's a red panda. Where did you take the picture?

----------


## Dark Muse

Cool pitcures, and yes that is a red panda but pandas are said to be in the racoon family

----------


## Dori

More sky pictures: 


The sun's rolling down the hill...


It's a heart!




I really like this one.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

those pics are great Nightie!! I love the butterfly!
Nice clouds Dori.

----------


## Virgil

> I really like this one.


Really nice sky pictures Dori. Is it me or did you capture a UFO in that one?  :Wink:

----------


## Dori

> Really nice sky pictures Dori. Is it me or did you capture a UFO in that one?


Thanks.  :Smile:  (and to you too, Niamh)

Yep, that would be an unidentified flying object.  :Wink:  Probably human though (I hope  :Biggrin: ).

----------


## pussnboots

so I'm 6 months late in posting pictures that were taken in February for Chinese New Year. Better late than never. 
My husband took these pictures.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> so I'm 6 months late in posting pictures that were taken in February for Chinese New Year. Better late than never. 
> My husband took these pictures.


Now, that's a party by the looks of things  :Thumbs Up:   :Biggrin:  

These were taken in central Stockholm last week:


A cruise liner and Stockholm Old Town. The tourists will not have to walk far.


Wasa: An old Ship of the line that sunk on her maiden voyage, and spent
over 300 years on the bottom before being raised and put in a museum.


A slightly better picture. It is very dark inside the museum, in order to protect the ship.


Nobody watching? A Lemur pickpocket in Skansen Zoo.


This bloke works as an Emerald Boa at the Skansen Zoo.

/Claes

----------


## pussnboots

real nice pictures Claes. I can't believe what good shape the ship is in after 300 years. The picture of the lemur is too cute !!!

----------


## kiz_paws

*Nightie*, those are great pix!

*Puss*, loved your Chinese New Year photos!

*Claes*, cool photos of that sunken ship that was raised!

----------


## Nightshade

> Cool pictures Nightie. I believe that's a red panda. Where did you take the picture?


The sky is Prague...actually it was from my hotel room I was bored and trying all the settings on the camera. I think the panda is Liberec zoo although it could be Prague zoo..Ill have to check dates. The butterfly was up Jetěd mountain just outside Liberec.

----------


## sprinks

Lovely pictures again Dori, the cloud-heart one is sweet  :Smile: 

Awesome pics, pussnboots!! Looks like quite the celebration!  :FRlol: 

Claes, great pictures! You've always got such well taken and interesting photos! 

Thanks for sharing, everyone  :Smile:

----------


## Weisinheimer

I'm horrible at taking pictures, but I thought I'd share these with you guys anyway. They were taken at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. That place is amazing.

----------


## Dark Muse

I made this one the beach with the help of my neice, and really like how the photo I took of it came out

----------


## Virgil

Weisenheimer, I always wanted to visit that church. Next time I'm in Washington I will.  :Smile:  

DM, cool.  :Wink:

----------


## Dark Muse

Thank you

----------


## Weisinheimer

> Weisenheimer, I always wanted to visit that church. Next time I'm in Washington I will.  
> 
> DM, cool.


It's really gorgeous. Everything is so immense. It's cool because they have virgin Marys from a whole lot of different countries. It's neat seeing the different styles of art.

Here's the Vietnamese Madonna:

----------


## Niamh

Claes; did you have to post that pic of the snake! :Sick:  going to have nightmares tonight.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> going to have nightmares tonight.


Oops... Sorry about that.  :Blush:  I just liked that pretty green colour.  :Wink:  

 :Idea:  I'll make it up to you by finding something nice and cuddly to post just for you next time around, ok? 

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Or trees! I like trees!  :Biggrin: 

Just terrified of snakes. and that looked so god damn real i thought it was actually in front of me.

----------


## Dori

Passed over my back yard (I should say field). My mom just told me it was the neighbors. They apparently hired it for their anniversary or something. It's edited of course.

----------


## Virgil

What a great pictre Dori! I can't believe your neighbors did that. Do they know how to fly a hot air balloon? And what does the unedited picture look like?

----------


## Dori

The balloon is red, white, and blue, and even like that I thought the edited picture looked better. I'll upload the unedited pictures later though. 

I'm not sure about the whole thing actually. Neighbors here = anyone within 3 miles.  :Biggrin:  I'm clueless. 

Thanks, by the way.  :Smile:

----------


## papayahed

I grew this:










I know it's not much but I managed to keep it alive all winter and it finally bloomed. I've never been able to keep one alive this long!

----------


## Weisinheimer

good job papaya  :Thumbs Up:  That's an awesome photo.


I love the hot air balloon, Dori.

----------


## pussnboots

nice pictures Papaya and Dori

----------


## Dinglingzi

sorry to say that i don t see any picture~
if it's my network problem???~

----------


## Niamh

thats so pretty Papayahed! Cool!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Janine

*Papaya,* that is a tropical hibiscus, right? That color is just gorgeous and good for you - keeping it alive all winter long. I never had luck or the place to do that. I just grow the perenial type but those are not as lush as this one. The tropical blossoms are so large and lovely; I hope you get more blooms.
Very nice photo.

I will have to rewind back some pages to see the *Claes'* snake....

*Dori,* two friends of mine went hot air balooning sometime back - I think they went a couple of times with a generous friend who paid their way - usually you go but there is an experienced pilot who controls the balloon. I would hope so in this case, too

----------


## Dark Muse

I have a snake. Snakes rule!!!

----------


## SleepyWitch

cool pics everyone!

*Claes*, thanks for posting the pics of the Wasa. I visited that musuem on holidays when I was 15  :Smile:  
I love snakes  :Smile:  but what are the wholes around its mouth? does it have more than 2 nostrils? 

my mum went *hot air balooning* once. it's like you hire the baloon plus a pilot from a company and they tell you were to meet them and everything...

----------


## djy78usa

Here are a couple of pictures from my week at the Mid-South Institute's Combat Pistol and Rifle Course.

This is two guys from my team on the "Runnin' and Gunnin' Range" It was basically a 400m sprint but we had to stop every 50m or so and knock down a couple targets.



This is my buddy Morgan shooting his M4 Carbine.



And, finally, me with my M9 Berreta.

----------


## Virgil

> This is my buddy Morgan shooting his M4 Carbine.


Hey believe it or not I've fired one of those once too. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Especially on burst. 





> And, finally, me with my M9 Berreta.


Cool, I tried one of those too.  :Wink:

----------


## Janine

What kind of a terrorist are you, *Virgil* ?!!!!  :FRlol:   :FRlol:

----------


## djy78usa

> Hey believe it or not I've fired one of those once too. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Especially on burst.



I don't have burst on mine, I use an M4A1, which only has semi-automatic and fully-automatic. If it makes you feel better, though, even seasoned marksmen have trouble consistantly hitting a target on burst or full-auto. In real combat, if you have to switch to burst or full-auto, something has gone terribly wrong... Also, you probably didn't have the cool laser optics that we use... they make things a little bit easier than using the old iron sights  :Wink:

----------


## Idril

It was Pow Wow time again last weekend. Here are a few of my favorite pics:

I was slightly obsessed with this guy because I simply loved his headdress. I must have taken about 10 shots of him alone but I'll just post one.  :Wink: 



Here's a 'little' version of him:



I like this one because it's just a sea of color. All these pictures were taken during the "Grand March" because the competition part of it is always at weird times of the day or night, like midnight or something so we always miss those. Anyway, this is when everyone who is participating in the competition gets to come out and it's always quite impressive:



Another dancer I was slightly obsessed with:







And this guy wasn't quite as colorful but his dancing was very energetic:





And a couple more from the weekend, not from the Pow Wow but from the prairie:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Idril, I really like your Pow Wow pictures: They are both interesting and well composed  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

----------


## pussnboots

such colorful pictures, real nice

----------


## Virgil

> I don't have burst on mine, I use an M4A1, which only has semi-automatic and fully-automatic. If it makes you feel better, though, even seasoned marksmen have trouble consistantly hitting a target on burst or full-auto. In real combat, if you have to switch to burst or full-auto, something has gone terribly wrong... Also, you probably didn't have the cool laser optics that we use... they make things a little bit easier than using the old iron sights


I meant semi-automatic. I'm not exactly an expert on these things. I don't have one, but I was able to try one once. At a shooting range, of course.

----------


## lugdunum

The pow wow pictures were really nice Idril. How colorful!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I love snakes  but what are the wholes around its mouth? does it have more than 2 nostrils?


I am not entirely certain, but I think they may be some heat sensing organ.




> I'll make it up to you by finding something nice and cuddly to post just for you next time around, ok?


And here is the cuddly one, just for Niamh:





> The picture of the lemur is too cute !!!


And here is another picture of a lemur acting cute... I'm not quite sure what it was up to: 

Pickpocket Lemur?

A Blue collar Worker? Skansen Zoo

I am soooooo tired.

Who needs braces anyway?

Normally a major traffic hazard, but this one is tame: Elk at Skansen Zoo.

Evening in central Stockholm.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures Idril and Claes. But Claes...




> And here is another picture of a lemur acting cute... I'm not quite sure what it was up to: 
> 
> Pickpocket Lemur?



 :FRlol:   :FRlol:  let's not go there.  :Biggrin:

----------


## lugdunum

These are great pictures claes... What a psychdelic Frog!!!  :FRlol: 

Well, i've noticed that there are no pictures of Northern Spain, so just to give you some travelling ideas, here are a few pictures from around here... 


Bay of Santander


Monastery of San Juan de Gastelugatxe (On the coast around Bilbao)


Noja (small town on the coast about an hour from Bilbao). 


Picos de Europa, near Santander

These are a few landscapes. I'll try posting cities sometime soon and food, which I'm sure will help to convince you!!  :Wink:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Well, i've noticed that there are no pictures of Northern Spain, so just to give you some travelling ideas, here are a few pictures from around here...


Great pictures, but tell me more: Where is that, more exactly? Around San Sebastian (been there) perhaps?

/Claes

----------


## lugdunum

Thanks Claes.  :Smile: 

And yes you are correct it is near San Sebastian. By Northern Spain I meant Bilbao and surroundings. (Basque country, Santander etc.) 

I've added the exxact places blow the picture.

----------


## Janine

*lugdunum,* I love your photos. It does make me want to come to spain. Lovely. I love sea shots and these are superb! The mountain peaks are beautiful, too.

----------


## eyemaker

lugdunum, the photos are really awesome!:0

----------


## cipherdecoy

Nothing fantastic, just something I took from my window  :Smile: 

Darn it! Oh never mind.

Anyway nice pictures lugdunum!

----------


## vheissu

Those were some amazing photos *Claes*! I loved the little blue frog! Are they slightly poisonous by any chance? Think some species of frogs are, just can't remember which...

And *lugdunum*, you've made me wish I'd spent my holidays in the Basque country!!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I loved the little blue frog! Are they slightly poisonous by any chance?


Slightly poisonous? No not at all. More like *absolutely lethal*.... It is a Poison dart frog from South America, and the first time you touch it without gloves will almost certainly be the last.

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

> I am not entirely certain, but I think they may be some heat sensing organ.
> 
> And here is the cuddly one, just for Niamh:


Awwww! What a cutie!!!! Thanks Claes!  :Biggrin: 
Have you got any amazing pictures of Scandanavian Forests? maybe even during winter?  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Lug!  :Smile:

----------


## djy78usa

> Slightly poisonous? No not at all. More like *absolutely lethal*.... It is a Poison dart frog from South America, and the first time you touch it without gloves will almost certainly be the last.
> 
> /Claes


In the wild they can be lethal, but most species will just make you sick. The frogs don't produce their own poison, though, it comes from the food they eat in their natural habitat. They are completely harmless if they are raised in captivity, as I assume this one was.

----------


## Janine

I finally was able to access my files on disks and transfer them to my new hard drive; hurrah! I spend hours last night in organizing my photos from years ago. I finally found all of my garden photos from about 5 yrs back. Here are some of my favorite closeups. I don't have the best camera, and it is old now (I need a new one with greater pixels), but I think it took fairly good closeups, at the time. 

I loved your closeup shots, *Claes* and the all the photos on the last page were wonderful. I must go through this entire thread one of these days to view all the photos. I know I have missed much. *Claes,* yeah, I think that Lemar really likes you...hummm...I agree with *Virgil,* I won't go there either...

Here are mostly closeups; I uploaded an entire Garden album in my profile page so these are a sampling. Please feel free to visit my page and view the entire album.


Nearly perfect pink lily bloom




Balloon Flower




Big Pink Hibiscus



Horizon Lily




Horizon Lily, Lemon lily, and New Guinea Impatients,sedum (forground).

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

:Thumbs Up: 


> In the wild they can be lethal, but most species will just make you sick. The frogs don't produce their own poison, though, it comes from the food they eat in their natural habitat.


Yep. They somehow use the poison from the insects they eat to make themselves dangerous, so it's all about what kind of insects they devour. Still, those blighters have to be handled with gloves.


> *Claes,* yeah, I think that Lemar really likes you...hummm...I agree with *Virgil,* I won't go there either...


No worries. It's not me in the picture: I was at the other side of the camera, laughing my head off together with the rest of the crowd.

Hey: Lovely flowers...

/Claes

----------


## papayahed

Pretty Horizon Liliys Janine. I miss my garden, The first year in my condo I planted some Iris bulbs, they grew huge. My neighbors thought they were fake at first.

----------


## Janine

> Pretty Horizon Liliys Janine. I miss my garden, The first year in my condo I planted some Iris bulbs, they grew huge. My neighbors thought they were fake at first.


Thanks, *papaya,* this reminds me of a funny story. I was in the craftstore one day and they had these busy flowers with big blossoms - peonies. They did indeed look very realistic and the lady standing next to me confessed that she plopped them into her garden each year and people did think they were real blooms. Now your case is the opposite - how funny! You must have given them lots of fertilizer. I bet they were pretty. I grow iris' also, and find them easy to take care of. Unfortunately that Horizon Lily bit the dust eventually. I think something ate it, from the bulb and roots; it just disappeared after about 5 yrs. I loved that one best and I am not an orange person, but the shade was so striking when it bloomed. It did remind of of the Horizon at sunset.

Thanks *Claes,* I love to photograph flowers and scenery. I like closeups but I do need a better camera.

I would be laughing my head off too. Once a white domestic goose, who lived on the lake in back of my house, and I nicknamed "Radar", got a bit too friendly with me one day. I kept knocking him on the beak and saying 'now that is enough of that'. It was embarrassing, but so funny. I went in the house and told my family - "I think Radar wants to mate with me!" Ususally, he was very docile and comical, but this day his hormones must have been running overtime. Shortly after that, he stalked away to find a nice female of his own species. He never attempted that action again with me.

----------


## TheFifthElement

Scary (slightly blurry!) pink clouds

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## Niamh

Janine, those flowers are lovely! Shame those star lilies are the only flower whose pollen i have an allergy too.

Fifth that sky is amazing! but you know what they say! "red sky at night, Shepards Delight. Red Sky in the morning Shepards warning." what this dusk or dawn?

----------


## papayahed

Does anybody know what kind of bug this is??

----------


## Niamh

Cant say i do....

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## djy78usa

it looks like a cicada

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## Niamh

Is that what they look like? i've always wondered...

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## papayahed

The darn thing was huge!! It asked me if I wanted to get breakfast this morning when I went out to the porch.

----------


## Niamh

> The darn thing was huge!! It asked me if I wanted to get breakfast this morning when I went out to the porch.


 :FRlol:

----------


## djy78usa

I watched "Bad Santa" earlier, and figured I had to share this picture. Its my buddy Miguel... erm, I mean Santa, at a Christmas Party.

----------


## Idril

Your friend looks really...exhausted...there djy78usa. It must've been all those...wishes that wore him out.  :Wink:   :FRlol: 

Janine that looks like such a beautiful garden. I just love gardens but I never have the energy to have a big one myself, it's always so dry and so hot here in the summers, I would have to be out there every single day and I just don't have that kind of commitment. 

I've always been careful not to post pictures of my boys, mostly out of respect for them and their privacy but they're older now and have given me permission. I think I have posted a few of them but here is a formal introduction:

Isaac, 15, my emo son at the Pow Wow:



And here's a picture of him getting his remicade treatment, which he gets as part of his treatment for Crohn's disease. He gets this infusions every 6 weeks, it's become such a huge part of our lives and I realized I didn't have any pictures. He looks so sad in that picture but he's just drugged up, they fill him full of benadryl to stave off an alergic reaction so he's always out of it for a few minutes, then he shakes it off and we sit around, reading, watching tv and eating for the next 4 hours.



Sam, 13, the writer...and he has great taste in music, just like his mom!  :Biggrin:  He's the baby although he's actually quite a bit bigger than Isaac but that's because Isaac has Crohn's issues and has hardly grown since about 6th grade. Luckily I think he's hit a remission and will finally grow. This picture was taken the same day as the Pow Wow, at a little Mandan Earth Lodge village a little west of the Pow Wow grounds:



And here is a picture of he and I standing in line waiting to get in to see Barak Obama speak in Grand Forks. It was freezing that day and the line was ridiculous...and Sam looks like this in every single picture that was taken that day.  :Rolleyes: 



And a nice one of the two of them at my parents' cabin, Isaac wearing his "pimp hat"  :Rolleyes: 



And another picture of the hat, this time with a different inhabitant,

----------


## TheFifthElement

> Fifth that sky is amazing! but you know what they say! "red sky at night, Shepards Delight. Red Sky in the morning Shepards warning." what this dusk or dawn?


Thanks Niamh. It was dusk, but it poured it down with rain all the next day! Clouds were beautiful though. Last night we had really eerie pure white puffy clouds low on the horizon against a darkening blue sky but I couldn't get a good picture. Hopefully we'll get a repeat and I'll get lucky.

----------


## Niamh

those boys will be breaking hearts soon Idril!!!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Some recent pictures: Once a year Ekeby Airfield, about 2 km from my house is transformed, to house a veteran car and aircraft show.


An old Austin


A Ford from 1926.


Förstlingen II: A replica of the first steam engine produced in Sweden, in 1852 by Munktells in Eskilstuna.


A biker on another old mount.


Another picture of förstlingen (means The first, btw).


Something more modern: A powered glider.


Old couple.


A Zlin aerobatic trainer.

More to come.....

/Claes

----------


## Janine

*Claes,* I love these photos. I have been to many car shows in the past. My ex-boyfriend owned an old Model A Ford...not a convertible though - rather a coupe. We actually drove it to many places around NJ. It was great fun! 

These photos are truly marvelous; I love the variety of the vehicales....the planes are something, aren't they? They look really slick. I don't know of the förstlingen ; was that an early train locomotive? How funny it is on tracks. 

Have you ever seen a Stanley Steamer - those were so cool, but of course went by the wayside with gasoline gussling vehicles.

Is the read and white car a Ford? That looks like one a friend of ours owns but his is mint green, even the interior. I think he has another more two toned like this one. He does a lot of shows.

I will dig up a photo of my ex's car to show everyone.

----------


## Madhuri

I took these pics during the day.

A vacant land next to the apartment where I live. There are many coconut trees there. 

As seen from my balcony



A close up of coconuts on the tree



The weather of this city is very pleasant; took these in the evening today

----------


## Madhuri

Nice pictures, Claes.  :Smile: 

I wonder how that cyclist is able to maintain his balance.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> These photos are truly marvelous; I love the variety of the vehicales....the planes are something, aren't they? They look really slick.


They are. The very best gliders (with the exception of a few one-of a kind 
experimental craft that are even better) have a gliding ratio of 60:1... I.e: They can glide 60m for every meter of altitude lost.




> I don't know of the förstlingen ; was that an early train locomotive?


Yes, but not for passenger traffic: It was used for industrial work:




> Have you ever seen a Stanley Steamer - those were so cool, but of course went by the wayside with gasoline gussling vehicles.


Nope... Never seen one. What does it look like?




> Is the read and white car a Ford?


I think so, but I'm not certain. Can any of you LitNet people help us out?




> I will dig up a photo of my ex's car to show everyone.


Yeah, do that. 




> I took these pics during the day.


Aw... That looks so much nicer than the weather we are having...

Some more pictures from the same event:


An old Jaguar in fantastic condition.

This is a SG-38 Schulgleiter: A training glider from the 30's (I think).
It was towed behind a car.


A nice bonnet ornament.


A Lancia. I can't remember it's age.


Take off with a (modern) glider in tow.


The towplane is a Piper Pawnee, and used to be a cropduster.


And off we go...


Four pictures cobbled together. 
Did you think a glider couldn't go aerobatic? Think again.


The same picture, but... Well....

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Wow Claes! I love those old cars! thanks for posting them!
Maddie, those views are beautiful!  :Biggrin: 

Okay, so i invested in a new camera yesterday, so i could have a decent camera for my trip to Australia. My other two digital cameras are messed up and the camera on my new phone just isnt as good as the one on my old one. I bought a Finepix S1000. Its a beautiful camera. Took a couple of pics of flowers from my garden today!  :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Okay, so i invested in a new camera yesterday, so i could have a decent camera for my trip to Australia.


A Fuji, right? Good on you Niamh.  :Thumbs Up:  When are you going down under, then? Use the time until you're off to keep practising with that new mount until you can handle it in your sleep. 

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

> A Fuji, right? Good on you Niamh.  When are you going down under, then? Use the time until you're off to keep practising with that new mount until you can handle it in your sleep. 
> 
> /Claes


Yes its a fuji!  :Biggrin:  This is it here! What you think?
http://multimedia.fnac.com/multimedi...7410037821.jpg
I'll be practicing a lot over the next few days to see what i can do with it! I go to Aus on Wednesday!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I wonder how that cyclist is able to maintain his balance.


With the greatest of ease by the looks of things, but you have to take great care when going downhill: If your center of mass moves to far forward you will go for a really serious nosedive  :Sick: . 




> Yes its a fuji!  This is it here! What you think?


I think I like it, and I'm looking forward to seeing your aussie pictures here.  :Thumbs Up:  Have a safe trip.

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Thanks!

----------


## Janine

> Janine, those flowers are lovely! Shame those star lilies are the only flower whose pollen i have an allergy too.


Thanks *Niamh,* that was many years back. I like to take closeups. Sorry you can't enjoy the stargazer lilies - they are among my favorites. That I still have but some of the other more tender lilies went by the waysie - the orange Horizon lily I loved but now I think some critter ate it. They do that - the burrow underground and eat the bulbs. I really miss that one. I still have the Lemon lilys - anyone can grow those - very little care required.





> Janine that looks like such a beautiful garden. I just love gardens but I never have the energy to have a big one myself, it's always so dry and so hot here in the summers, I would have to be out there every single day and I just don't have that kind of commitment.




*Idril,* thanks also for your compliments. As I said the poor garden is not like this presently. I made the mistake of making it too big and then it was uncontrollable. I don't have the energy or strength any more, to keep up with it. It needs a ton of weeding and now I completely rely on rain to water it; dragging the hose was a killer...ugh. 

*Idril,* You have nice looking boys. I am glad you posted the photos. I feel badly for your oldest. By the way, he has such beautiful blue eyes. Your other son has such a devilish smile and look about him; I bet he is fun. I know someone with Chrones (sp?)disease and know it is a difficult thing to deal with. He is doing well now, but was diagnosed in highschool and has just gotten his master's degree. Not sure which med he is on currently but he is doing very well now, but he was on Remecide.
Nice photo of you, also. Now I know what you look like; very attractive and proud mom.

*Claes,* I will have to look up some of those funky Stanley Steamers. The look like old cars but they run on steam - I don't think they got too far though without breaking down. Good idea but had some drawbacks. Still they are pretty cool looking.

I did find a few photos of my ex's Model A and will post them soon. It was a lot of fun to ride in and it never broke down. Hey, Mr. Ford made them that way!


The planes are awesome!

----------


## Idril

Claes, I love those gliders! My dad used to fly and we had our own little 4-seater cherokee for awhile and I remember him dragging me to air shows and I always loved them. 

And Janine, thank you for the compliments, both for the boys and me. Isaac does have beautiful eyes. I remember when he was 3 and in preschool there was a girl there who told her mom, "He has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen".  :FRlol:  A heartbreaker at 3. He has often been told how striking his eyes are and he really hates it but as I've told him many times, he's going to have to get used to it.  :Wink:  We've had some really tough years with Crohn's, every time I think we're starting to get a handle on it, it flares up again but...knock on wood...it really does seem to be abating a little bit now. He finally hit 90 pounds! It doesn't sound like much for a 15 year old but it was just a few months ago we were celebrating him hitting 80 pounds so that is quite a improvement.

And speaking of Sam...which we weren't actually but I was getting to him  :Tongue: , he was on a class trip to Medora, which is in the South unit of the Badlands and the buses ran into a fairly large herd of buffalos. He got some incredible pictures so I thought I would share. He said while they were sitting in the road, stopped and surrounded by buffalo, they saw a herd of antelope running in the distance, a golden eagle was flying overhead and there were prairie dogs running around. A naturalist's dream.

----------


## pussnboots

great pictures everyone!!!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes, I love those gliders! My dad used to fly and we had our own little 4-seater cherokee for awhile and I remember him dragging me to air shows and I always loved them.


Oh, great. I would have loved to have my own crate, but alas... Anyway, I had my glider pilots licence for 10 years or so (started flying when I was 15 years old, and had the licence at 16).




> he was on a class trip to Medora, which is in the South unit of the Badlands and the buses ran into a fairly large herd of buffalos. He got some incredible pictures so I thought I would share. He said while they were sitting in the road, stopped and surrounded by buffalo, they saw a herd of antelope running in the distance, a golden eagle was flying overhead and there were prairie dogs running around. A naturalist's dream.


Big brutes to put it mildly... I would be quite content watching them from inside a bus. Outside would be scary.

/Claes

----------


## bouquin

I've tried posting my photos but it won't work!  :Frown: 
So if someone could please show me how to do it properly I would greatly appreciate it.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I've tried posting my photos but it won't work! 
> So if someone could please show me how to do it properly I would greatly appreciate it.


Happy to oblige. I just hope my explanation makes some kind of sense here. 

There are several ways to do this, but here is one of them:
Go to your profile, by choosing *User CP* on the left of your top of the page menu bar. When you get there you need to choose *Pictures & albums* from the left hand menu. Now you can open an album and upload pictures to it. From then on it is a simple matter of opening one of them to find the BB code below it, copy it, and paste it into your post.

If you already have your pictures available on the web, all you need to do is to copy the link and choose insert picture from the icons above your post, and paste the link.

/Claes

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Here we go again:

Tenby (South Wales):




























Caldy Island:












Warwick Castle:
















A view of the city from Castle tower:



Warwick Castle:





"...earth feet, loam feet" medieval dancers at Warwick Castle:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Well done Kafka's Crow... Nice Irish pictures there 

Now for some rainy Swedish ones:


All the rain we've had lately really got the mushrooms going.


A rather big anthill.


Sheep in cover from the rain.


More mushrooms. This one is poisonous by the way.


Bluebell with droplets.


Another mushroom. One I know nothing about.


Wet berries


Three leaf clover with triple droplets.

/Claes

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Excellent pictures Claes. Beautiful mushrooms and those cherries look like glazed in sugar-syrup. Think about the organic life in those droplets on that clover-leaf, just like Blake's "eternity in a grain of sand" indeed. Absolutely beautiful!

----------


## bouquin

> Happy to oblige. I just hope my explanation makes some kind of sense here. 
> 
> There are several ways to do this, but here is one of them:
> Go to your profile, by choosing *User CP* on the left of your top of the page menu bar. When you get there you need to choose *Pictures & albums* from the left hand menu. Now you can open an album and upload pictures to it. From then on it is a simple matter of opening one of them to find the BB code below it, copy it, and paste it into your post.
> 
> If you already have your pictures available on the web, all you need to do is to copy the link and choose insert picture from the icons above your post, and paste the link.
> 
> /Claes



Hi Claes /Many thanks to you! I have started an album, let us see if I can also manage to post them photos in this thread.

Pictures from my most recent holiday (1st week of September) : in Normandy. We had pleasant weather except on Day2 whilst we were in Honfleur. I bought a tin of Mère Poulard biscuits ....delectable!


_Etretat_



_Le Mont Saint Michel_

----------


## vheissu

These are really really good (to all 3 people above on this page  :Smile:  )

*Claes* it seems you have a knack for spotting poisonous but cute things: first that small blue frog and now those mushrooms, which actually look tasty! 
What kind of lens did you use for the drops on the leaves?

*Kafka* the ones on the beach are stunning! If Wales is like that I should really go when I'm back in the UK

And *bouquin*, the scenery in Normandy must have been gorgeous. If not a bit chilly...

I won't upload any pics on this thread, my pc usually blocks when I try. But I have some on my profile page, so you're welcome to take a look  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

Great photos on this page! I love the closeup's *Claes,* those clover leaves with droplets is an amazing photo. Is that really an giant ant hill; it looks like a mulch pile. I don't want to see the ants that come out of that hill; no thanks! The berries with droplets are beautiful, too. I heard the brighter and more colorful a mushroom, the deadlier....am I correct assuming that? 

I love the South Wales photos, *Kafka's Crow*....I too would love to visit there. You photos make it very inviting. I love that opening in the rocks by the sea...nice shot...I also chuckled at the plastic blowup castle in contrast to the pretty pastel buildings in that one shot of a town...great photo. 

*bouquin,* I have long adored this place - Le Mont Saint Michel. I recently bought this neat film called "Chronis" - all scenery/some cityscapes and buildings, in time-lapse photography; this site is well explored on the film...really featured. They show it from all angles and inside and the water coming in when the tide is high, which completely cuts it off from the mainland...isolated. The place has always fascinated me, so I go crazy when I see this part of the DVD....it must be so awesome there. I envy you actually seeing it. Lovely photo and not as I had seen it before in other misty photos.

I have no problem posting photos in here. I put them first in Photobucket, which is free to sigh up for and that service holds a ton of photos (I use it all the time); then I copy out the last (listed) URL code and simply paste into the body of these posts. Try that method, it should work for you. First, you must 'upload' your photos to photobucket, of course, but that is quite simple.

----------


## Virgil

Wow, Kafks, Claes, and Bouquin. Those are all incredible pictures!

----------


## tractatus

*Janine*, you cant identify poisoned ones with that method. There are fatal ones with simple white, brown. Those also have very common view, so is not safe to pick up without knowledge.

Also *Claes*'s second mushroom photo, is an Amanita, very bright one, somehow edible. People eat it for hallucinogenic head (use as a drug).
[Never try it. Amanita is also poisonous. What makes the poison, is dosage. You use a piece, it makes you high, you use second piece it makes you die. -for instance-]

What is surprising for me, in any kind of child book you see lots of amanita, like this, they are everywhere from Alice Wonderland to The Smurfs, I wonder if they dont know this one as a drug in Western society.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Excellent pictures Claes. Beautiful mushrooms and those cherries look like glazed in sugar-syrup. Think about the organic life in those droplets on that clover-leaf, just like Blake's "eternity in a grain of sand" indeed. Absolutely beautiful!


Thank you. :Biggrin:  That picture came out rather better than it looked in the viewfinder, and that proves an important aspect on photography: That we should take chances when we use our cameras.



> Hi Claes /Many thanks to you! I have started an album, let us see if I can also manage to post them photos in this thread.


Events seem to indicate that you did. Good job, and nice pictures too. I hope I'll be able to visit Mont Saint Michel one day.  :Thumbs Up: 



> *Claes* it seems you have a knack for spotting poisonous but cute things: first that small blue frog and now those mushrooms, which actually look tasty!


Tasty... I had a feeling that I ought to stay away from that one and judging from tractatus' information that seems to be a good idea.



> What kind of lens did you use for the drops on the leaves?


Just the ordinary lens of my pocket camera: A Canon Powershot SX-100.




> Is that really an giant ant hill; it looks like a mulch pile. I don't want to see the ants that come out of that hill; no thanks!


 :FRlol:  What? You don't like ants? No worries though: The anthill may be rather oversized, but the inhabitants are very ordinary. I stay away from that place when they are active though: There are quite a few of them in it.




> Also *Claes*'s second mushroom photo, is an Amanita, very bright one, somehow edible. People eat it for hallucinogenic head (use as a drug). [Never try it. Amanita is also poisonous. What makes the poison, is dosage. You use a piece, it makes you high, you use second piece it makes you die. -for instance-]


So now we know. Thanks for the information, tractatus.  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

----------


## LadyW



----------


## Madhuri

Awsome pictures Claes, Kafka, Bouquin and LadyW !! Those are some cool shots  :Nod: 

Here is a picture I took of a rainbow last week, as seen from my balcony  :Smile:

----------


## applepie

What lovely pictures you have all posted :Smile:  I need to go get some from my part of the world to share, but I love to see the ones that everyone else posts. Thanks to all of you for sharing.

----------


## Niamh

Okay everyone! here are some pics from my hols! day one! the drive from Newtown (sydney suburb i was staying in) to Sydney city to leave hire car back.
King St






CBD skyline as seen near Uni.




Broadway


Central Square and Station


On the walk into CBD to Circular Quay
Hospital


Didgeridoo dude no.1


as seen in a Billy Connelly DVD


Harbour Bridge


Circular Quay


Opera House


Didgeridoo Dude no.2


More Opera House!




Me!


CBD from Opera House


Art on wall in Newtown

----------


## Niamh

Here are some pics taken from the ferry on the way to Darling Harbour! it was a horrible wet rainy day!








At Darling Harbour












Sunset from Balcony of Brother and Sisters Apartment in Newtown.

----------


## kiz_paws

We certainly do have some talented photographers here. I enjoyed all your pictures immensely. 

*Niamh*, Australia must have been an experience of a lifetime, for sure -- lovely pics you got there (my fave was that one of the lone bird -- something haunting about it).

*Claes* ... you could work for a magazine as a professional photographer, honest!  :Nod: 

*papayahed* -- awesome job of tending to that beautiful flower, and awesome picture, too!

*Janine*, your garden is so lovely, and the flowers are photographed just perfect.  :Smile: 

*Fifth* -- love the pink clouds. But then I love anything pink!  :Wink: 

*Idril*, your pictures are beautiful as always. Very cute buffalo, awesome pow wow shots. Your sons are sweet, and if I may, Isaac could EASILY be a male model, he just has that look. And your doggy? I LOVED that photo!  :Smile: 

*Maddie*, awesome pictures -- every day is like a holiday to wake up to such sights! Wow!

*Kafka*, you have beautiful photos, too, I loved the sailboat one the best.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Thanks Kiz! I have a lot of pics of birds from over there. Well... alot of pics of birds with their backs to me!

----------


## Arcane

Niamh,what a bulky but tranquil pictures!

----------


## Niamh

Okay so hear are some more photos! these are from Taronga Zoo in Sydney!

Okay so here are a few taken from the ferry on the way to the zoo!
Bridge and Opera house...again...! (i have lots!)








other stuff






Taronga zoo!

----------


## Niamh



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## sprinks

Wow I love those photos Niamh!!  :Smile:  I'll post some of mine, we certainly had different experiences of the east coast - seeing as mine was a school educational trip mainly in Canberra  :Biggrin:

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## Niamh

cant wait to see your pics of Canberra. I didnt get down there in the end. My next lot of pics are from Cairns...

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## Idril

Oh, I love those picture, Niamh! Keep posting, it's like a little travelogue!

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## Niamh

> Oh, I love those picture, Niamh! Keep posting, it's like a little travelogue!


 :FRlol:  It is! I'm actually posting them in order!  :Tongue:

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## Virgil

Wonderful picture Niamh. I love the kangaroos.  :Smile:

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## Niamh

My fav is the one with the three Koalas!  :Biggrin:  oh and the turtle.

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## Janine

Wonderful photos, *Niamh.* I am so glad you could retrieve them from your camera and post them, for all of us to enjoy. The zoo animals are grand and I also love those three Koalas. I like the turtles - I love turtles; all of the animals are interesting actually -you did a great job photographing them! That crocodile photo is a prize-winner. I love the angle and how well you captured the texture on his body...nice lighting in that photo also.

The photos that preceeded these are great. I love that opera house - how interesting a structure it is. I have seen it in travel sites but you took some angles that make me understand how it is constructed.
The harbour looks great; sorry it was hot and rainy but still the photos all came out nice and what a great bunch of memories they are. I will check this thread often to see what else you post. The photo of you sitting on the bear chair is adorable and you look so pretty in that one; so happy and relaxed also. You have a very friendly face - you can tell you would be someone nice to meet someday. I like your glasses, they suit your face nicely.
What kind of a camera did you use to take these photos, *Niamh?*

*Kizzo,* thanks so much for the compliments on my garden photos. I like to take closeups. I really need a new improved camera but I actually think my older camera takes better closeups than other photos, such as snapshots; this fact is a little strange to me.

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## Niamh

I only bought a new camera the weekend before i went away. Its a fujifilm finipixS1000_fd_. I love it! I have some wonderful shots of sydney from the zoo. I'll post those next.

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## Virgil

Hey I'm not going to post it here, but check out my photo I just up loaded into my album and I just put into the photo freaks social group. The one taken at Portofino. I'm proud of that one. Here's a link to it: http://www.online-literature.com/for...pictureid=1441.

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Nice aussie shots, Niamh  :Thumbs Up:  It's great that you finally managed to get them over to your computer.

I have seen that Portofino shot, Virgil,and I like it very much.

Maybe it's my turn now? I have not been very active lately, but my habit of always bringing a camera as long as it's possible usually results in the odd shot:


As I have told you, I live very close to our local airfield, which incidentally is 
the home of Swedens largest glider flying club. I spent the major part of my 
youth there. This machine is a two-seater trainer.


We have plenty of other winged creatures, of course: A pair of Jackdaws on a lamppost.


A dandelion ready to let its seeds fly.


The same picture as above, solarized.


This is the sharpest glider around: An ASH-25 two-seater with a wingspan of
25m (!) and a best gliding ratio of 1:57 (!), which means that it can glide
57m for every single m of altitude lost.


Same as above, from another angle.


And one more, showing how flexible the wings are: There is no g load to 
speak of here, and yet the wing flexes visibly.


Closeup of a dandelion and a visitor.


Same as above, solarized.

/Claes

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## Niamh

I absoloutely love the dandelion photo Claes! I hope to be as good as you at photography when i've gotten more pratice! We call dandelions when they go like that ginnyjoes over here. silly name really, but when i was a kid we would blow on them and make a wish.  :Biggrin: 

Okay so as promised! Some scenes of Sydney from Taronga Zoo!

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## Janine

*Claes,* your photos are stunning! I too love the closeups of the dandelions. Now how did you do those polarized alterations - what program do you own? I like them but probably like the originals the best - the amazing detail in the seed.

I also love the one glider with the huge super thin wingspan - that is unbelievable looking. I was in a two seater plane before with my uncle - flew to Catalina Island, the famous Airport in the Sky (actually a narrow runway on top the mountain plateau). That was an interesting landing. I loved the trip but don't think I could muster up the courage to ride in one of these gliders, although the experience has to be memorable. 

*Claes,* by the way I found a page devoted to the old Stanley Steamer. I will hunt for it and post it for you - the link. They broke down a lot but the idea was rather unique for the time - running on steam and not poluting the air.

*Niamh,* love your photos. Now is that Sidney Harbour? I love the sparkle on the water and it seems the zoo was a particular vantage point for some excellent shots. Hey, you are doing pretty darn good with that new camera of yours. It seems to take very good photos.

I have never heard them called "ginnyjoes" - that's cute and amusing. We also, used to blow on them and make a wish; back when we were kids...I still do it, if I find one, just for fun....and who knows.....maybe the wish will come true. :Wink:

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## Niamh

I'm quite pleased with my camera! I'm so glad i bought it before i went away and i didnt have to use my crappy Kodak. I really dont like Kodak.
I'm going to post some more pics some of cairns.  :Smile:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Now how did you do those polarized alterations - what program do you own?


I used one of the filters in Paint shop Pro. I used to do the same thing in the darkroom, which was a little (but not much) trickier..  :Biggrin: 




> don't think I could muster up the courage to ride in one of these gliders, although the experience has to be memorable.


There is little courage needed for that. They are very safe, in fact much safer than most powered aircraft: Those fibre glass contraptions are incredibly tough. There are also far less things that can go on the blink in a glider... No engine, remember? I have some 400 hours in gliders btw, but the crates we had back then during the change from wood and canvas to fibreglass came nowhere near the performance of the current machines.




> by the way I found a page devoted to the old Stanley Steamer. I will hunt for it and post it for you - the link.


You did? Yeah, that sounds interesting  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

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## Domer121

Here is a picture I snapped when my brother took me to the Farmers Market when I visited him this Summer.
The Farmers Market is located in Downtown San Francisco.

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## Janine

> I used one of the filters in Paint shop Pro. I used to do the same thing in the darkroom, which was a little (but not much) trickier..


Is that a difficult program to learn? I was thinking of buying the Adobe Paint Shop elements, but I saw the Pro listed on Amazon I think. I had the Adobe Photo Deluxe and liked it; by the way, I still have not located my orignal program disk. However, it might not work with Vista anyway, barely worked with XP :Frown: .




> There is little courage needed for that. They are very safe, in fact much safer than most powered aircraft: Those fibre glass contraptions are incredibly tough. There are also far less things that can go on the blink in a glider... No engine, remember? I have some 400 hours in gliders btw, but the crates we had back then during the change from wood and canvas to fibreglass came nowhere near the performance of the current machines.


Seriously? Better you than I...I would need courage nowdays. I had heard they are very safe years back. *Claes,* I am quite impressed that you have a glider license. Wow, that must have been a great experience. I knew a woman (worked with me) who flew gliders. I thought that was rather daring at the time. I even took the controls...well for about 20 seconds. I was scared to death...we were over the ocean, but it was really smooth. I was actually 'fearless' flying, but not taking the controls. I was shooting photos all the time. I loved it! It was a Cesna....two seater....about the size of a Volkswagon - and I mean the old type Beetle.  :FRlol:  When I properly get my software installed for my printer/scanner I will try and scan some of the photos, I took of my 'heroic' :Wink:  descend on the top of Catalina Island - of course, I was the suedo co-pilot and my uncle did all the work. It was a great experience. I have some cool arial shots, but only taken with a Cannon Sure Shot (way back when digitals were but a dream). I had some blown up though and they turned out fairly decent. My uncle was great fun; unfortunately he is no longer with us. My going with him really made his day; he talked about it for months. God bless you Uncle Bill. He gave me a wonderful memory.




> I'm quite pleased with my camera! I'm so glad i bought it before i went away and i didnt have to use my crappy Kodak. I really dont like Kodak.
> I'm going to post some more pics some of cairns.


I agree with you, *Niamh,* I don't like Kodak cameras, nor do I like their programs - when I have gotten stuff put on a disk they always use that stupid Kodak Photoshare program - it is a pain to get the photos off of it. Years ago, Kodak was the name and they were good, but now the digitals are not great. My sister's husband has one and they always have fuzzy/grainy photos. I am glad you purchased a better brand. My son's wife had the Sony ditigal and my son admits it takes great photos. He was putting down Sony products for awhile to me, so I now find that ironical. The little digital takes nice short videos and all and is so simple to use, so he says. My old camera is an Olympus and I really can't complain a bit about that camera - it has served me well, but ofcourse, it is older now and I could use an updated type with higher resolution. When I can afford one with a good sale perhaps I will invest in a new one; for now this one is ok; just does not hold many photos at a time.

My friend belongs to a camera club and the man speaking one night said "guess what I took this photo with?" - turned out it was a cellphone and the photo was terrific. My friend could not believe it. I think sometimes quibbling about camera makes, is downright silly. Most digitals nowdays, do a good job and afterall. And in the end, it is the photographer that makes the biggest difference. For instance, when growing up my mother had the distinct reputation of always cutting off people's heads or limbs. She would take 80% of the wall, and 20% of the space, was devoted to the actual photo subject... :FRlol: so funny...she got a lot of razing about it. Another thing that people seem to fail to do that drives me insane - is not lining up the horizon with the photo edges. I am kind of stickler for that. Of course, if you intentionally shoot it on an angle, that is fine (that is art, right?) but then it should appear that that was intentional. If slightly off, it looks like a mistake, at least to me. 
 :Thumbs Up:  I see that your last batch of photos all line up well with the horizon line....good job, *Niamh!* Some people just fail to notice it, when they shoot the photo. It's a shame, because it can ruin a beautiful shot.

*Claes,* here is the link for the Stanley Steamers - even had the sound on the site, which make me laugh; you will get a kick out of this site. They weren't the quietest vehicles on the road!  :FRlol: 

http://www.stanleysteamers.com/


Try to explore and view some the various links on the site, also - the museum is really neat with great photos. 

The tours are fun to see; some cool photos there. My exboyfriend would love this site. Once at a car show, we talked extensively to these guys, who were hired to drive the cars from Maryland, up to the car show in Pennslyvania. It was a huge car show - took up acres of land. I loved it. We drove the model A there; I have to dig up some photos of his car to show you. It was a cute little authentic car....just like in the day....great fun to travel around in.

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## Niamh

Mobile Phones can take great pictures. I took this picture of newgrange on my old Motarola phone. (miss that camera phone!  :Frown:  )


Yeah i was having that same problem with my Kodak. the fuzzy quality was driving me crazy. also my other camera a Traveller made lamposts, poles and steeples go lopsided.  :Frown:

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## Janine

> Mobile Phones can take great pictures. I took this picture of newgrange on my old Motarola phone. (miss that camera phone! 
> 
> Yeah i was having that same problem with my Kodak. the fuzzy quality was driving me crazy. also my other camera a Traveller made lamposts, poles and steeples go lopsided.


Exactly my point, on the photographer vs the camera - see, your photo is amazing and taken with the Motarola - wow, nice, *Niamh!* Is that one of those ancient mounds in Ireland? Are they burial sites? I read something about them online and in books.

I always think the Kodak camera photos are fuzzy. My sister's is anyway. I would not personally buy one. I never heard of a Traveller camera. How strange that it make things go lopsided....erie....

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## Niamh

> Exactly my point, on the photographer vs the camera - see, your photo is amazing and taken with the Motarola - wow, nice, *Niamh!* Is that one of those ancient mounds in Ireland? Are they burial sites? I read something about them online and in books.


Yes! Its Newgrange up in Bru Na Bionne Co. Meath. Its a Neolithic Passage Tomb/grave. Date to about 1000 years older than the pyramids at Giza.  :Smile: 




> I always think the Kodak camera photos are fuzzy. My sister's is anyway. I would not personally buy one. I never heard of a Traveller camera. How strange that it make things go lopsided....erie....


 :FRlol:  Not erie. Just god damn annoying! perfectly good pictures ruined because of lopsided poles!  :Tongue: 
I loved my old Kodak advantex camera. Hate my Kodak Digital  :Mad: 

this is another pic i had taken with my old motarola razor phone. its fuzzy cause my hand shook.

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## pussnboots

As always Claes, your pictures are fabulous. I love the solarized pictures.

Niamh: one day I'll have to make a trip to Australia

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## Niamh

> Niamh: one day I'll have to make a trip to Australia


You and the hubby really should go there some day.  :Nod:

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## Niamh

Okay so here are some of my pics from Cairns! Daintree to follow!  :Biggrin: 
This is along the Esplanade in Cairns. we were told in the hotel not to go down into the sands or waters as Crocs live there. :Sick: 






We saw lots of these birds. think they are Australian Herons? not sure!




and lots lots more!


Ma and my dad


they have a lagoon pool area by the esplanade for the locals to swim because they cant swim in the sea.

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## kiz_paws

Beautiful pictures, everyone!  :Nod:   :Thumbs Up: 

*Niamh* -- there really is something to be said about those silly cell phone cameras, eh? I have a slew of them ready to load onto the computer -- but that is my hubby's department, lol (remember, technologically challenged is moi).  :FRlol: 
Some really good ones come of it though. And there I was trusting my old fashioned 'rinky-dink' camera for my best stuff! Anyhow, your pictures from your trip are so awesome that I feel like I have been there!  :Smile:

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## Niamh

I vaguely remember the two of us having a conversation, could have been well over a year ago, maybe longer than that, about phone cameras. I was snapping away with my phone and you were snapping with your camera, and you decided that you then wanted a good camera phone. now look at the two of us! you are snapping away with your phone and i'm snapping away with a camera!  :Biggrin:

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## Petrarch's Love

Niamh--Love the Australian shots! It looks like such a great trip. Now I want to go there even more! By the way, the birds in your shots are definitely pelicans. You can tell because they have a very distinctive shape, especially in the beak. It doesn't show in your pics, but in person you may have seen some of them expanding the pouches attached to their beaks? Herons are tall wading birds with long legs and sharp pointy beaks.

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## Niamh

Thanks Petra!

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## kiz_paws

> I vaguely remember the two of us having a conversation, could have been well over a year ago, maybe longer than that, about phone cameras. I was snapping away with my phone and you were snapping with your camera, and you decided that you then wanted a good camera phone. now look at the two of us! you are snapping away with your phone and i'm snapping away with a camera!


I have just gotten the best laugh of the day, thanks to you, my friend!  :FRlol: 
Yes, we did have that conversation ... funny how things go though, eh?  :Tongue:

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## Niamh

> I have just gotten the best laugh of the day, thanks to you, my friend! 
> Yes, we did have that conversation ... funny how things go though, eh?


 :FRlol:  yes it is! :Tongue:

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## qimissung

Niamh, bouquin, Claes, Kafka, your pictures are awesome!!! Makes me want to travel so badly! In lieu of that, I have your marvelous photographs. You guys are great photographers. I love the Koalas, Miamh. And bouquin, once, long ago, I, too, visited Le Mont Saint Michel...a strikingly beautiful city.

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## kiz_paws

And now some Fall Photos of the Canadian Prairies:







Ummm, that's enough for now, methinks!  :Smile:

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## Virgil

Lovely Kizzo. Thank you. Fall is the most colorful of seasons around here too.

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## Janine

*Kiz,* those are beautiful! They really get me in the mood for autumn. You must be ahead of us on fall folliage. Ours is just beginning to turn now. Those trees in your photos are so vivid. I love these.

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## Niamh

I love the warmth to those pics Kiz! I' seriously going to have to see canada in the fall.  :Nod:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> And now some Fall Photos of the Canadian Prairies


Lovely colours, Kiz. Do you have more?

/Claes

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## kiz_paws

> Lovely colours, Kiz. Do you have more?
> 
> /Claes


Thank you.  :Blush:  If you take this link Pawsitively Moi - it should take you to my album of nature shots, etc., where there are a few assorted Fall photos. If you cannot access this album, I apologize -- I only made it viewable by friend/contact/moderator, and not for the general public. So if you wish to see it, and are having troubles, please drop me a line and I'll fix it up.Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments. It really is irresistable to NOT take photos of all the nice surrounding. I have to remember that it is time-limited; once those leaves turn colour, they fall off the trees and we are left with the barren trees that adorn the glistening snow fields and such. 

Keeping in the Thanksgiving spirit (yes, it is the Canadian Thanksgiving Day today  :Wink: ), I am thankful that the cellphone that I tote everywhere has such a neat little camera feature -- I am having so much fun with it, tee hee!

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## bluevictim

kiz_paws, those photos of fall colors are great!

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## weltanschauung



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## Niamh

Some more pics from Cairns! These are some of my pics from Daintree World heritage site!
First stop wsa at a zoo type place in Port Douglas. More animals and Kangaroos!










(tree kangaroo! looks nothing like a roo!)














(Flying foxes)

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## Virgil

Really cool pictures Niamh. For some reason I love kangroos. I know this is silly but they remind me of dogs.  :Wink:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Time for some fall shots.... and interestingly enough I have caught some roos too: Wallabys at the local Zoo:


Wallabys. They seem to like the colder weather. We had our first touch of snow yesterday.


Miniature horses. It's hard to tell from this shot, but they are *really* small.


Amur Leopard some 30 ft up a tree.


Looking down at a Meercat looking up at me.


Red Panda hiding behind a trunk.


And here he is: The furry little Red Panda.


Speaking about furry: A Pallas Cat.


Eye of the tiger.... A bigger cat: A Sumatra Tiger...

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## Niamh

Awwww! I love that one of the meercat!!! 
and the red panda!

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## Virgil

> Time for some fall shots.... and interestingly enough I have caught some roos too: Wallabys at the local Zoo:
> 
> 
> 
> Looking down at a Meercat loking up at me. 
> 
> Eye of the tiger.... A bigger cat: A Sumatra Tiger...


All excellent. These I think are special. The meercat because of curious pose and the tiger because of the intensity in its face. Outstanding Claes!

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## papayahed

The Red Panda is so darn cute!

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## Janine

Wow, very nice pictures, *Claes,* I love the cats in all sizes and types. That little meercat looks so curious...such a cute photo. I love that last 'eye of the tiger' photo! You look a little too close for comfort, but I guess you had a good zoom lens. I like the red panda, too. I have never seen one anything like it before. Of course the roos are fun, too. Interesting that they liked the snow. I knew someone who raised those miniature ponies - they are very small. The Amur leopard is a beauty in the tree - love that shot.

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> You look a little too close for comfort, but I guess you had a good zoom lens.


No zoom was needed: The cat was a mere 10ft away. On the other hand she was on the other side of a sturdy fence. This reminds me: I never finished my series from Kenya. I'll get back with some other cat pictures. Without fences!




> I like the red panda, too. I have never seen one anything like it before.


They are really nice creatures, and we have had them at the local Zoo for many years. As a matter of fact the zoo vet has raised one of them at home... along with a few tiger cubs! 




> Of course the roos are fun, too. Interesting that they liked the snow.


Most of the furry animals do. The tigers, for instance, love the winter.

/Claes

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## Kafka's Crow

These are lovely pictures. What type/make of cameras do you folks use? Claes takes lovely pictures and I can't believe that he does not use a DSLR, still I think he mentioned somewhere that it is a point and shoot digital camera. I use Canon iXus 70. Went to my university today after many years. Didn't have my camera with me but my cellphone (Nokia N95) is supposed to take fairly decent pictures. Let's have a look:

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## pussnboots

Claes, once again great pictures!!!

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes takes lovely pictures and I can't believe that he does not use a DSLR, still I think he mentioned somewhere that it is a point and shoot digital camera.


Thank you. Yes, you are right: I use a Canon Powershot SX100 - which I guess would be considered a high end pocket camera. It has more or less the same setup options as a DSLR, though, and I make extensive use of them. There is no denying the fact that I really wanted a DSLR, as I have made extensive use of film gobbling SLR's in the old days, but the fact that I can bring this one almost anywhere and any time was a decisive factor. This, as a consequence, means that I get shots that I would otherwise have missed...

/Claes

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## Kafka's Crow

This is the one that I use:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-IXUS-7...5720708&sr=1-5

I wonder why it is more expensive than Ixus 80 or even iXus 90. I think is is mispriced. You use this one then?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Powershot-SX...5720927&sr=1-3

I can see in your photos that the 'IS' function (Image Stabilization) has finally become mature. There were problems with it when they first unveiled it in iXus70 IS (that's when I chose the 70 without 'IS'). The images are so sharp, it is amazing. I haven't fully explored the possibilities of my iXus yet otherwise I am very, very tempted to order the SX100 right away. Lovely photos, wonderful camera. Who needs a DSLR when Canon are coming out with compacts like this? I hate digital zoom but that 10x optical zoom makes it even more tempting.

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> You use this one then?
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Powershot-SX...5720927&sr=1-3


Yes, there we have it. 




> Who needs a DSLR when Canon are coming out with compacts like this?


That was more or less what I thought too when I bought it, and I have not been disappointed. I also agree about the zoom: It is very good even if it cannot really match a SLR zoom, which works better in poor light. I am also very fond of the macro abilities. In my opinion, they are second to none in that price range. As for the IS, I seldom use it, not because I don't like it but because it just is not needed most of the time: I just hold my breath instead  :Biggrin: 

/Claes

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## andave_ya

wowowowow, those are SPLENDID photos, Claes!! Amazing! 

Kafka, that is one imposing-looking university. Where is it? What's it called? Can I go?  :Tongue:

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## Kafka's Crow

> wowowowow, those are SPLENDID photos, Claes!! Amazing! 
> 
> Kafka, that is one imposing-looking university. Where is it? What's it called? Can I go?


http://www.rhul.ac.uk/

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## andave_ya

> http://www.rhul.ac.uk/


Thanks. It is a dream of mine to visit London for a very, very long time, and I keep teasing my parents that someday I'm going to go to Oxford...

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## djy78usa

Here are a few pictures from a recent jump:

Here is what happens if you stick your head out of an aircraft, mid-flight:



This is a stick of static-line jumpers going out the back of a C-130. Static-line jumping is the traditional way for paratroopers to enter the battlefield. It is nothing like sky-diving. One end of the static line (the yellow line you see) is attached to an anchor line inside the aircraft, the other end is attached to the parachute. The line automatically deploys the parachute, so there isn't much of a free-fall (3-4 seconds at most). We also jump at much lower altitudes than skydivers, anywhere from 500-1500 feet. This jump was from approximately 1250 feet.



The most noticable difference between static-line jumping and sky-diving is the parachute used. As you can see, we use round parachutes, instead of the rectangular "wing" that is used in skydiving. The round canopy can support more weight (we generally jump with 100 or more pounds of additional equipment), but is much less maneuverable.



The last two pictures are of HALO (high-altitude low-opening) jumpers. HALO is pretty much the military equivalent to sky-diving. The guy in the last picture had a malfunction. His primary canopy failed to completely deploy, so he had to pop his reserve. He was fine, but he did end up in the trees.

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## Niamh

You would so not see me doing that!

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## djy78usa

> 


I just read about an interesting link between literature and paratroopers. You may have noticed the soldier in this picture is wearing a maroon beret. The maroon beret, international symbol of paratroopers, was first introduced by Lt.General Sir Frederick Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division during WWII. The maroon color of the beret was apparently chosen by his wife, novelist/playwright Dame Daphne du Maurier.

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## islandclimber

Nice pictures DJY.. that is pretty sweet.. having to deploy your reserve chute must be pretty exciting.. I've been skydiving a few times now, but I would like to get into basejumping someday... climb the cliff and then basejump off.. that would be so sweet haha.. you ever been?

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## djy78usa

I've never been base-jumping, but I would like to try it someday. As for pulling your reserve being exciting, I guess you can say it is, but probably not in a good way. Luckily, I've never had to go to my reserve (knock on wood). Because we jump at such low altitudes in static-line jumps, you only have a few seconds to pull your reserve if you have a malfunction. The normal procedure is to begin counting, "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand," as soon as you exit the aircraft. If your main parachute doesn't deploy before you hit "four thousand" you have to pull your reserve. By that time, you've already fallen a few hundred feet. The reserve takes 100 feet to fully deploy, so If you don't pull it within a matter of seconds, you're going to have a bad day...

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## islandclimber

> I've never been base-jumping, but I would like to try it someday. As for pulling your reserve being exciting, I guess you can say it is, but probably not in a good way. Luckily, I've never had to go to my reserve (knock on wood). Because we jump at such low altitudes in static-line jumps, you only have a few seconds to pull your reserve if you have a malfunction. The normal procedure is to begin counting, "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand," as soon as you exit the aircraft. If your main parachute doesn't deploy before you hit "four thousand" you have to pull your reserve. By that time, you've already fallen a few hundred feet. The reserve takes 100 feet to fully deploy, so If you don't pull it within a matter of seconds, you're going to have a bad day...


Yeah, that would not be fun... I want to try base jumping but I think if I survive the first few jumps it would be time to quit.. I have to try it snowboarding off the edge of a cliff a few times though.. but seeing as there is something like a 100% chance of being completely maimed or killed once you hit over 200 basejumps, I don't think it is a good idea to keep doing it.. lol..

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## Virgil

> The last two pictures are of HALO (high-altitude low-opening) jumpers. HALO is pretty much the military equivalent to sky-diving. The guy in the last picture had a malfunction. His primary canopy failed to completely deploy, so he had to pop his reserve. He was fine, but he did end up in the trees.


Boy that takes guts. I don't think I could do it. I would be the unlucky bastard who would get the one in a million parachute that doesn't open.  :Wink:  You guys are really courageous. But what the heck for? [Well, I understand DJ it's part of your job.] Great pictures!!

----------


## Madhuri

Some pics I took on a trip to the local zoo.

Bear



White Tiger



Royal Bengal Tiger



Lions resting



A bird



Star turtles



Barn Owl



Elephant



Porcupine



Love birds






The language on the top is the local language of this state, and below it is the translation in English.





Its a bit blurred



Crocodiles







Wild Bison

----------


## pussnboots

nice pictures Madhuri

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Nice to see you back in this thread Maddie  :Thumbs Up:  Nice pictures too.

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

love the turtle!!!

----------


## weltanschauung



----------


## Madhuri

> nice pictures Madhuri


Thanks  :Biggrin: 




> Nice to see you back in this thread Maddie  Nice pictures too.
> 
> /Claes


I havent been able to see as many places as I want to; there arent many places to visit in this city.




> love the turtle!!!


Yeah, these were really cute, and very tiny, this turtle is hardly 4-5 inches long; its a baby turtle  :Biggrin:

----------


## subterranean

Probably you've seen something more interesting than this one. But this is the first time I came accross it, the organic religion.

----------


## Virgil

> Probably you've seen something more interesting than this one. But this is the first time I came accross it, the organic religion.


Only in New York Subby. I always said that nature has replaced real religion for some.

Nice pictures Maddie. What was separating you from the lions and tigers?

----------


## kiz_paws

Those pictures were wonderful, *djy78usa*. You'd not see me jumping out of an aircraft any time soon -- yes you are all brave to do that.  :Nod: 

I enjoyed the animal pictures, *Maddie*, especially the barn owl one (what a look he is giving, and stamping his little feet, too, ha ha!). The white tiger is a very cool animal, I'd love to see one of those.  :Smile: 

*weltanschauung*, this is a well centered picture indeed, and I love the colours. I feel silly because I don't know if that is a bull, a water buffalo, or what, but it looks gentle enough, despite the horns.  :Smile:

----------


## Kafka's Crow

At last a dry Monday morning. Very cold and misty though, still I managed to drive out to Windsor and Runnymede:









Sweet Thames run softly...








... the nymphs have departed!


River Thames in Windsor:







Sir Christopher Wren's House (Windsor):




First glimpse of Windsor Castle:

----------


## 1n50mn14

Kafka, your photos make me really regretful that I never went to Windsor while in the UK. =[ It looks quite lovely there.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> At last a dry Monday morning. Very cold and misty though, still I managed to drive out to Windsor and Runnymede


 Which goes to prove that poor weather is a poor reason for not taking pictures. It does not have to be all sunshine. As a matter of fact, pictures taken in rainy conditions often turn out amazingly well.  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

----------


## Pensive

Lovely pictures, Kafka's Crow!  :Smile:

----------


## cute kitten

i like your pictures .... nice views  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Kafka. Makes me feel like it's next door.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

its pictures like that, that remind me of why i love the English countryside so much....the river scenes remind me a bit of being along the severn river in Worcester.

----------


## Janine

Oh, I love Windsor Castle; those are marvelous photos *Kafka's Crow*.

Now I am going to cheat a bit; the following photos were not taken by me, but by son, Sean. He took these a number of years back, when he was on a business trip to Washington, DC. I always admired these photos and thought they were some of his very best. He has a collection of really good cameras. I thought these would interest all of you, in the wake of our national elections and all the talk of patriotism and Washington, our national capital and treasure. I am very proud of my son's efforts and his great results.

The Jefferson Memoral on the Potomic River...let me be your tour guide...





A grand statue of the great man himself....






I love the shadows on these columns. That is the Washington Monument, in the background. I love the contrast in shape/design of the two buildings and the texural effect of the marble - so sparkling white in the sunlight.




He got lucky; it was cherry blossom time in the grand city....along the Potomic.

----------


## Virgil

> The Jefferson Memoral on the Potomic River...let me be your tour guide...
> 
> 
> I love the shadows on these columns. That is the Washington Monument, in the background. I love the contrast in shape/design of the two buildings and the texural effect of the marble - so sparkling white in the sunlight.


All very nice Janine, and yes it's luckky to be in D.C. when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. He probably had a very hard time getting a hotel room. I particularly liked this photo. I've got tons of photos of D.C. but that's an angle I've never noticed before. Very good. Next time I'm down there I will have to find that angle and snap that for myself.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

> All very nice Janine, and yes it's luckky to be in D.C. when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. He probably had a very hard time getting a hotel room. I particularly liked this photo. I've got tons of photos of D.C. but that's an angle I've never noticed before. Very good. Next time I'm down there I will have to find that angle and snap that for myself.


Thanks, *Virgil.* That one is my all-time favorite, too. It just worked out so well, the way the other monument is in the background and the steps are sort of shadowly. I once had that one on my computer desktop. He took some nice San Francisco photos of buildings, etc, too. I will have to dig those up and post some of those. One I think you will really like. I would post my artsy photos but they were taken with a regular camera and printed so they have to be scanned. I did a black and white series of buildings in Philadelphia when I was in art school over there. I like how they came out because the camera I used had a big negative and took great detailed shots. I need to download the scanner support for my printer/scanner 3-in-one.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

OK, this thread has been idle for long enough: Christmas pictures, anyone?







/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Very cool Claes. What a great idea. I take it that's your daughter and wife in the middle picture. And you have a very nice living room, by the way.  :Smile:

----------


## sprinks

Wow that is such a cool idea! Awesome pictures Claes  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Very cool Claes. What a great idea. I take it that's your daughter and wife in the middle picture.


Partly correct: It *is* my daughter to the left, but the one to the right is her cousin. The picture was taken at their place, btw.

/Claes

----------


## Janine

> Partly correct: It *is* my daughter to the left, but the one to the right is her cousin. The picture was taken at their place, btw.
> 
> /Claes


Hey, Santa *Claes*, Glad you posted these - so interesting in the big read ball...love to see reflections. You did a good job; very artistic. I see your relatives have the same type floor my son has, with a few area rugs. Funny, with the distortion in the one photo, you look a little like my son. I am still waiting for them to send me the Christmas photos. They took a lot; they will come presently I am sure. I didn't end up taking any this year, because I was holding my grand-daughter so much or playing with her on the floor; I simply forget, tell you the truth...I knew they had plenty anyway. Wow, nice to see your daughter in the photo also. Hi, pretty *Saphira!* ...and your cousin, too! Everyone is dressed so nicely, too. I like to see that for holidays - like you in the dress shirt and tie. Over here, some people dress like bums. Personally, I think people should dress up a little for holidays. Why not?

----------


## kiz_paws

*Kafka* - What lovely pictures, I feel as if I have been now.

*Janine* - Your son has definitely an eye for photography, some of his angles, etc., were very picturesque. I am hoping that he uses this skill on photographing his new daugher, too!  :Wink: 

*Claes* - As always, you have entertained us with more of your skill as a photographer. I love the ideas that you have! Great photos!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> Partly correct: It *is* my daughter to the left, but the one to the right is her cousin. The picture was taken at their place, btw.
> 
> /Claes


Oh thanks.



> Hey, Santa *Claes*, ...


 :FRlol:  I like that pun!! Santa Claes.  :Biggrin:  Very good Janine.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

We spent part of new years eve at Sundbyholm, at Lake Mälaren outside Eskilstuna. During the summer this is a very popular beach, but it can be quite busy at winter as well. Pastimes differ a bit, though:





















/Claes

----------


## Janine

Photos of this lake, etc are awesome, Claes....brrrr....looks cold there.

Now are they a sort of ski skate - photo of three people on the ice?
Never have seen them before this.

My favorites are the amazing ice formations and the branches covered with them. Beautiful photography, as usual.

----------


## Saphira

> brrrr....looks cold there.


It was. There is something the pictures cannot convey: wind. It was quite windy, and up north they actually had a storm tonight.




> Now are they a sort of ski skate - photo of three people on the ice?


Those are long distance skates, intended for cross country... err... ice skating.




> My favorites are the amazing ice formations and the branches covered with them.


That was a stroke of luck: we don't have much snow, but we got that instead.

/Claes

----------


## Saphira

Yes, it was cold and windy..... I brought my camera too.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Oops. I managed to borrow Saphiras account when I posted. Ah, never mind.

/Claes

----------


## Janine

> Oops. I managed to borrow Saphiras account when I posted. Ah, never mind.
> 
> /Claes


Wait a minute - then who gets credit for the great photos?  :Confused:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Well... Here comes the last pictures from 2008 and the first ones from 2009:





















/Claes

----------


## Janine

Fantastic; thanks for the dynamite fireworks! They are not easy to photograph and you captured those perfectly. I love the two photos with the frost and the ropes/wooden dock...outstanding and very textural...I also like the frozen orange thingies(?)...those three are prize-winners!...some of your very best, *Claes!*

----------


## bluevictim

Wonderful pictures, Claes!

----------


## Janine

Nothing too fancy or artistic here. I took these snapshots, while walking around my snowy neighborhood, the day after the storm (late afternoon). For once, we had a half decent snowstorm - the neighborhood kids loved it! I don't think we have had a snow this nice, for years; these were taken in 03; I figured I better post them, while it is still winter, or I will never get to it....these are just 6 yrs late...better late then never....haha

This first house is my house.


My house with ice-sickles.


Time to shovel the walks.





Late day shoveling out.


Footprints leading to the lake behind my house....lake is the large expanse of white snow.












Neighborhood kids enjoying the snow








The lake is beyond the houses.


He was not too thrilled having to shovel...poor kid...


My backyard at night...think these are from a different snowstorm. 













Three that I took from my upstairs window at night; a kind of an experiment and played with the tones later on.







I hope I did not repeat any..if I did forgive me the error.

----------


## Zee.

I don't have any of my photos here - unfortunately, but i have a whole heap on my camera i'll show later.

----------


## Virgil

Nice photos Janine.  :Smile:  I actually liked the neighborhood kids. They look so wholesome and not the nasty punk types.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

> Nice photos Janine.  I actually liked the neighborhood kids. They look so wholesome and not the nasty punk types.


Thanks, *Virgil,* did you notice how slanted some of my horizon lines were? I should take my own advice, huh? Yes, those kids now are grown - the photos were actually taken about 6 yrs ago. Nice kids they were - one of my neighbor's grand-kids and their friends. They had a great time that day finally getting to play in the snow. Heard you got an inch or so up your way. Nothing here but frigid  :Cold:  temperatures....brrrr...

I promised *Saphira* I would post these; she wanted to see what snow looked like in NJ.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I promised *Saphira* I would post these; she wanted to see what snow looked like in NJ.


So did I. Nice pictures, Janine.  :Thumbs Up: . So now we know what it looks like: White (at least for starters  :Wink:  ).

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

Those pics of the icicles are amazing claes!

And Janine! Thats a LOT of snow!

----------


## pussnboots

nice pictures Janine and Claes

----------


## kiz_paws

*Claes*, your pictures are stunning, LOVED the icy ones!

*Janine*, I loved your pictures with the pinky hues, those were really pretty. You have an adorable house!  :Nod:  It looks like everyone is rather pleased with the snow, great pictures!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Janine

> *Claes*, your pictures are stunning, LOVED the icy ones!
> 
> *Janine*, I loved your pictures with the pinky hues, those were really pretty. You have an adorable house!  It looks like everyone is rather pleased with the snow, great pictures!


Thanks *pussnboots* and everybody else, 

Of course, my photos can't compare to Claes' artistic ones; they are some of his best, I think. Mine were just quite snapshots to document how deep the snow was that year. *Niamh,* yes that was a lot of snow for us; but years ago this was the norm for winters. We used to get even deeper snow, with lots of drifts. As kids, of course, we loved it and played outside in snowsuits all day long. We had lots of blizzards too in my day. I guess now, with global warming, the weather is much milder. This particular snowstorm turned out to be such a pretty snow; at least, it was for a day or so. It was so bright out after the snowstorm, the white really glistened. I hate when people shovel the walks, but one has to do it, or we would all be snowed in. *Kiz,* which ones do you mean with the pinky hues - the night ones? Also, our house looks so small from the front. The original house was but now the back extends a distance with a big addition and upstairs in a full dormer. That helped to create a lot more space; but relatively our house is not on the large size.




> So did I. Nice pictures, Janine. So now we know what it looks like: White (at least for starters ).


*Claes,* Oh how funny...so where is *Saphira?* I posted a note in her profile page, but I imagine she is busy with school work. Yes, it was quite 'white'. We have had only a few flakes so far this year. I am almost hoping it will snow soon. I guess it will be the first my little grand-daughter will see it/experience the 'white' stuff. That should be so fun for her parents.

Just to give you an idea of the size of the house, deceiving from the front here is a summer photo taken from the backyard. The dormer on the second floor is like the one next door.


This is the lake/pond which is frozen and white in the snow photos.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Thank you all. I still have some winter pictures left to upload, but now the darkness has returned. The snow is gone and low clouds make it pitch black outside. (growl). It felt so nice biking in the snow while it lasted: Clean, and a good grip with the studded tyres. 


> *Claes,* Oh how funny...so where is *Saphira?* I posted a note in her profile page, but I imagine she is busy with school work.


Yes, I think there was some homework, but she does most of it in class, actually. I think *I'm* the one bringing the most work home.  :FRlol:  I see light from the end of the tunnel though (I just hope it's not an oncoming train  :Wink:  ): I'll be done with the training I started at work a year and a half ago within a couple of weeks. 

/Claes

----------


## Janine

> Thank you all. I still have some winter pictures left to upload, but now the darkness has returned. The snow is gone and low clouds make it pitch black outside. (growl). It felt so nice biking in the snow while it lasted: Clean, and a good grip with the studded tyres. Yes, I think there was some homework, but she does most of it in class, actually. I think *I'm* the one bringing the most work home.  I see light from the end of the tunnel though (I just hope it's not an oncoming train  ): I'll be done with the training I started at work a year and a half ago within a couple of weeks. 
> 
> /Claes


*Claes,* I could not stand that darkness in the winter months; I know a person who moved her from Sweden and they said it drove them bonkers. They kept remarking about how much light we had here. How does one adjust to that way of life? I guess you get used to it from birth, right? I would thinking biking in the dark would be very difficult. At night things always seems so much colder. I love night myself but don't think I could deal with it all day and night long. Aren't there times when there is no true darkness but only day there? How does that work. I am curious to know.

Well, glad your work schedule/training program is now allowing your to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

----------


## kiz_paws

> Kiz, which ones do you mean with the pinky hues - the night ones?


Yes, beautiful!

Your home is very lovely, it seems to suit you to a tee, Janine,  :Nod:

----------


## Janine

> Yes, beautiful!
> 
> Your home is very lovely, it seems to suit you to a tee, Janine,


Thank you, Kiz. Our home is really quite modest, but it is nice inside and out. We do need some work done on it presently, but the state of the economy is not allowing for that just now, which is a bit frustrating. The house is technically my mothers, but will be mine someday; I live with her. See how close our neighbors are though. We are fortunate, that we have really great neighbors, who would do anything for you, and a very friendly neighborhood...people have lived her for a long time, either that or their relatives. Everyone enjoys living on the pond and of course, when I was a young child, along with my two sisters, we loved asking our friends over to ice-skate; they loved using our warm basement, to put on their skates. This makes us all exceedly popular.  :Wink:  Afterwards, we all came in and had hot chocolate. Those were the days!

At one time, prior to the beige siding, our house was barn-yard red and we would tell our friends - "our house is the red one with the double oak out front." Once our parents entertained the thought, of having the house painted a different color, and we three protested it hardily. Needless to say it stayed 'red' until we were all grown-up.

----------


## kiz_paws

> Thank you, Kiz. Our home is really quite modest, but it is nice inside and out. We do need some work done on it presently, but the state of the economy is not allowing for that just now, which is a bit frustrating. The house is technically my mothers, but will be mine someday; I live with her. See how close our neighbors are though. We are fortunate, that we have really great neighbors, who would do anything for you, and a very friendly neighborhood...people have lived her for a long time, either that or their relatives. Everyone enjoys living on the pond and of course, when I was a young child, along with my two sisters, we loved asking our friends over to ice-skate; they loved using our warm basement, to put on their skates. This makes us all exceedly popular.  Afterwards, we all came in and had hot chocolate. Those were the days!
> 
> At one time, prior to the beige siding, our house was barn-yard red and we would tell our friends - "our house is the red one with the double oak out front." Once our parents entertained the thought, of having the house painted a different color, and we three protested it hardily. Needless to say it stayed 'red' until we were all grown-up.


Aww, thats sweet!  :Nod: 

Did someone say ICE SKATE?  :Biggrin: 

So now a few photos from my cellphone camera:



Sapphire World -- This was taken at ten in the morning, I did NOT do anything at all to the colouring -- this is what my world looks like sometimes!



Sunset At Costco -- what the heck -- I parked my car at the Costco in my corner of the world, and what do you think happens? A pretty sunset that I'd miss if I didn't grab my cellphone and snap it...



Sun slowly going down. This is the area where I walk my dog, Pepper. Nice, no matter the season.  :Wink: 



More sunset material. The colours are very cool, wish I could paint like this!  :Tongue: 



This is what the Duck Pond looks like just after midnight. The sky isn't always that cool colour, but when it is, awesome! 



This is the "Skating Shack", another sight you'll see at my favorite place in Winter, "The Duck Pond". The only ducks you see now, mind you, are the nervous skaters, ducking out to warm up in that shack.  :Wink:

----------


## Snowqueen

Wow! I am seeing some great photographers here. :Thumbs Up: 
These are some of the pictures taken by me. :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> *Claes,* I could not stand that darkness in the winter months.


Nor could I, but it must be endured... 


> I know a person who moved her from Sweden and they said it drove them bonkers.


It does, and I'm a living proof of the fact, I guess.  :Biggrin:  


> Aren't there times when there is no true darkness but only day there? How does that work. I am curious to know.


Quite right (I'll restrict myself to the Northern hemisphere: South of the equator it's the other way around). As you know, we all have more daylight during the summer (unless you're on the equator), and if you happen to be north of the Arctic circle, the sun never sets around mid summer. Unfortunately, the opposite is equally true: In mid winter it never gets over the horizon.  :Frown:  I don't live that far north, but right now we have but a few hours of daylight. All this nonsence is of course caused by the tilted axis of our planet.



> Sapphire World -- This was taken at ten in the morning, I did NOT do anything at all to the colouring -- this is what my world looks like sometimes!


Absolutely brilliant picture.  :Thumbs Up: 


> These are some of the pictures taken by me.


I liked the one with the spiderweb.  :Thumbs Up: . I also PM:d you about how to get your pictures into the post itself. Holler again if you get stuck. 

/Claes

----------


## Janine

> Aww, thats sweet!





> Did someone say ICE SKATE?


So now a few photos from my cellphone camera:

*Kizzo,* I said ICE SKATE!  :Wink:  haha...cool photo, and from a cell phone, imagine; those cameras are so good nowdays. I love how blue it came out. Playgrounds in the snow are always interesting. Great shot!




> Sapphire World -- This was taken at ten in the morning, I did NOT do anything at all to the colouring -- this is what my world looks like sometimes!


Good name for that photo, too!




> Sunset At Costco -- what the heck -- I parked my car at the Costco in my corner of the world, and what do you think happens? A pretty sunset that I'd miss if I didn't grab my cellphone and snap it...


That is funny....sunset at Costco - that is the store, right? I was at our local mall one night and there was this gorgeous rainbow; think now it was a double one; so I was exclaiming about it and people were just walking by oblivious - like 'so what?'...I though how strange it was and the people in NJ must just be half awake or something not to notice such splendor. Then once middle-aged couple did stop; whiped out their cellphone camera and took a shot. I commended them on it. They were awake and very nice people :Smile:  They restored my faith in human beings that night. As the say "stop to smell the roses" or in this case, "stop to photograph the rainbow".




> Sun slowly going down. This is the area where I walk my dog, Pepper. Nice, no matter the season.


Oh lucky you and lucky Pepper. This is very nice and looks like a lovely isolated walk.




> More sunset material. The colours are very cool, wish I could paint like this!


They are so cool; love sunsets. Try painting one someday from your photo. Really those are not as hard to do as painting figures. Just play around blending the colors and you will find it is lots of fun and very relaxing.




> This is what the Duck Pond looks like just after midnight. The sky isn't always that cool colour, but when it is, awesome!


Cool, you have a duck pond, too; is it near your house? We have ducks, geese, one time a swan, egrets, blue heron, and any species of birds that fly in and out of our pond. We also have a ton of turtles and fish. It is fun and interesting living on or near a pond.




> This is the "Skating Shack", another sight you'll see at my favorite place in Winter, "The Duck Pond". The only ducks you see now, mind you, are the nervous skaters, ducking out to warm up in that shack.


Haha...this reminds me of the film "Caddy Shack". Now our basement in our house used to be the "Skating Shack". Our poor ducks, the ones that are left, go frantically searching for some patches of water. It is however, so funny to see them walking in line across the frozen lake. I call them duck skaters....they sometimes slip and slide along...too funny to see. Usually, now with global warming there is some bit of water for them; years ago they actually would freeze in and have to be chipped out by a neighbor. We used to have thick ice that would last for weeks sometimes.

I love the 'pinky' hues you now achieved in some of these photos.

----------


## kiz_paws

*Claes*, thank you for the kind comment.  :Smile: 

*Janine*, I loved what you had to say about the photos. As for me trying painting, you know, why not? Whats the worse that could happen, right? Again, thanks for those kind comments.  :Smile: 

Well three more, and I'll put them in order of lightest to darkest, lol.

This one I call Opal Sky At Dinnertime, for obvious reasons:



This next one is More Sapphire Skies, it is another I took that morning around 10:00 a.m. It was so blue outside that I hoped that my lens wouldn't fog over, I wanted to get as many shots as I could, you know? (again, the cellphone camera, so could it fog up?):



And finally, it was not that late at night, and while I was doing dinner dishes, I glanced outside and saw a shape in a tree in the yard. I turned out the lights in the house to gain a better look, and there it was -- an owl, sitting in the branches! It is not common to have an owl perched in a yard where there is a noisy dog about (Pepper has vocal chords need us say).  :Wink:  So through the window I snapped this shot. It is grainy, but the colours were cool and the owl is rather centered, so I liked the pic.:



See you later!  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

> Nor could I, but it must be endured...


*Claes,* I suppose you have not choice in the matter; at least you have your super-duper arctic biking gear. I hope it keeps you warm when it is dark out. I hope you have good lights/reflectors on your bike, too.




> It does, and I'm a living proof of the fact, I guess.


Nay, you seem pretty normal and adjusted to me! :Biggrin: 




> Quite right (I'll restrict myself to the Northern hemisphere: South of the equator it's the other way around). As you know, we all have more daylight during the summer (unless you're on the equator), and if you happen to be north of the Arctic circle, the sun never sets around mid summer.


Thanks for the explanation. I am always wondering how that works. I did think winter months were not totally dark but that the sun was just below the horizon at times and so it is not as black like our night here; am I correct? I kind of learned this from watching countless films and documentaries on the South Pole, the Antarctic. I love stories about that region; I don't really know why, since I hate being in the cold; still the cold regions do fascinate me. They seem so pure.




> Unfortunately, the opposite is equally true: In mid winter it never gets over the horizon.  I don't live that far north, but right now we have but a few hours of daylight. All this nonsence is of course caused by the tilted axis of our planet.


That is just what I thought. It is hard to imagine that actually living here with a definite day and night, then day and night again. It would truly be freaky to me to be there and experience it.




> Absolutely brilliant picture. I liked the one with the spiderweb. . I also PM:d you about how to get your pictures into the post itself. Holler again if you get stuck. 
> 
> /Claes


I agree with *Claes,* that spiderweb photo is so great. I love the way spiderwebs look, especially on film. They all were nice but that web was the best one.

----------


## Janine

> *Janine*, I loved what you had to say about the photos. As for me trying painting, you know, why not? Whats the worse that could happen, right? Again, thanks for those kind comments.


Well, yes...why not try a painting or a drawing in pastels? It would be fun and what would you have to lose? It would be a fun hobby/pastime for you, to go along with your great photography.




> Well three more, and I'll put them in order of lightest to darkest, lol.


This one I call Opal Sky At Dinnertime, for obvious reasons:

[/quote]

This does indeed look like an opal. Good name for this photo. I like the subtle shading...very pretty.




> This next one is More Sapphire Skies, it is another I took that morning around 10:00 a.m. It was so blue outside that I hoped that my lens wouldn't fog over, I wanted to get as many shots as I could, you know? (again, the cellphone camera, so could it fog up?):




Love those cellphone photos! I love the blue in this one! Incredible!!! :Thumbs Up: 




> And finally, it was not that late at night, and while I was doing dinner dishes, I glanced outside and saw a shape in a tree in the yard. I turned out the lights in the house to gain a better look, and there it was -- an owl, sitting in the branches, with Pepper nearby. It is not common to have an owl perched in a yard where there is a noisy dog about (Pepper has vocal chords need us say).  So through the window I snapped this shot. It is grainy, but the colours were cool and the owl is rather centered, so I liked the pic.:


I like this story! One brave owl, I guess. It is so cool how you can just make out that is what is perched there, and it seems to be in the center, indeed. Good job, *Kizzo!* Always good to have your camera handy. The sky and the silouette of the tree is amazing. Was the sky really that blue? If so, it must be the polution here, since our skies are not nearly that pure a blue ever.




> 


Beautiful!

----------


## Snowqueen

:Some of my pictures.








Thanks Claes. :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Thanks Claes.


You're welcome. Can you tell us where those were taken?

In the mean time I'll keep us going with some wintery pictures:


Ice crystals on my window.


Lunchtime for a bunch of sheep


A scraggy old tree in blue light.


A composite picture (made of 16 ordinary pictures cobbled together). 
What seems to be two roads is in fact the same one, moving in a straight line, but distorted
by the wide angle created by the composition.


A snow cave Saphira and I found in the forest. The black "floor" inside is ice over a small creek.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful pictures Claes, especially that first one. 

Snowqueen, very nice. I'd like to know where that is too.

----------


## LostPrincess13

Hi! :Biggrin:  I'd like to try my hand at photography. :Smile:  I joined a photography club at school, but I'm a total beginner... Uhm, how do I post pics here? *so dumb at technology*

----------


## Virgil

> Hi! I'd like to try my hand at photography. I joined a photography club at school, but I'm a total beginner... Uhm, how do I post pics here? *so dumb at technology*


You seem lost Princess.  :Tongue:  What you have to do is sign up with a website called Photobucket: http://photobucket.com/. And then upload your pictures into your account there and then one just copies the photo and pastes into a post here. Once you have pictures and a photobucket account, I'll help you do it. But you need to do that first.  :Smile:

----------


## LostPrincess13

> You seem lost Princess.  What you have to do is sign up with a website called Photobucket: http://photobucket.com/. And then upload your pictures into your account there and then one just copies the photo and pastes into a post here. Once you have pictures and a photobucket account, I'll help you do it. But you need to do that first.


LOL! Looks like my user name fits me like a glove... :FRlol:  I'm really bad at technology. It really seems to hate me! A friend even told me to go join the Amish! LOL!:lo: Thanks Virg! :Biggrin:  I'll give it a go tomorrow... It's kinda late here and I won't be staying long... :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Hi! I'd like to try my hand at photography. I joined a photography club at school, but I'm a total beginner...


Great. That means that we'll be able to follow your progress as a photographer (should you chose to post your efforts here regularly). 




> *so dumb at technology*


No, I don't think you are. You just did not know how to perform that particular task, but now that Virgil has pointed you in the right direction I'm sure you'll be fine. Just holler if you get stuck, and we'll help you. 

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks Virgil..!
Can you guys guess it?? 
Look at this picture and just try......

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## Niamh

great Pics everyone! Janine i love that bluey one too!
Claes I love the Composition!!!

----------


## bouquin

> Here's another sunrise shot:
> 
> 
> 
> Nothing better than quickly scarfing my sister's camera and sprinting 100 meters or so to an ideal spot and taking pictures of the sunrise. Especially in the winter!




Nice photo, Dori. The colors of sunrise are among the most gorgeous that exist. And I like the thought of that house nestled down there all by itself. 

Some sunrise pictures that I took in Siem Reap (Cambodia) - Dec.2007 :

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## Virgil

Very nice Bouquin, very nice. I can't make up my mind which is the best of the three. They all have their good points.

Snowqueen, I'm going to guess North Dakota. Only a guess.

----------


## Niamh

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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## papayahed

> Snowqueen, I'm going to guess North Dakota. Only a guess.


erm, I haven't been to north dakota but I don't think they have palm trees.


hahha, that is a palm tree in that second picture right?

----------


## Niamh

I thought it was either africa or asia somewhere.

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## Virgil

> erm, I haven't been to north dakota but I don't think they have palm trees.
> 
> 
> hahha, that is a palm tree in that second picture right?


I don't think that's a palm tree, but I can't identify it.

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Can you guys guess it??


I'll venture a guess: India?




> Some sunrise pictures that I took in Siem Reap (Cambodia) - Dec.2007


Absolutely fabulous, bouquin. :Thumbs Up:  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

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## Niamh

I'm going to go with somewhere near the himalayas

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## Snowqueen

I liked all the guesses..... :Smile: 
Well its N.W.F.P, Pakistan.

 






I took these pictures last week, (while at home).  :Smile:

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## Virgil

Hahaha, with your name being snowqueen I was thinking somewhere where there is a lot of snow. What does the N.W.F.P. stand for?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

North-West Frontier Province., right?

/Claes

----------


## Nightshade

ok this is my fav picture from dublin ( Of scenery not people) Its of the river levvy ( spelling niamh?)

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Its of the river levvy ( spelling niamh?)


Liffey?

/Claes

----------


## weltanschauung

yesterday


old random:




god waving at me:





sunny days:

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## Niamh

> ok this is my fav picture from dublin ( Of scenery not people) Its of the river levvy ( spelling niamh?)


No pic!!!




> Liffey?
> 
> /Claes


thats the one!

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## Nightshade

huh?!

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## Niamh

Yes i do love that pic with the sun setting in the backround!!!!

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## Virgil

Nice pictures Weltan and Nightie. 

What river runs through Dublin? Having read Joyce extensively I should probably know but it's not coming to me.

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## Snowqueen

> Hahaha, with your name being snowqueen I was thinking somewhere where there is a lot of snow. What does the N.W.F.P. stand for?


I really liked your guess :Biggrin: , there is no snow here, well I can change the this name.....




> North-West Frontier Province., right?
> 
> /Claes


Yes absolutely right? Its North-West Frontier Province. 
Did you google it or you already knew?

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## Niamh

> What river runs through Dublin? Having read Joyce extensively I should probably know but it's not coming to me.





> Liffey
> 
> /Claes


 :Tongue:  as in the River Liffey Virg! it was like a few posts above!  :FRlol:

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Yes absolutely right? Its North-West Frontier Province. Did you google it or you already knew?


I must have picked it up somehow. I am a map freak, after all.  :FRlol:  




> huh?!


Allright! That is a *very* good shot. I take lots of night pictures myself, and they don't always come out that well.




> 


Another very nice night picture. Well done 

/Claes

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## Virgil

> as in the River Liffey Virg! it was like a few posts above!


 :FRlol:  Well, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  :Tongue:  You know, as much Joyce as I've read, I don't think I've ever heard of the River Liffey.

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## Nightshade

uh claes I didnt say that  :Confused:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> uh claes I didnt say that


Oops. No, I did. I just got the quotes mixed up. Sorry about that.

/Claes

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## Niamh

> Well, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  You know, as much Joyce as I've read, I don't think I've ever heard of the River Liffey.


Dont know what i'm gonna do with you Virg!  :Tongue:  For shame!!!!!  :FRlol:

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## Snowqueen

> I must have picked it up somehow. I am a map freak, after all.  
> 
> 
> 
> /Claes


Oh I see ! :Nod:   :FRlol:

----------


## Virgil

> Dont know what i'm gonna do with you Virg!  For shame!!!!!


I'm sorry. I'll go look at a Dublin map right after dinner and I'll drop a note in your profile about several of the sites. Will that make up for my sins?  :Blush:

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## Niamh

> I'm sorry. I'll go look at a Dublin map right after dinner and I'll drop a note in your profile about several of the sites. Will that make up for my sins?


you dont have to do that! I'm only teasing! :Smile:  Should know me by now!

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## Madhuri

Some pictures of rose that I planted a few weeks back.

White rose







Yellow and red rose







soft focus

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## Janine

*Maddy,* absolutely gorgeous roses and photos! I favor the white one but I love two tone long stemmed, also....it is vibrant! I used to have a whole garden of rose bushes (long stem ones) and I would bring in bunches daily during the blooming season; they smelled so good and made the house fragrant. I adore roses and love the way you captured these opening...so delicate and so lovely. Good job on your close-ups. They are wonderful! Good luck with your roses, too!

----------


## Madhuri

My favourites are also the long stem ones. I dont have enough space for a garden, its just a balcony that I have, where I can put some potted plants. These two roses were the first ones that I got  :Smile:  It was delightful to see these bloom. I am glad you liked the pics  :Smile:

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## Janine

> My favourites are also the long stem ones. I dont have enough space for a garden, its just a balcony that I have, where I can put some potted plants. These two roses were the first ones that I got  It was delightful to see these bloom. I am glad you liked the pics


Oddly enough I didn't have much space when I had these roses. I lived in the city; a row home, semi-detached. It had this tiny backyard which consisted of a sort of L shaped flower garden and then just cement, no lawn to speak of. The owner before had planted the bushes..about 15 and she send away for rare varieties. My mother-in-law knew roses and landscaping. She worked in the business; so she would come and help me mulch them well and feed them. Thus they produced really fine specimens. I now have a good size yard and we had 3 rose bushes but two are sickly. The other is just small trailing type pink roses. We had this lovely yellow bush near our backsteps but I pruned it once and low and behold next year the yellow disappeared and the roses were bright red; obviously the bush had been grafted..so much for thos glorious yellow blooms! I think soil has a lot to do with growing good bushes. We have horrid natural soil here in the big yard. Also, the beetles get them. I think in the city the pests did not venture cause of polution.... :FRlol:  You will probably have great luck with yours.

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## Madhuri

I hope to see many more roses  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Some more pictures from my weekend trip. It was a national holiday on Monday (Republic Day), so, we had a long weekend.

I went to this hill station (Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu) some 550 kms (340 miles approx) from Bangalore. It was a much needed break.

Mountains

----------


## Virgil

Oh wow, those are gorgeous pictures Maddie.

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## kiz_paws

I really loved those rose photos, Maddie! And the mountain pics were breathtaking. Glad you were able to take a much needed vacation.  :Nod:

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## mono

Beautiful pictures, Madhuri - sublime!
I would consider my photography not nearing such talent, but a few weeks ago, Portland had a snowstorm that lasted some 5-6 days; in comparison to some other cities, our snow did not compare quantity-wise, but we feel very unaccustomed to it, especially downtown, where I live. Though it created so much trouble for businesses and traffic, the SW Park Blocks (the district where I live) covered in snow took my breath away.
Note: though they appear so dark, I actually took these pictures somewhere between 1-3 pm.

Outside my front door:


The other direction:


Bench and water fountain:


Theodore Roosevelt statue:


Abraham Lincoln statue:


A church tower a few blocks from my apartment:


Greco-Roman statue at the beginning of the Park Blocks:

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## Virgil

Those are nmagnificent Mono. The frist especially.  :Smile:

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## papayahed

I really dig that first pic Mono, those are great.

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## Janine

*Mono,* your night snow photos are stunning. I love them all, but that first one took my breath away - it looks like a painting with the people silouetted just so....the guy with the umbrella stands out especially. It is funny how in the Lincoln one, you can just tell it is Abe, from the stance of the body. I love it! Because the face is in shadow, it makes it much more interesting. I love how the snow flakes appear as globes or white specks in your photos; they almost look like those ghost orbs people claim are spirits. Did you use a tripod to take these? Good job capturing the mood of a late night snowfall.

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## Madhuri

Thanks everyone  :Biggrin: 

Those are great pics, Mono  :Smile:  Loved the first one  :Smile: 

Hey, nice to see you are posting again. Welcome back!  :Wave:

----------


## Madhuri

Some more pictures from the trip

A church; its about 150 yrs old, and said to have some French influence in the architecture. We couldnt see it from inside, as it was closed by the time we reached there.











A dove on a tree in the church compound

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## ClaesGefvenberg

Good work there Maddie.  :Thumbs Up:  Those misty mountains are absolutely enchanting... 

Mono: Great snowy pictures. It's hard to get good pictures of falling snow. 

/Claes

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## mono

Thanks, everyone. I consider myself _far_ from a photographer, and lacking a lot of talent where Madhuri obviously excels; I wished I could have gotten more pictures, but had to work a lot during those days.  :Frown:

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## Virgil

A dove at a church, what a wonderful thing. Very nice pictures Maddie. One never associates Christianity with Inda, but my boss is from India and he's Roman Catholic.

----------


## subterranean

Here's what I called an honest advertiser! Or perhaps, it was merely a typo  :Biggrin:

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## subterranean

My friend adopted penguins from London zoo. It happens that there are 4 of them and in my team room at work, there are 4 of us (including me). So we gave names to the penguins and the naming was based on our heights  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  (the smallest penguin is named after me because I'm the smallest compare to my other 3 colleagues)

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## Virgil

> My friend adopted penguins from London zoo. It happens that there are 4 of them and in my team room at work, there are 4 of us (including me). So we gave names to the penguins and the naming was based on our heights  (the smallest penguin is named after me because I'm the smallest compare to my other 3 colleagues)


Have you checked the sex of the peguins to be sure if you are giving them correct gender names?  :Biggrin:

----------


## Chava

I was wandering around in Copenhagen yesterday, and took a few pictures of the town, here are three of them:



The old Grand Theatre, now a cinema usually with the slightly cool, and less mainstream films.



Greybrother Square - Named after munks, it is a great central square with music in summer, and sparse afternoon sun in the winter.



My Antiquarian, and the place where all my money goes...

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## ClaesGefvenberg

> Greybrother Square - Named after munks, it is a great central square with music in summer, and sparse afternoon sun in the winter.


Not to mention the restaurant Peder Oxe. Yum, yum.  :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Greybrother Square - Named after munks, it is a great central square with music in summer, and sparse afternoon sun in the winter.


Not to mention the restaurant Peder Oxe. Yum, yum.  :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:   :Thumbs Up:  

/Claes

I somehow managed to make a double posting. Could a moderator remove this one, please?

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## mono

> My friend adopted penguins from London zoo. It happens that there are 4 of them and in my team room at work, there are 4 of us (including me). So we gave names to the penguins and the naming was based on our heights (the smallest penguin is named after me because I'm the smallest compare to my other 3 colleagues)


Sweet!  :FRlol: 

Chava, gorgeous pictures!  :Wink:

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## Janine

*Chava,* wonderful pictures of Copenhagen! Looks like a wonderful and quaint city/town to visit. I love the Antiquarian where you lose all of your money - I see your reflection in the window. 

*Maddy,* some more great photos! I love the dove, also. I love doves, but we only have gray ones here, but still they are so lovely sitting on my roof in pairs and cooing. I love it when they come and sit together, obviously they are married...so sweet and gentle and their coloring is grayish with a tinge of pink.

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## SleepyWitch

*mono*, you're snow pics are awesome.
I took some pics of the snowy landscapes in England from the train. There was a lot more snow the next day. 
*bah, stupid format, right-click them to see the full pic.* (I know I could shrink them, but I like big pictures  :Smile:  )

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## Virgil

Nice pictures Sleepy. Looks pretty.  :Smile:

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## Madhuri

> A dove at a church, what a wonderful thing. Very nice pictures Maddie. One never associates Christianity with Inda, but my boss is from India and he's Roman Catholic.



Thanks  :Biggrin: 

You will find a lot of Christians, especially in the southern states of India, like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu (Kodaikanal is in this state), Kerela, and also Goa. Several hundred years ago, the European traders came to India via the sea route into these states, these were Portugese, Dutch and from other nations. They also brought with them their culture and religion. Then came the missionaries and as they established themselves here they also spread their religion. The people who got converted to Christianity were mostly those belonging to the lower castes amongst Hindus. But that was long long back. These days also you will find people being converted, for example for marriages. In my work place, there is this Hindu girl, who got converted into a Christian last November to marry the guy she loves.

Is your boss from South India?

This church was the famous one in Kodaikanal, but you will find many that have the typical European architecture.

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## Madhuri

Some more pics from the trip







A girl on the tight-rope



A view of the Guna caves from a distance



view from inside the caves



inside view



chillies for _pakoras_ (a type of snack) and lemon for lime water





A house by the lake (colour edited)







pine trees (coloue edited)



view of the valley



waterfall (close-up)



waterfall (from a distance)



another waterfall

----------


## mono

Lovely pictures, SleepyWitch - I especially love the ones of the oak trees in the distance.  :Nod: 

Madhuri, you have quite the talent for photography - very impressive, vibrant photos.  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Janine

> Lovely pictures, SleepyWitch - I especially love the ones of the oak trees in the distance. 
> 
> Madhuri, you have quite the talent for photography - very impressive, vibrant photos.


I agree whole-heartedly with you,*Mono*; lovely photos from both, *SleepyWitch* and *Madhuri.* I'd love to come to England and your photos, *Sleepy*, made me even more convinced. I love the little girl with the poles, *Madhuri*; is that a vase or pot on her head or just something in the background? I love those fabulous waterfalls and the caves are so interesting.

----------


## Janine

Hard acts to follow - such great photos from everyone. 
Nothing too extraordinary here - just some photos I took the other night when it snowed here. Unfortunately, hand held with no flash, they tended to come out grainy, so I just altered some color tones with a program. I call the blue ones -'Study in Blue' haha....I had been jealous of Kizzo's great bluish snow photos, so I made my own. :FRlol: 


Looking out our back window - reflection of me taking photo and the branches are actually outside the window - turned out sort of strange.


These have been manipulated as far as color tones.
Snowy tree, lake from upstairs window.


Overlooking the lake; a little cold for a picnic, although hot chocolate would be nice. :Wink: 


Looking down my street.


No, that is not the a snow ghost in the corner - I really have no idea what it is; maybe my finger....just the bad photographer I am.


Looking out towards the lake, white clematis bush covered with snow.


Snowy tree branches upclose.


Unfortunately, a little out of focus; I must have moved, but you can see how much snow we got stuck onto bushes and trees. It was such a beautiful night snowfall!


From upstairs window


This one is really grainy, but I thought it was a bit interesting anyway; my sideyard. Odd how green flecks got into it when I turned it blue toned.


These are from my upstairs window, looking over the roof; I thought they looked like space/moon photos - really those are snowflakes, but there is a round one - wondered if the moon really was showing through. I tried different color tones...so these three are the results - sort of crazy, eh?







Actually, I was gazing out the window the following evening at dusk and the snow did indeed look blue, not sure quite as intense as I depicted it, but it was blue and so was the sky; so maybe these are not that unrealistic afterall.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Great shots, Sleepy, Maddie & janine.  :Thumbs Up: 

I have some new ones too:


Reflections in a glass of wine, at a restaurant in Helsinki


Curling in Helsinki. Yes, it is me, and yes we won, and no, I had never done it before.


More curling, but with a much better style.


Mist and snow, back home.


A hole in the ice over a small forest creek.


More misty trees.


The neighbours cat paying us a visit.


Cat Cam  :Wink: 

/Claes

----------


## kiz_paws

Great photos from Sleepy, Maddie, Janine & Claes.  :Nod: 

Claes, my favorite of yours is that last one, the back of the cat's head -- adorable!  :Smile:

----------


## Petrarch's Love

Gee, I've been missing out on some great pictures around here. 

Sleepy-- great motion shots from the train

Madhuri--Your shots are so vivid and warm. I wish I was there.

Janine--I love your snow pictures. I know how difficult it is to get good night pictures of the snow, but that always seems to be when it's freshest and prettiest. The blue tint is a great idea. I'll have to try that. 

Claes--Getting the reflection in the wine glass looks like a tricky achievement. I love that shot of the hole in the ice too. Glad you're now a victorious curler!

I recently posted a few pictures of the beach at sunset in my home town in January to my birthday thread, but I figured as long as they're already in photobucket, I might share them here too:

----------


## Janine

Petrarch, thanks for you kind compliments. It was fun playing around with the color changes. I even did some in lavender tints; odd how much the mood will change. Night photos are nearly impossible. I took a few the next day early, while the snow was totally fresh, and had not melted yet; by noon, it was nearly disappearing, can you believe that? The sun it strong.

I love your beach photos at sunset. The pier is my favorite, but I like the one with the little girl enjoying the wind. She adds a nice touch to your photo - the human presense. I love the way the waves and beach subtly pick up the pinkish light of the sunset. I wish I was there right now. I love the West Coast! Here we only get the sunrise and the sunset over the bay looking inland. Our sunrise over the sea is nice but I am always too late to see it.

----------


## subterranean

You may be familiar with D&G.
But in Cape Town, you will find D&B  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

> You may be familiar with D&G.
> But in Cape Town, you will find D&B


Ok, I'll bite. What is D&G?  :Wink:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes--Getting the reflection in the wine glass looks like a tricky achievement.


Tricky? I'll say it was. You have no *idea* how tricky: It took me 10 to 15 botched attempts (The guy wouldn't stand still  :Biggrin:  ), and I still was not truly happy with it.



> Glad you're now a victorious curler!


Well... It's not as if we were good or anything: It's just that our opponents were worse.  :FRlol:  


> I recently posted a few pictures of the beach at sunset in my home town in January to my birthday thread, but I figured as long as they're already in photobucket, I might share them here too:


But of course you should. Very nice cloud formations.

/Claes

----------


## zanna

To Petrarch -- I really like the cloud pictures! Especially the one with the girl, and the one right below that. Ocean sunsets are a special treat. =)

----------


## Niamh

Wow everyone! some really fabulous photos here!!

Okay so i'll join in the snow!
I took these as it started to fall on the 5th. I didnt get any pics of what it was like six hours later...

These are from my back garden.










Neighbours trees

----------


## Joreads

Wow Niamh amazing

----------


## subterranean

> Ok, I'll bite. What is D&G?


Supposedly one of the poshest brands out there  :Wink: 

Since you're Italian, I give you the Italian site.

----------


## Virgil

> Supposedly one of the poshest brands out there 
> 
> Since you're Italian, I give you the Italian site.


Thanks.

----------


## Snowqueen

Petrarch and Madhuri, I loved your photos.  :Smile: 
Niamh I really liked the first one.  :Thumbs Up: 
And very nice Reflections Claes.  :Thumbs Up: 
I would have posted mine, but I am facing some network problems. 
 :Crash:

----------


## Dori

A couple of close-ups I took:

----------


## The Walker

> Here is the most recent pic I've taken.. my kitty 'helping' me write, errr, type at my desk


it is a great pic! i have to say. it looks like a cute cat but i can not say more for i'm not very fond of cats....i dont like them at all.
here is a little difference between us hehehe

----------


## 1n50mn14

Logos and Dori, your pics are both fantastic!



Laverne, my aloe vera plant.



Fooling around with shutter speed, etc to get the bubble before it burst.

----------


## Virgil

> 


Wow, Dori, that is a heck of a picture!!

----------


## Dori

> Wow, Dori, that is a heck of a picture!!


Thanks!  :Biggrin:  I couldn't ask for more perfect conditions either. Taken moments before sunset.

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* I love your photos. So interesting to see where other people reside and what it looks like in the winter there. It is remarkable how much greenery there still is in winter - looks sugar coated. I love the way the snow has just begun. They turned out very realistic, lovely. I like that last one; captures the gray quality of winter. Good job!

*Logos,* your cat is adorable. Is it a he? We had a cat very similar to your kitty growing up and he was quite large and had the same expression to his face. That photo is a prize-winner!

*Dori,* those photos are extraordinary! What kind of camera do you own. It takes wonderful closeups. That last photo is just amazing. Is the first one bark and the second a pine cone? I like them both; great pattern and texture.

*Beca,* I love that bubble photo. You should do a whole series of those. Interesting indeed. I love the name for your aloe plant - Laverne.

----------


## Dori

> *Dori,* those photos are extraordinary! What kind of camera do you own. It takes wonderful closeups. That last photo is just amazing. Is the first one bark and the second a pine cone? I like them both; great pattern and texture.


I own a Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd. It has a setting for close-ups, but sometimes they don't come out right. Most of the time they come out brilliantly though, as you can see. And yes, the first one is the bark of a tree in my backyard, but no, the second is not a pine cone. I'm not sure what to call it. That spiky thing is actually at the very top of a 3-feet or so stem. It might be a weed, to be honest.  :FRlol:

----------


## weltanschauung

the camera may suck, but the eye isnt so bad

----------


## Virgil

> the camera may suck, but the eye isnt so bad


That is a nice arrangement Welt.  :Smile:

----------


## weltanschauung

thanks virgil, you nice bloke :P

check out this incredible moth i found outside a couple days ago:


my house always has moths everywhere. i have quite a collection of nice moth pics. i just wish my cam didnt suck so bad






(scars...)





and this incredible butterfly..




and this is lotus, the gargoyle

----------


## Virgil

Nice moths. Some of them are colorful. Love your gargoyle.  :Biggrin:  Hope he's friendly.

----------


## ~Sophia~

Two Baby Harris Hawks


Baby Stretching


Elton, a wonderful Spectacle Owl

----------


## Virgil

Sophia, how adorable!!  :Smile:

----------


## ~Sophia~

They are cute aren't they. I hand fed them for a couple of weeks which was a blast. Elton, well, he's just one of the most spectacular owls I've ever known! I just adore him.

----------


## bluevictim

Very nice pictures, everyone!

To continue the theme of winged creatures:

Here are some crows playing high above the floor of Yosemite Valley:


This bird was too quick for me to get a good shot of (from Joshua Tree Nat. Park):




This Pelican, on the other hand, was very photogenic -- he patiently posed on the Huntington Beach Pier for several shots. Maybe he thought fish would come out of the camera?

----------


## zanna

Ha ha, bluevictim! You just never know . . . maybe he'd seen a polariod camera before, or maybe he's just basking in the attention. =) Great shots!

----------


## subterranean

Boy, don't I look great!

----------


## kiz_paws

*Petrarch*, those beach shots are amazing, such beautiful colours. The one with the little girl in it was my favorite.  :Smile: 

*Niamh* --- Ahhhh, a sugar-coated Dublin, to be sure!  :Wink:  I really liked that last one; lovely pix.  :Nod: 

*Dori* -- great work with the closeups!

*Logos* -- your kitty is adorable, looks like you were being watched very carefully.  :Wink: 

*Becca*, I smiled at your naming the aloe vera plant, cute.  :Wink:  It must have been difficult to catch that bubble shot, I liked it!  :Smile: 

*weltanschauung* -- your moth pictures are amazing. Loved them! And the 'gargoyle' looked like a doggy treat is in order! Cute.  :Nod: 

*Sophia*, thanks for sharing those cute baby hawks.... adorable!  :Smile: 

*bluevictim* -- I loved the pelican pictures, wish I could get that close to one!

*subterranean* - lol!  :FRlol:

----------


## bluevictim

> Ha ha, bluevictim! You just never know . . . maybe he'd seen a polariod camera before, or maybe he's just basking in the attention. =) Great shots!


Yes, you never know. Maybe I should start walking around with a fake camera that dispenses fish so that all the pelicans in the area will hang out with anyone with a camera.  :Smile: 




> *bluevictim* -- I loved the pelican pictures, wish I could get that close to one!


I'm glad you enjoyed them!

----------


## Idril

I just got back from a weekend in Vegas with a couple of friends and we were able to sneak away from the glitz and glamour on Sunday to check out the Grand Canyon...

This is us on the tour bus bright and early in the morning...


Eagle Point...


pretty colors...


There were about 50 million crows at Guano Point, here's just a few  :Wink: ...




And the Colorado River...


It was a little windy that day, can you tell?...


And we were able to stop at the Joshua Tree Forest on our way home...

----------


## bluevictim

Great pictures, Idril! It looks like you had a good time down here in the warmer parts of the country.  :Smile: 

Speaking of joshua trees, here is one next to Uncle Willie's Health Food Store:

and here are some joshua trees at dusk:

----------


## zanna

Idril and bluevictim -- I love all of your guy's pictures! I get to travel to Death Valley over spring break for a science class, and I'm really excited to see the clean beauty of the desert. =)

Aren't Joshua trees amazing? Did you know they are really a type of lily? And they only branch apart after they've flowered; so if you see a straight stalk, it hasn't flowered yet. =)

----------


## bluevictim

Sound like a great field trip, zanna! I hope you have fun. I didn't know those facts about Joshua trees; very interesting.

----------


## Niamh

Was away in England for the weekend to visit friends and we took a trip to three locations in Herefordshire.  :Smile: 
This is Croft's Castle







It was a drab day.








Next stop on the Saturday was Berrington Hall.

----------


## Niamh

After Berrington Hall we went for a Drink in a 16th Century Pub called Live and let Live.




On the Sunday we went to Brockhampton Manor.


The rainy weather we had made this amazing building look quite creepy!








Then the sun came out an the house sparkled!

----------


## Virgil

Absolutely gorgeous Niamh.  :Smile:  What part of England is Herefordshire? (I know I could look it up, but I'm lazing tonight.  :Wink: )

----------


## Niamh

Its in the west midlands bordering Wales.  :Smile:  (lazy sod!  :Tongue:  )

----------


## kiz_paws

*Idril*, very nice pictures. It looks like you girls had a very good time indeed.  :Smile: 

*bluevictim*, very nice photos -- I saw joshua trees in California, cannot remember the location, but we were staying in Palm Springs and we took a looooong car ride ...

*Niamh*, great photos, my favorite was that 16th century pub (was it haunted?)  :Wink:

----------


## higley

Here are some pictures I took while in China over the past summer:











The pandas were super cute. Got really close to an owl in that last one.  :Wink:  Don't worry, there's actually a fence separating us.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Those terracotta soldiers are amazing. I really would like to see them some day. 


> Got really close to an owl in that last one.  Don't worry, there's actually a fence separating us.


Good for you. It looks positively wicked...  :FRlol: 

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

Amazing pictures Niamh, it seems you really enjoyed the weekend. :Smile: 
I really liked that owl Higley.
 :Smile:

----------


## Scheherazade

Higley> Love the photos! Thanks for posting them. I missed a Terracotta Army show last year in the UK. Will regret it for a long time I think.

And that owl... Would make an excellent avatar!  :Biggrin:

----------


## kiz_paws

Great photos, *higley*! I believe my favorite would have to be that owl one -- fantastic shot, higley!  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Probably was Kiz!  :Biggrin: 

Higley Wow!!!! I am so jealous right now! Good to see you btw!!!

----------


## Dori

Another decent close-up of mine:



Drip, drop, drip, drop  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful photos Higley. I love them, especially the owl. May I ask how you got to spend a whole summer in China? Some sort of exchange? 

Nice close up Dori.

----------


## higley

Thanks guys!

Virg, it was indeed an exchange. I, along with two other students, spent two months in Xi'an studying traditional Chinese painting at a college there. It was quite an experience, the first time I'd been in another country and now I've got the traveling bug.  :Wink: 

Nice photo Dori!

----------


## Snowqueen

Nice Picture Dori.  :Thumbs Up: 
Here are some signs of Spring.

----------


## zanna

Wow, Snowqueen, I love the picture of the red rose! They are all beautiful, but that is my favorite. =)

----------


## Snowqueen

> Wow, Snowqueen, I love the picture of the red rose! They are all beautiful, but that is my favorite. =)



Thanks Zanna in fact I love photography, wherever I go I always take my camera with me. 
So have you posted your pictures on this thread? :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

I love how the white roses look as if they are coming out of the blackness.

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Snowqueen.

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks *Niamh* and thanks *Virgil* :Smile: 
I am working on close-ups these days ( A difficult job to do).

----------


## zanna

Snowqueen, I haven't yet, but I do have some I might like to! I'll have to read up on the process; I'm not very good with the more technical things of computers. =/

Isn't there a post -- maybe at the beginning of this thread, or somewhere else on the forums -- that explains how to upload photos? I'm going to look, but if someone knows of a particularly clear explanation, maybe they'd point me in the right direction?

----------


## 1n50mn14

Lovely photos, Snowqueen!!

Everybody should be anticipating my photos on Wednesday... I'm hosting a promotional photoshoot for my bakery, with five models (one of whom is also a photographer), and it's going to be a BEC photoshoot: meaning bubbles, costumes, crazy colors, cupcakes, cookies, zebra print, fuzzy pinkness, neon colors and insanity.

----------


## Chava

> Everybody should be anticipating my photos on Wednesday... I'm hosting a promotional photoshoot for my bakery, with five models (one of whom is also a photographer), and it's going to be a BEC photoshoot: meaning bubbles, costumes, crazy colors, cupcakes, cookies, zebra print, fuzzy pinkness, neon colors and insanity.


Oh sweet! I look forward to seeing it!

----------


## Niamh

Cant wait becca!

----------


## Snowqueen

> Snowqueen, I haven't yet, but I do have some I might like to! I'll have to read up on the process; I'm not very good with the more technical things of computers.


Well ! I am also not very good at it, I wouldnt have uploaded my pictures without the help of Claes.  :Smile: 


Thanks *BeccaT* and I'll be looking forward.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Isn't there a post -- maybe at the beginning of this thread, or somewhere else on the forums -- that explains how to upload photos?


There is indeed just that: Cathycf started a threadful of instructions right here.Today we also have the option to start albums of our own, something that has been added since then: Go to *User CP* (to the left of the top of the page menu bar) and click Pictures & albums on the left hand menu you find there.




> I'm hosting a promotional photoshoot for my bakery, with five models (one of whom is also a photographer), and it's going to be a BEC photoshoot: meaning bubbles, costumes, crazy colors, cupcakes, cookies, zebra print, fuzzy pinkness, neon colors and insanity.


Looking forward to it.  :Biggrin: 




> Well ! I am also not very good at it, I wouldn’t have uploaded my pictures without the help of Claes.


But of course you would. It may have taken a bit longer, that's all.  :Biggrin: 

/Claes

----------


## 1n50mn14

Hey all, here's a taste of the Photoshoot:

I'll post some more later, but I'm busy editing right now  :Biggrin: 


The lovely Lora


Lovely Lora and Jess.

----------


## Niamh

So i went into town yesterday to support a dublin band called The Script who were performing live in New York. I also watched some of the parade, but left after a while as i was hungry! We were very early so we stood around down in Christchurch for a while. Heres some pics of my day! (sorry they arent very good!)

People starting to arrive for Parade






Even St Patrick himself arrived!




NBC Today Show in Dublin Castle










Some of the Parade (which i couldnt see as i'm short and all the pics were taken by standing on my toes and stretching my arms up!)

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'll post some more later, but I'm busy editing right now


Looking forward to it.  :Thumbs Up:  Thank's for the samples.



> (sorry they arent very good!)


I beg to differ. At least I liked them.



> Some of the Parade (which i couldnt see as i'm short and all the pics were taken by standing on my toes and stretching my arms up!)


Ah, yes... The old stretch your arms to take shots above the crowd trick...  :Biggrin:  I use that a lot too, in spite of not being particularly short. It's just something you have to do to get any pictures at all when you're surrounded like that... Unless you are at least 6' tall, that is.

/Claes

----------


## SleepyWitch

*highley*, that owl is priceless.
*Becca*, I love the emo gloves!

----------


## Niamh

They are great pics Becca!

----------


## Snowqueen

> I'll post some more later, but I'm busy editing right now


Very colorful pictures BeccaT, i'll be waiting for more. :Smile: 

Hey *Niamh* it looks like a nice Parade. All most all the people are having good time, except that boy with the Glasses. :Biggrin:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I have been idle for too long. Some new pictures:


Fighting the snow.


Prepared for spring,


Sharp....


...and fluffy


Stable kitten 1


Stable kitten 2

/Claes

----------


## Janine

Very nice *Claes,* I like the plants and first signs of spring closeup. I love the two stable kittens.

----------


## Virgil

What a handsome cat in that last picture. Nice photos Claes.  :Smile:

----------


## higley

Aww kitties, my only weakness!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I love the two stable kittens.


I forgot to mention that the shots of the kittens were taken with my 2 megapixels cell phone cam.

/Claes  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

You always pay such attention to detail Claes!  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I snapped a few shots yesterday:


Bike spring cleaning. The studded tyres are off, and that makes the commute to work a whole lot nicer.


Fluffy stuff...


Just a lot of stone....


Moon shot.


Another Moon shot.


Spring is gaining momentum.

/Claes

----------


## Janine

I love those, *Claes.* I love the first signs of spring. Nice bike! Glad it will be easier and more pleasurable biking to work from now on. I love how you label the next one "fluffy stuff..." and the next one..."Just a lot of stone....". I like them both - the contrast is nice. I love the two moon shots in the daytime. Those are very cool and hard to capture on film. Is the last one a pussy willow-branch? I love spring pussy-willows. I must get a bunch for a vase inside the house.

Fine set of pictures as always!

----------


## Chava

Nice kit for your bike Claes, Mine just gets tipped upside down on my living room floor, and then gets massacred and put back together. Of course, right now I don't even have a bike.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Is the last one a pussy willow-branch?


Yep, it is, but I'm not going to take them inside: The missus is probably allergic to them, so that would land me in hot water.  :Wink: 




> Nice kit for your bike Claes, Mine just gets tipped upside down on my living room floor, and then gets massacred and put back together.


Speaking of hot water...  :FRlol:  If I did that, I suspect I'm the one who would be massacred. At any rate, my wife would disapprove... Strongly. There will be no massacred bikes on our living room floor, I can assure you.  :Tongue: 

/Claes

----------


## Janine

> Yep, it is, but I'm not going to take them inside: The missus is probably allergic to them, so that would land me in hot water. 
> 
> Speaking of hot water...  If I did that, I suspect I'm the one who would be massacred. At any rate, my wife would disapprove... Strongly. There will be no massacred bikes on our living room floor, I can assure you. 
> 
> /Claes


 :FRlol:  your wife sounds mean!  :FRlol:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> your wife sounds mean!


Not a bit of it actually, but if you ask me, taking the bike apart in the living room would be... asking for it.  :FRlol: 

/Claes

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Hi, I thought I would share with you one of my very favourite pictures that I took at work about halfway through last year. I hope you like it!

----------


## Snowqueen

> Hi, I thought I would share with you one of my very favourite pictures that I took at work about halfway through last year. I hope you like it!


I just love it, they are so cute.

Great pictures Claes, can I have this lovely bike of yours.Just for a ride? :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Claes and I like the bike. What's that elongated thing underneath the seat? I don't think I've seen anything on a bike like that before.

----------


## Janine

> Not a bit of it actually, but if you ask me, taking the bike apart in the living room would be... asking for it. 
> 
> /Claes


I was just kidding, of course!  :Wink:  :FRlol:  It does sound like you're a good husband and respectful of her space; I am glad of that fact. I don't think taking bikes appart in living rooms is such a great idea myself!  :FRlol: 


*IJustMadeThatUp,* love those Koala bears - that is the mother and baby? Do you work in a refuge or a zoo? If so it must be great fun. That is an adorable photo. 
Welcome to the forum! I see you are new.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I just love it, they are so cute.


Definitely. I wonder if they are as cuddly as the seem to be?




> Great pictures Claes, can I have this lovely bike of yours.Just for a ride?


Just as long as it's there when I need to go to work.  :Biggrin: 




> What's that elongated thing underneath the seat? I don't think I've seen anything on a bike like that before.


I'm not sure if you mean the mud guard?




> It does sound like you're a good husband and respectful of her space


I try to be, Janine, I try to be. 

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> I'm not sure if you mean the mud guard?
> /Claes


Oh, that's what that is. Yes.  :Blush:

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Thanks for the welcome Janine  :Smile: 

I work at a wildlife park and I take millions of photos while I am supposed to be working  :Wink:  I can't help it, they are too funny. And yes, it is a mother (matilda) and her baby (winnie). Winnie is a bit more grown up now, but cuter still.

Claes: They ARE very cuddly and ours love to be held, but they do have very very sharp claws. I've had stitches on my eyelid from a koala claw injury (non-aggressive I don't want to put people off). The most ironic thing was that the koala's name is Stitches  :Biggrin: 

I'll dig out some more pics if people want to see them.

----------


## Janine

> Thanks for the welcome Janine 
> 
> I work at a wildlife park and I take millions of photos while I am supposed to be working  I can't help it, they are too funny. And yes, it is a mother (matilda) and her baby (winnie). Winnie is a bit more grown up now, but cuter still.


Those are great names for them. The baby is adorable and mom looks so proud. 




> Claes: They ARE very cuddly and ours love to be held, but they do have very very sharp claws. I've had stitches on my eyelid from a koala claw injury (non-aggressive I don't want to put people off). The most ironic thing was that the koala's name is Stitches 
> 
> I'll dig out some more pics if people want to see them.


Gee, can't they get a manicure/pedicure? That is ironic about the stitches; do be careful. Good it did not get your actual eyeball. 

Definitely, please do take more shots and post them for us. I can't wait to see all the animals an Australian wildlife park. It must be such an interesting job.

----------


## Snowqueen

I took these pictures last month when I was on my way to Islamabad.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'll dig out some more pics if people want to see them.


Yes, please...  :Thumbs Up:  Keep them coming.




> I took these pictures last month when I was on my way to Islamabad.


Nice. I don't get to see so many pictures from your part of the world.  :Thumbs Up:  Keep them coming.

/Claes

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

This is Stitches, the koala that *got* me. Doesn't he look sweet and innocent? Oh and Janine, he did get my eyeball as well, but luckily it didn't need stitches... I went to the doctor's surgery and every doctor in the place filed past to check out my injury. I think it was a bit of a novelty. Also, they need their claws sharp for climbing the trees.. Unless we want to breed ground dwelling koalas??  :Smile: 

This is a cute little kangaroo joey, I had given it some red gum flowers to eat. The wallaby next to it "helped" to eat them after the pic was taken.
Oops, those pictures came out gigantic, does anybody know how I can make them smaller? Or do I have to edit them on photobucket?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Oops, those pictures came out gigantic, does anybody know how I can make them smaller? Or do I have to edit them on photobucket?


You can set Photobucket up to convert your pictures to a certain size as you upload them, but the size you used is just fine with my screen size. And hey: *Nice* shots.  :Thumbs Up: 

/Claes

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Thanks Claes  :Smile: 

I've just uploaded a whole heap more to my album, you are most welcome to have a look.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Nice. I don't get to see so many pictures from your part of the world.  Keep them coming./Claes


Thanks Claes I definitely will upload more. I am not quite happy with the size of my pictures what should I do to make them appear larger in size?

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Here are some more pics because I am bored!



These are two of my cats, they seem to be a popular subject!


This is Akaya contemplating (as much as a koala can, he's probably wondering when his room service is arriving).

----------


## Niamh

So i went to London yesterday for the day. Although there are so many amanzing places to see, and i would like to go back for a show, London is not somewhere that gave me a "wow! I love this place!" feeling. It was too...dare i even say it...British? and so many people! And the Tube was confusing...
So anyway, will post pics in order of trip...
London Bridge




Tower of London from London Bridge





Tower of London

----------


## Niamh



----------


## Niamh

And now for the grand finally! The best bit of the whole trip in my opinion!
Shakespeares Globe! This is the reason why i would love to return to london. Just to see a show preformed here. Wouldnt it be amazing to sit in a Theatre that is practically an exact likeness of the original! Thank You Sam Wanamaker!

----------


## Madhuri

nice pics, Niamh  :Smile:  You had a nice trip, it seems. 

And I noticed that - Do not feed pigeons....its written in Hindi as well.... :Biggrin:  seems like there are too many Indian in London....

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* I loved you pictures! I will look at them more closely tonight. Wow, my dream is to go to London. I think it looked quite interesting myself. Seems as though you saw a lot. Sounds like a fun day.

----------


## Niamh

> nice pics, Niamh  You had a nice trip, it seems. 
> 
> And I noticed that - Do not feed pigeons....its written in Hindi as well.... seems like there are too many Indian in London....


Yeah there were a lot of Indians around...infact there were alot of People!




> *Niamh,* I loved you pictures! I will look at them more closely tonight. Wow, my dream is to go to London. I think it looked quite interesting myself. Seems as though you saw a lot. Sounds like a fun day.


it was very interesting.

----------


## LadyWentworth

> 


I love those two that you caught in the picture. It is so funny that you caught both of them looking right at you, whereas most people ignore the ones with the cameras.  :Smile: 




> 


 :FRlol:   :Thumbs Up: 




> 


I love this one! 




> 


So how big is this when you see it in person? 

Ah, someday I will evetually make my way over there.  :Smile:  I am still planning on it.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Its big! didnt get to go in though.  :Frown: 

Thought you might get a kick out of hte henry VIII poster!

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Love the pics Niamh  :Smile: 
Are you travelling? If you are I am jealous.

----------


## Niamh

Nah. it was just a day trip. I do travel a lot however.

----------


## Niamh

Just realised i left out two of my favourite pics!  :Eek:

----------


## MissScarlett

Wow! Those are gorgeous! I've been to London twice, once for a whole week, and another time just overnight. Even though I was there for a week, I didn't see as much as you did, though. I could kick myself now.

I don't think I could live in London - too big - but it's a fascinating city, I think.

I'm hoping my husband and I can go to Italy, especially Florence, this summer, but it's dependent on finances.

Beautiful photos!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Beautiful pictures Niamh. I enjoyed London very much when I was there. 

I liked your koala bear IJustMadeThatUp.

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Wow, I love the black and white Niamh. You've just made me add London to the top of my must see list with Japan. Where else have you travelled? Do you already have those pics up? If not, share please! I have a bad case of the travel bug, but it feels as though my feet are stuck in concrete blocks.

Oh and thanks Virgil. I waste so much "Work time" taking pictures... Some have surely got to turn ok... Right?

----------


## Niamh

> Wow, I love the black and white Niamh. You've just made me add London to the top of my must see list with Japan. Where else have you travelled? Do you already have those pics up? If not, share please! I have a bad case of the travel bug, but it feels as though my feet are stuck in concrete blocks.
> 
> Oh and thanks Virgil. I waste so much "Work time" taking pictures... Some have surely got to turn ok... Right?


Oh i like to travel. I havent been many places outside of Europe, but i was in your land back in Sept. I have cool piccys of Koalas and Turtles from Turanga Zoo.
Obviously i've been to many places in Ireland. I've been to _scotland_ (Oban, Mallaig, Fort William(and Places around there), Inverness, Greenock, Turriff, Banff, Aberdeen, Tomintoul, Braemar and Edinburgh), _England_ (Worcester, Lincoln, Nottingham, Birmingham, London (and area), Reading, Stratford Upon Avon, Newcastle, Haltwhistle, Bristol and a few other places... names forgotten), _Italy_ (Vantamiglia<sp?>, Milan, Rome, Florence, Brindisi), _France_ (Roscoff, Chartres, Frejus-St Raphel, Cannes, St Tropez) _Monacco_, _Grand Caneria_, _Belgium_ (Brussels, Leuven)... think thats it...
Outside Europe I've been to_ Australia_ (Sydney, Cairns, Airlie and the Whitsundays) _New Zealand_ (Auckland, Waipu) and _Singapore_.
Still plenty of places i have to see!
And there are pics of some of these in this thread.  :Smile:

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Nice pictures Niamh, they bring London to life. Excellent stuff. 

I have been busy with a new arrival in the family. He needs so much time and attention, I just can't read or post on the internet any more:

----------


## MissScarlett

What an adorable little boy!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> Nice pictures Niamh, they bring London to life. Excellent stuff. 
> 
> I have been busy with a new arrival in the family. He needs so much time and attention, I just can't read or post on the internet any more:


Oh my God, he's adorable Kafka. A yellow Lab, just like my dog. Nothing loves life like a puppy.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Sooo Cute!

----------


## Silas Thorne

Great photos! It seems you've got lots of room for him to run round in too. 
I miss my black lab now. I remember when she was a pup and used to nip at my heels when I was a wee kid.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Thanks for all the complements. Max IS a real show-stopper. Yes there is a lot of space for him to run. He is already trained to 'sit' and stay 'down' and he is very good at fetching although he is only 14 weeks old. He has never made mess inside the house and waits till morning when I let him out to do his business. I love him to bits. Never thought an animal would change our lives so thoroughly. He has enriched our lives as a family.

----------


## Virgil

> Thanks for all the complements. Max IS a real show-stopper. Yes there is a lot of space for him to run. He is already trained to 'sit' and stay 'down' and he is very good at fetching although he is only 14 weeks old. He has never made mess inside the house and waits till morning when I let him out to do his business. I love him to bits. Never thought an animal would change our lives so thoroughly. He has enriched our lives as a family.


A pet, especially a dog for me, is incredibly enriching to a family. I once had a boss who said that after children a dog completes a family. He sounds like a real smart one and you must be training him very well.  :Smile: 

Actually Kafka, check out my blog. This entry has a few picturs of my Brandi: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=7933.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> A pet, especially a dog for me, is incredibly enriching to a family. I once had a boss who said that after children a dog completes a family. He sounds like a real smart one and you must be training him very well. 
> 
> Actually Kafka, check out my blog. This entry has a few picturs of my Brandi: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=7933.


Oh, Brandi is so very beautiful. I can't wait till Max grows into a big strong boy. He is absolutely manic. I do hope he grows out of this madness. Thanks for the real heart-warming story of that Australian dog in your link.

----------


## Virgil

> Oh, Brandi is so very beautiful. I can't wait till Max grows into a big strong boy. He is absolutely manic. I do hope he grows out of this madness. Thanks for the real heart-warming story of that Australian dog in your link.


Exercise is the answer for that. A tired puppy is a good puppy.  :Biggrin:  Brandi is a great fetcher too and she is incredible at catching things in her mouth that are thrown towards her.

----------


## Janine

Awww...*Kafka Crow,* what a darling puppy. Is he a cream or golden lab? I love his baby photos. I take it that in the last one, is him nearly a teenager. He is adorable.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> Awww...*Kafka Crow,* what a darling puppy. Is he a cream or golden lab? I love his baby photos. I take it that in the last one, is him nearly a teenager. He is adorable.


Last photo was taken last Saturday. Max was 13 weeks old then! He is a pure-bred 'yellow Labrador Retriever' although his colour scheme looks like milky cappuccino with chocolate sprinkled on top! 

Virgil, we have started going for short walks. Fun and games never end. Still he is still awake, looking for more games (it is 0230 BST!)

----------


## *Classic*Charm*

Kafka, he's ADORABLE!! I spent my weekend with my brother and sister-in-law's new Golden Retriever puppy and her sister (Owned by my sister-in-law's parents). They're both 9 weeks old now : There's nothing so cite as a new puppy when they're still all fuzzy and have the puppy waddle  :Smile:

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Kafka, your puppy is beautiful! I love the puppy stage, but they are even more rewarding when they grow up and you have a well trained companion. You can never feel lonely when you have a dog  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

My aunt found these little orphans on Easter day in her garden when going out to church; needless to say she never made church. We went there for the day and a big family dinner. Here are the darling little triplets:



They are thriving quite nicely now but she has to get up at 2 and 6 in the morning to feed them from an eyedropper. I wish I wanted one; but 'been there, done it' and now we are petless. Still I think these are so darn sweet; all black. And cute they ended up on in an Easter basket.

Some cheery spring daffodils on my aunt's coffee table. Lovely, aren't they?

----------


## MissScarlett

It's good to read the kittens are doing well, Janine. They are so sweet!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Ah how cute Janine. Is she keeping them? Maybe you can have one. :Wink:

----------


## Janine

> Ah how cute Janine. Is she keeping them? Maybe you can have one.


Hahah...only if they stay kitten age forever!

----------


## grace86

> Hahah...only if the stay kitten age forever!


Awe Janine you should keep one! They're adorable!

----------


## Janine

> Awe Janine you should keep one! They're adorable!


 :Wave:  Hi *Grace,* I have missed you. Where have you been!

Oh, I would love to, but we have had so our share of pets in the past and now we swear to stay petless....too much upkeep and doctor bills. Do you want one? I will mail one out. :Wink:  My aunt said someone she knows wants them when they are older. I think they have a farm; which will be lovely for them to roam.

----------


## Janine

Sad news....one of the kittens died so my aunt took the other two to a vet; a woman their will nurse them and hopefully those two will survive. Life is very fragile for little ones so young. That is nature, right? Still I feel sort of sad that one is gone.

I raised a baby duckling once and will try to post soon some photos of my adorable 'Mr. Peepers. He was so cute. Hope he's swimming happily on a pond, as we speak.

----------


## Virgil

So sad Janine. I was about to recommend taking them to a vet when I first saw your post. But what can one do.  :Frown:

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## IJustMadeThatUp

Ohhh how upsetting! Orphaned animals are very hard to care for and even with the best care they can still sometimes pass on. I hand reared my two youngest kitties, but they were older than those guys when I got them and therefore easier.
I hope the other two are doing well and that your aunt isn't too upset. None of them would have survived if she hadn't taken them in  :Smile: 
Will your aunts get updates? I'd like to hear they are doing ok.

----------


## Janine

> So sad Janine. I was about to recommend taking them to a vet when I first saw your post. But what can one do.


*Virgil*, Easter day when she found them, I sort of thought she needed the advice of a vet, but it was a holiday, so what could one do? I didn't think they were kept warm enough or ate the right formula; plain cows milk at the time; later she used non-fat powdered milk. I wondered if they needed a baby formula. Tiny babies and animals don't yet have digestive systems equipped to handle real milk. I am glad she finally took the other two to a vet. Hopefully they can save the other two.

We had this really great vet near us. He would take any type animal, even if it was wild. He was a icon in our area. Everyone knew him and looked up to him; such a sweet and caring man. Once my neighbor and I took a big white goose who lived freely on the lake for years but for some reason befriended me particularly; this was my gardening period and he would follow me around the yard like a dog. I named him Radar (like in Mash) because he would swim all the way the length of the lake as soon as we even ventured out the back door. He must have had that keen of hearing. You could hear him squawking 10 miles away. He was hilarious! Anyway, he got a bad eye infection so we carted him off to our super vet. It is the funniest thing I still have a memory of; sitting in an office holding this truly large white goose in my arms wrapped in a blanket and all the customers were starring with questioning eyes at me and jaws dropped open. I simply said "Yes, it is a goose!". Well, needless to say he made two trips there, had an operation in which they saved his eye and he went back to living on the lake. It didn't end completely happy though and I won't go into that. The point is the vet did save his life. Those vets are sometimes better than people doctors and I am sure by now kinder. I think he did the operation free. So I am hoping the little kittens pull through. Maybe the smallest and weakest one died. Say a prayer for them everyone; the Bible says God knows when a sparrow falls. I love that poignant line from Hamlet about the fall of a sparrow. I think this vet is semi-retired now but he did wonderful things through the years for animals and donated much time to really serve in that way. He is to be greatly commended and he is well loved and appreicated.

----------


## Virgil

How old do yu think they are Janine? Perhaps the milk was a problem. Tht's funny about the goose. I've never known anyone untl now who hd pet goose.  :Smile:  (Oh I guess people on a farm have them.)

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## Niamh

Oh Janine! they are so tiny! I'm sorry to hear one of them died...

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

> How old do yu think they are Janine? Perhaps the milk was a problem.


I agree, you should always use a special formula, I used a multipurpose one that was good for all sorts of animals; kangaroos and kittens, who would have thought! It's usually better to hold off on feeding them until you can get the right stuff. Cow's milk is evil for most baby animals  :Sick: 




> How old do yu think they are Janine? Perhaps the milk was a problem.


I agree, you should always use a special formula, I used a multipurpose one that was good for all sorts of animals; kangaroos and kittens, who would have thought! It's usually better to hold off on feeding them until you can get the right stuff. Cow's milk is evil for most baby animals  :Sick:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Saphira and I hit the woods yesterday, and came back with some new pictures:


A frog checking the surroundings.


Mating toads


Caught! Close up of the loving couple and a party pooper: 
Do you see the leach on the finger? It was attached to the females head.


Another view: Here you can see where the leach was attached.




A frog just floating around, soaking up the warmth of the sun.


Another toad couple (in another pond) having a rest below the surface.

/Claes

----------


## zanna

Claes, I really like second to last photo! And the toads' eyes in the close-up pictures look so interesting. Great shots, as usual. =)

----------


## IJustMadeThatUp

Fantastic pictures Claes. I really like the first one  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

So today i went on my first proper cycle.  :Biggrin: 
About seven minutes cycle from my house is the north dublin cycle track that goes from clontarf to sutton (by howth) with only a little break at St Annes and Dollymount.
The first couple of Pics were taken from the cycle track.
Looking North at Howth




Looking South at Dublin City and the Dublin/ Wicklow Mountains. 




On Dollymount Strand and Bull Island Reserve.


(thought this was funny  :Tongue:  )




















St Annes in the Backround


On the way home

----------


## subterranean

4 thumbs for your pics, Niamh! Love the bluesss...

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## Niamh

And thats the beach i was telling you about not long ago Subby!  :Biggrin: 

It was a beautiful warm day!

----------


## subterranean

I see. But must be freakin' cold back in Jan when I was there in Dublin. Not my lucky month!

----------


## Niamh

It would have been very cold. We just had our coldest winter in something like 70 years...

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> 4 thumbs for your pics, Niamh! Love the bluesss...


I agree:Those are my favourites too. Well done, Niamh.  :Thumbs Up: 

Some more pictures from last weekends visit to a nature reserve a couple of miles from my home:


This is a very old forest. very nice and relaxing.


There is also a lot of wetland here, and we certainly got our feet wet here. 


This is where we found most of the toads from the pictures in my previous post.


Close-up of the lush moss.




Colt's foot.


Wood Anemone.


Lichen


Blue Anemone.


Back home again: The neighbours cat paid us a visit... ....and promptly fell asleep.


ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

/Claes

----------


## a_little_wisp

I do believe that is the loveliest and the most content cat I have ever seen. As for the reserve... well. I'm really surprised no faeries snuck into your pictures! Those are lovely sights, indeed!

----------


## Aluminum

Lol, I agree! The reserve looks so ethereal..beautiful shots!




I have a few to share,


Eastern State Penitentiary, cell block seven.



Eastern State Penitentiary.



My doll. Lol.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I do believe that is the loveliest and the most content cat I have ever seen.


Yes... He is a 13 year old very gentle and easygoing mog, who *really* likes people.




> As for the reserve... well. I'm really surprised no faeries snuck into your pictures!


Nah. They run away as soon as they see the camera, I suppose  :Wink: 




> I have a few to share


So you did. That prison looks thoroughly intimidating and depressing, which I suspect may be the whole point? The doll picture is very nicely composed: Why don't you use it as your avatar?

/Claes

----------


## Niamh

amazing pics as usual Claes!

----------


## Madhuri

Niamh, your pics have such a calming effect  :Nod: 

Loved the cat, Claes

Aluminum, your first picture has is perfect. I liked the angle....it seems to have captured everything nicely  :Smile:

----------


## Aluminum

Thank you!! The angle was actually a mistake. I was trying to get a "straight on" shot but the walkway was so crowded that I didn't have room. Funny how those things work! Lol




> So you did. That prison looks thoroughly intimidating and depressing, which I suspect may be the whole point? The doll picture is very nicely composed: Why don't you use it as your avatar?
> /Claes


Yes! The atmosphere was incredibly gloomy in some sections. One of the hallways had two mirrors which I thought was the most eerie part of the whole place. It's strange walking in a prison and then suddenly seeing your reflection in gaudy mirrors.

Thanks! Good idea, I'll do that.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Niamh

I agree with Maddie, that first pic has a great balance.

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## Virgil

Fantastic pictures Claes, but I thought this was a Rated PG site.  :Tongue:  (I'm referring to the frogs on the previous page.) Even more impressive photos on this page.

Very nice Niamh. I realy liked that third from the bottom picture. Something about the huge sky and the grey tones. Oh and that second from the bottom: Isn't that the Loch Ness monster?  :Biggrin: 

Prison looks scary Aluminum. Thanks.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

> Fantastic pictures Claes, but I thought this was a Rated PG site.  (I'm referring to the frogs on the previous page.) Even more impressive photos on this page.
> 
> Very nice Niamh. I realy liked that third from the bottom picture. Something about the huge sky and the grey tones. Oh and that second from the bottom: Isn't that the Loch Ness monster? 
> 
> Prison looks scary Aluminum. Thanks.


Hahaha! you are the second person to say that! Puss said the same in my blog.  :Tongue:  thats what i thought before i snapped the picture. Thought was funny and wondered if anyone else thought the same.  :Biggrin:

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## Kafka's Crow

Nice pictures Claes, Niamh and welcome aboard Aluminum. This is a beautiful thread and your doll's picture is beautiful. You got the colours absolutely right there. We go out all the time now thanks to the doggy. Went to Boxhill, in Surrey yesterday. Such beautiful places just outside one of the biggest cities in the world:

These pictures were taken under an over-cast sky and some even in rain:





I am yet to see an urban house in more beautiful surroundings:

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## subterranean

Alu, that doll is adorable!  :Smile:

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## Aluminum

Thanks so much!!
Now I'm suddenly feeling inspired to go out and take more photos. Hehe.  :Biggrin: 

Crow, I want to live there! What a gorgeous place! I love that picture of your dog running towards the camera. The cutie was caught in mid-air. Hehe, toooo funny!

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> Thanks so much!!
> Now I'm suddenly feeling inspired to go out and take more photos. Hehe. 
> 
> Crow, I want to live there! What a gorgeous place! *I love that picture of your dog running towards the camera. The cutie was caught in mid-air. Hehe, toooo funny!*


Here is one more for you. It was taken in Horsell Common (near Woking, in Surrey). Horsell Common is the place where aliens land in H G Wells's _War of the Worlds._ It is a wild woodland of 800 acres with literally tens of thousands of trees and large clearings, ideal for any alien landing:

.

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## 1n50mn14

Kafka's Crow, I loved your Boxhill photos- I lived in Langley Vale for six months and frequently went riding through Boxhill. =) Your photos brought up some great memories.

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## Niamh

Great pics Kafka!

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## Virgil

I love it Kafka!!  :Smile:

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## Janine

Since there have been some spring wildlife photos lately; namely frogs engaging in spring activities; therefore, I thought I would share these photos with all of you. A few years back, I had the fortune of finding an ophan in my yard. I raised him until he was too big to keep in the house in his cage; then took him, reluctantly, to a wild-life shelter, so he could socialize with his fellow ducklings; sort of a "Born Free" story. Ducklings will bond easily to the first person they meet up with, if they lose their real mom; that turned out to be me. It just broke me up to part with this little fellow; he was so darn cute. I can only hope he got on well at the shelter; it was a very nice place in a wooded area. This is in the beginning...so

*Meet Mr.Peepers*




Mr.Peepers - please, don't stand in your food!


Mr.Peepers - "sure love those flip-flops!"


"These pink ones look interesting..."


Mr.Peepers sort of had a foot fetish... :FRlol: .

----------


## Virgil

> Since there have been some spring wildlife photos lately; namely frogs engaging in spring activities; therefore, I thought I would share these photos with all of you. A few years back, I had the fortune of finding an ophan in my yard. I raised him until he was too big to keep in the house in his cage; then took him, reluctantly, to a wild-life shelter, so he could socialize with his fellow ducklings; sort of a "Born Free" story. Ducklings will bond easily to the first person they meet up with, if they lose their real mom; that turned out to be me. It just broke me up to part with this little fellow; he was so darn cute. I can only hope he got on well at the shelter; it was a very nice place in a wooded area. This is in the beginning...so
> 
> *Meet Mr.Peepers*
> Mr.Peepers sort of had a foot fetish....


Mr Peepers looks like he's peeping under your dress.  :FRlol:  He may have had more than a foot fetish.  :Biggrin:

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## Janine

> Mr Peepers looks like he's peeping under your dress.  He may have had more than a foot fetish.


Yes, could be :FRlol: ....actually, though he thought I was his mother... and by the way, that's a horrid photo of my foot. It is not a fat foot, nor leg at all; it's just the odd angle. I would take him out of his cage, while I was making my breakfast every morning and he would follow me all over the kitchen; he was worse than a puppy; the whole time he was peeping away, thus his fitting name. Actually, now that I think of it; I never really was sure if he was truly a male. They have to grow up and get feathers before can determine sex. 

I will post some photos of baby duckings that hatched in our garden. We watched the whole thing, took hours; I just have a photo of them following their mother to the water; so cute. I am too tired now to post it. I will look in my files for other spring photos of pets, wildlife and yard, etc. Problem is a lot of my photos are on diskettes or zipdisks, but I do have external drives for each.

----------


## papayahed

I'm a Mom!!!!!!

I couple weeks ago I was checking supplies. I was approaching a box of respirators when I noticed garbage in the box and I started to get PO'd because nobody cleans up after themselves I was about to grab the box when I noticed this:




I've been looking in on it for a few weeks and this morning they greeted me:

----------


## Virgil

> I'm a Mom!!!!!!
> 
> I couple weeks ago I was checking supplies. I was approaching a box of respirators when I noticed garbage in the box and I started to get PO'd because nobody cleans up after themselves I was about to grab the box when I noticed this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been looking in on it for a few weeks and this morning they greeted me:


Just in time for mother's day. Now you can officially celebrate.  :Wink:  What exactly is it? I can't make it out.

----------


## papayahed

I dunno, some type of bird. They have to be pretty new because all I can make out is fuzz and giant mouths.

----------


## Niamh

there birds?

----------


## papayahed

> there birds?


 :Frown:  Yeah, In the last pic the yellow things in the fuzz are their beaks.

----------


## kilted exile

Well, I could make out they were birds - but I have been told I pay too much attention to "birds"

----------


## Niamh

> Yeah, In the last pic the yellow things in the fuzz are their beaks.


Really? *cleans glasses*




> Well, I could make out they were birds - but I have been told I pay too much attention to "birds"


 :FRlol:

----------


## Janine

My goodness, *papayahed,* these look tiny. It's a bird's nest right? I wonder if they are wrens, finches or hummingbirds; more possibly finches. How are you feeding them? I think they require a worm or insect, like every few minutes; however, with some parent bird species, I think they eat the worm first, digest it and regurgitate it up for the young ones. I don't think you are prepared to be that dedicated a mom to them, are you? We have a bird nest in our holly tree and the mother and father never stop flying in with their food; I think you will be up all night hearing their peeping. Wow, being a bird mom is a full time job. It's unbelievable to think they survived the shipping. Are they lively? I believe online recently I heard of a similar incident but it involved a small kitten or puppy, I believe. I sure hope they survive. 

Unfortunately, my aunt had to take her tiny kittens to a vet finally, because the weakest one died. She was trying to feed them with an eyedropper and powdered milk. I hope you have better luck with your new family.

----------


## papayahed

Oh, Sorry Janine I should have been a little more clear. The box wasn't shipped to me, it has been sitting in a storage room. I was checking the inventory of my safety supplies and I thought one of my guys threw trash in the box but when I pulled the box out a little bit I saw the nest so I put it back. I put a sign on the box not to disturb it and every few days I've been going in and looking at it. The "real" mother has been around. For a while there I would put on a face shield to look at the nest because I was afraid she would fly out of the nest and peck my eyes out. I was wondering if I should give them something to eat but I have no idea what so I'm leaving it up to bird mom.

----------


## Janine

> Oh, Sorry Janine I should have been a little more clear. The box wasn't shipped to me, it has been sitting in a storage room. I was checking the inventory of my safety supplies and I thought one of my guys threw trash in the box but when I pulled the box out a little bit I saw the nest so I put it back. I put a sign on the box not to disturb it and every few days I've been going in and looking at it. The "real" mother has been around. For a while there I would put on a face shield to look at the nest because I was afraid she would fly out of the nest and peck my eyes out. I was wondering if I should give them something to eat but I have no idea what so I'm leaving it up to bird mom.


Oh, great to hear this. Glad the mother bird is attending them. I could not imagine how you were going to feed them. I think you have to leave it up to nature now. You did the best you could and hopefully, the sign will deter people from disturbing the little nest. How cute it is. I hope they survive. It should be interesting to watch them grow and get feathers. I know what you mean about a face mask. My neighbor was once weeding near a bush with a mockingbird nest in it. Needless to say, he was bend over with short shorts on; he always wore these short cordoroy shorts in the summer. He pretty much had only his backside showing and the bird swooped down and you can imagine the rest -what a big shock to him. His wife told that story often and everyone got a good laugh, all except the man who was the subject of the viscious attack. Those mocking birds are the worst! You better wear full body gear...

----------


## subterranean

Would like to share two pictures from our visit today to the Kronborg Castle, in Helsingor (Denmark), which is much more well known as the Hamlet Castle.


*From the left: mono, Chava, Sub, and Sub's boyfriend.* 




*And these two were absolutely cute. *

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## Niamh

Awww!

and subby your boyfriend is tall!!!!

----------


## Stargazer86

omg how tall is the man on the right?? 

Lovely pix of all of you. That looks like a nice place to visit

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures Subby. You guys look great, and your boyfriend does look very tall. Love that castle too. So Mono and Chava are an item? I didn't realize we had a lit net romance going on.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

Wa! I can't view the photo - I just see an X and I love Hamlet. I want to see the Hamlet castle, darn!

----------


## subterranean

> omg how tall is the man on the right?? 
> 
> Lovely pix of all of you. That looks like a nice place to visit



It is a beautiful castle indeed.  :Smile: 

I think he's 198 CMs!  :Smile:

----------


## Nightshade

subby!! where are my pictures of the costume huh huh huh?




> Great pictures Subby. You guys look great, and your boyfriend does look very tall. Love that castle too. So Mono and Chava are an item? I didn't realize we had a lit net romance going on.


Um virgil not to be mean but are you going blind and forgetful, inyour old age?  :Tongue:   :Wink:  I thought everyone had cottoned on at least a week ago?  :Goof:

----------


## Virgil

> subby!! where are my pictures of the costume huh huh huh?
> 
> 
> 
> Um virgil not to be mean but are you going blind and forgetful, inyour old age?   I thought everyone had cottoned on at least a week ago?


 :Biggrin:  I must be. Was there another photo? I may have missed. I'll go back and check.  :Wink: 

Edit: I went back and looked and couldn't find anything by Subby on her boyfriend. Was it a different thread?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> *From the left: mono, Chava, Sub, and Sub's boyfriend.*


Good on you lot  :Thumbs Up:  Looks like you had a nice day there.  :Smile: 



> Wa! I can't view the photo - I just see an X and I love Hamlet. I want to see the Hamlet castle, darn!


Here you go, Janine... 



> Um virgil not to be mean but are you going blind and forgetful, inyour old age?


I told you before Virgil. At our age in general, and among all the young whippersnappers (ok, ok, j/k  :Wink:  ) residing here in particular, we cannot afford to overlook or forget things: What we used to be able to blaim on absentmindedness will now be regarded as senility.  :FRlol:  :FRlol:  :FRlol: 

/Claes

----------


## subterranean

> subby!! where are my pictures of the costume huh huh huh?


They are in mono's cam and Sunny's mom's friend's cam (hope I got that right  :Smile: ). 

You have to wait for mono to come back so he can download the pics!





> Edit: I went back and looked and couldn't find anything by Subby on her boyfriend. Was it a different thread?


On my boyfriend? No documented kissing on that part, yet.  :Tongue:

----------


## Nightshade

> I must be. Was there another photo? I may have missed. I'll go back and check. 
> 
> Edit: I went back and looked and couldn't find anything by Subby on her boyfriend. Was it a different thread?


Bless you! I was on about the mono-chava comment not Subby and her boyfriend!  :Rolleyes:   :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

> Here you go, Janine...
> /Claes



*Claes,* thanks so much for that link; have been perusing the site and love the photos of the real Hamlet castle - wow, how interesting. Now I want to go there; it's a beautiful castle and the area around it looks amazing.

----------


## Virgil

> Bless you! I was on about the mono-chava comment not Subby and her boyfriend!


 :Smile:  You're sweet Nightie.

----------


## Niamh

So as some of you well know, i was away for the weekend on a Paranormal trip to Edinburgh.  :Banana:  So here are a few piccys of possibly my favourite place on the planet (Starting to think i was born in the wrong country...) 

Grayfriars






Grayfriars Bobby






This is a shot i took of the Spire of St Giles Cathedral on the Friday night. I just love that architecture of that Cathedral. the Spire is a crown shape.




top of the Mercat Cross


the castle... they were getting ready for the Tattoo


the north bridge


The Scott monument (would have looked better if it hadnt been dark, overcast and raining!)


Advocate Close


The sun came out on the sunday. was amazing! I have never been in scotland when the sun shun and it was hot. The city glowed.

----------


## Stargazer86

Oh wow Niamh that's gorgeous!! I like the gloomy picture  :Smile:  It looks so creepy and foreboding. Very cool!

----------


## kilted exile

> I have never been in scotland when the sun shun and it was hot.


I have never been in scotland when the sun shone and it was hot

----------


## Niamh

> I have never been in scotland when the sun shone and it was hot


It was amazing! (damn it! i knew i spelt that wrong!)

----------


## Virgil

Oh I was in Edinburgh and thought it was a wonderful city. Really great architecture and wonderful people. I had a great time. I should try to dig out some photos. I know I have them somewhere.  :Smile:  Funny I can't remember if the sun was out.  :FRlol:  Actually I think it was in and out of clouds. But it was December and it was not that cold.

----------


## Niamh

I think the photo of Advocates close is one of my fav's

----------


## Virgil

> I think the photo of Advocates close is one of my fav's


Which one is that Niamh?

----------


## Niamh

photo 13.

----------


## Virgil

> photo 13.


It's certainly a cool one.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

Oh my gosh, *Niamh,* I love your photos! This is the country of my ancestors; my mother's side. I must go there someday someway. But you say the sun hardly ever shines?... or just when you happened to be there? I heard it's a beautiful place, from people I know who did make it over. See that grave of Gray; that might be one of my relatives. Hahah ....there must be a zillion 'Gray's' in Scotland! Thanks for posting these. I love them all. Very interesting architecture, as *Virgil* has pointed out.

----------


## Snowqueen

Very nice pictures Niamh, the last three are superb.

----------


## librarius_qui

Wonderful pictures!!!

I CERTAINLY was born in the wrong place. But now, it's too late to complain.

I'd visit Edinburg gladly, though  :Smile:  (But first I have to go to 1. Prague; 2. Napoli; 3. Dublin; & 4. Beig-ing.)

Thanks for the pics, Niamh!  :Smile: 

lq~
Tim f.f.

----------


## Niamh

> Oh my gosh, *Niamh,* I love your photos! This is the country of my ancestors; my mother's side. I must go there someday someway. But you say the sun hardly ever shines?... or just when you happened to be there? I heard it's a beautiful place, from people I know who did make it over. See that grave of Gray; that might be one of my relatives. Hahah ....there must be a zillion 'Gray's' in Scotland! Thanks for posting these. I love them all. Very interesting architecture, as *Virgil* has pointed out.


Yes some of my ansestors came from there also. As far as i'm aware they settled into Northern Ireland during the plantations of Ulster, or fled persecution at an earlier or later date. Probably earlier as they remained catholic.  :Smile: 
Oh it is a magically beautiful place even when its overcast an gray there is something about Scotland... but when the sun came out it was like seeing it from a whole different light. truely beautiful.
I'll post some more pics later.

----------


## Niamh

Here are some more pics from Greyfriars Kirk! Some of the tombs were unbelievable! The Archaeologist and history buff in me has a morbid fascination with Cemeterys and Graveyards... old ones to be exact!



















So i got a bit excited in Greyfriars when the sun popped out to say hello on the sunday and took a picture!  :Brow: 


This is the site of the old Edinburgh prisonbooth. Traditionally people would spit into the centre of the heart... some people (unfortunately) still do...


The Royal Mile


the walkway into Advocates Close


Bagpiper


St. Giles Cathedral in the sun. you can actually see the yellow sandstone of not just the cathedral, but most of the other buildings in the old town better in the sunshine.


Only a few yards from the Cathedral

----------


## Virgil

> Wonderful pictures!!!
> 
> I CERTAINLY was born in the wrong place. But now, it's too late to complain.
> 
> I'd visit Edinburg gladly, though  (But first I have to go to 1. Prague; 2. Napoli; 3. Dublin; & 4. Beig-ing.)
> 
> Thanks for the pics, Niamh! 
> 
> lq~
> Tim f.f.


Ooh, you mentioned Napoli. Why Napoli? I was born in the country side east of Napoli.

----------


## subterranean

This picture was taken last year when I was in Bergen, Norway. I have the smallest feet compare to my friends'.  :Biggrin:  
We call this picture 'Bergen on Our Feet' as the city looks like under our feet. It's a very beautiful city and it's listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage places.

----------


## Stargazer86

Niamh! I'm so jealous! I want to go there! Gorgeous  :Smile: 

Very cool pic, Sub!

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* I love all of your photos! I am picturing my relatives walking these streets at one time. So, you also have ancestral ties to Scotland. How interesting. I particularly like the cemetary scenes - I love those old historic cemetaries and graveyards myself. I like the photo of the 'Advocates Close' - makes me want to pass on through that arch to see the city. The lighting on that is interesting. Hey, that bagpiper is kind of cute; he has nice legs! Nice, too that the sun came out for your visit.

*Subby,* your feet picture is a riot. Sneakers overlooking in the city! Too funny!

----------


## Michael T

[QUOTE=Niamh;723207]Here are some more pics from Greyfriars Kirk! Some of the tombs were unbelievable! The Archaeologist and history buff in me has a morbid fascination with Cemeterys and Graveyards... old ones to be exact!

Did you know about Greyfriars Bobby - the little dog that stayed by his masters grave for fourteen years? Locals used to feed him and I believe he is buried near to his master.  :Bawling:

----------


## Niamh

Yeah hes burried just as you walk in. his owner is down to the right. very sad.

----------


## Stargazer86

[QUOTE=Michael T;724573]


> Here are some more pics from Greyfriars Kirk! Some of the tombs were unbelievable! The Archaeologist and history buff in me has a morbid fascination with Cemeterys and Graveyards... old ones to be exact!
> 
> Did you know about Greyfriars Bobby - the little dog that stayed by his masters grave for fourteen years? Locals used to feed him and I believe he is buried near to his master.



What a sad and touching story!! Dogs really are amazing creatures, aren't they?

----------


## Virgil

> I have the smallest feet compare to my friends'.


Why doesn't that surprise me.  :Tongue:  Nice picture.  :Wink: 

What a wonderful dog Michael. Thanks. Dogs are the best.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

> So as some of you well know, i was away for the weekend on a Paranormal trip to Edinburgh.  So here are a few piccys of possibly my favourite place on the planet (Starting to think i was born in the wrong country...) 
> 
> Grayfriars
> 
> 
> Grayfriars Bobby


you can see it at the front of the church Michael.  :Smile:

----------


## qimissung

Niamh and Subterranean, your pictures are gorgeous! I don't get to travel much, but when I come here, I feel that I have! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful adventures!

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Nice pictures folks. Niamh, Edinburgh is one of the most mysterious cities in the UK. My wife went there last winter. I went up to Glasgow and came right back after picking my sister-in-law, a round trip of 940 miles! Should have gone to Edinburgh. That little dog's story is so sad.

We went to New Forest, near Southampton, yesterday. Here are some of the pictures I took in Lepe Park:

----------


## Niamh

I hear the new forest is supposed to be so beautiful! I've never been to that part of England. lovely pics!

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Kafka. I see the pup is doing well.  :Smile:

----------


## Themis

Some pictures from the Nussdorf Weir and Locks. The architect responsible for this was Otto Wagner.


(And me; admittedly, I didn't take this one.)

And other pictures from the Vienna Woods (lots of trees, the view you can get on Vienna and a war memorial which was built in 1916).

----------


## mono

More pictures from the trip to Denmark and Sweden.

One of the many canals within Copenhagen, where one would frequently see swans trodding along:


In what quickly ended up as one of my favorite neighborhoods of Copenhagen, called Slotsholmen, Christiansborg Palace, with a statue of Christian VI atop his horse:


Nearby, a very beautiful building, the Danish Stock Exchange building:


My future car:


Within another neighborhood I fell in love with, called Strøget, this fountain sat in the middle of one of the squares:


We went to Karen Blixen's house (a.k.a. Isak Dinesen), now a tourist attraction just north of Copenhagen; towards the end of her life, realizing her failing health and approaching demise, Blixen did all but plan her own funeral, detailed her living will, and specified that her house remain precisely the same and practically untouched. _Everything_ inside her house has remained exactly as she left it before her death in the early 1960's, with the exception of flowers and probably routine dusting. Unfortunately, they forbade photography inside of her house.
She requested a burial site atop a hill, some 1/2 mile's hike beneath this impressive tree. On her gravestone prints nothing, except her name:


Thinking of graves, Chava took me to Assistens Kirkegaard, placed almost precisely in the middle of Copenhagen in the Nørrebro district, an immense cemetery where graves date from centuries ago to modern times, also where many notable individuals lie; I managed to get pictures of most I wanted to see, but, unfortunately, we could not find Niels Bohr's grave in time.
Søren Kierkegaard's grave:


The late reggae singer's, Natasja Saad's, grave:


A strikingly attractive young woman standing next to Hans Christian Andersen's grave:


Late poet's, Dan Turèll's, grave:


Kronborg Castle, where Shakespeare furthermore immortalized as the place where Hamlet lived, and where he actually never visited (ironic, eh?):


Closer up, on another side:

----------


## The Walker

oh gosh! mono, those are great pleases to be. I'm so jealous!!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures Mono. I especially like the architecture.  :Smile:

----------


## Chava

Geez, we must have been busy to see all of those things! You should come back, then we can see more!

----------


## manolia

Great pictures mono  :Nod:  Northern Europe is beautiful  :Smile:  
(too much running water though, did you cross those canals?  :Biggrin: )

----------


## Niamh

wonderful pics mono!
I really got to go there!

----------


## kilted exile

some pics I took of the sunset at the lake last night. Unfortunately a little cloudy.

----------


## Niamh

oh so pretty!!!!  :Eek:

----------


## qimissung

Kilted and mono, beautiful pictures. I am happy for you, but long to see something more of the world!

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Kilt.  :Smile:  That's a pretty large lake. Or so it seems in the pictures.

----------


## zanna

Mono -- the picture of the tree is my favorite, I think! =) It looks like you got to see many wonderful things, though!

Kilted -- the clouds make those sunset pictures very interesting and beautiful (in my opinion, of course); thanks for sharing them with us! =)

----------


## Lynne50

javascript**:void(0);

----------


## Lynne50

Sorry guys, trying to post some pictures, but I'm running into technical difficulties. Mainly it's because I'm computer illiterate.

----------


## kilted exile

thanks

and virg, that is lake Huron

----------


## Scheherazade

Kilted, those photos remind me such much of the town I grew up (though it was a seaside resort, not lake). Bringing so many memories.

Yes, we turn into sentimental fools as we age.

----------


## Nightshade

Library walk, Manchester

I have seen that picture in my head for three years, I am so happy it came out ok!
 :Nod:  


and central Library




You can justs ee the start of library walk behind the tram.

----------


## Niamh

beautiful!

----------


## Michael T

> Library walk, Manchester
> 
> I have seen that picture in my head for three years, I am so happy it came out ok


 :Thumbs Up:  I like this photo Nightshade...cool.  :Smile: 

All that and Old Trafford too...lucky thing!

----------


## Nightshade

> All that and Old Trafford too...lucky thing!


Don't mention that place to me! 
I almost got squished to detah by fans once because I was on the wrong tram at the wrong time!

----------


## Niamh

football.. meh!

----------


## Nightshade

Neigh, men meh!

----------


## Michael T

> because I was on the wrong tram at the wrong time!


Women!!! Meh  :Biggrin:

----------


## Niamh

:FRlol:

----------


## Nightshade

> Women!!! Meh


Not my fault only way back to Manchester city centre from the Salford branch of Frankie and Bennys if you dont drive is the Metrolink tram that stops at Old trafford.
How was I to know that a load of loud louts who didnt know the meaning of this carraoige is now FULL! And NOO don't rock the tram. ANd hey I think you will find that is _attached_ to me! 
Were about to pile in and keep piling in, and suspend me in midair?

----------


## Janine

> Sorry guys, trying to post some pictures, but I'm running into technical difficulties. Mainly it's because I'm computer illiterate.


*Lynne,* I will be over today to teach you to be less computer illiterate....but don't hope for a miracle in one session!  :Wink:  :FRlol: 
We will get some of your photos up and running though.

----------


## Chava

> wonderful pics mono!
> I really got to go there!


By the way, you know you are always welcome!  :Smile:

----------


## Stargazer86

Nightshade- Great pix! I especially like that sepia toned one

----------


## Lynne50

Near my house at Red Bank Battlefield taken at 7:30 pm





Trip to Brandwine River Museum in Pennsylvania featuring works of the Wyeth Family

----------


## Virgil

Lynne, what gorgeous pictures. Red Bank, New Jersey? I've been through there. Never got a chance to look around though. I see I missed some lovely scenery  :Smile:

----------


## Stargazer86

Lynne- Gorgeous pix!!

----------


## Niamh

> By the way, you know you are always welcome!


I know!  :Biggrin:  but this kettle needs to motivate herself and organise when she could visit... got a few important trips planned over autumn that i have to save for... but i'll get over to visit you and subby soon!  :Biggrin: 




> Near my house at Red Bank Battlefield taken at 7:30 pm


Oh Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

----------


## Virgil

> Near my house at Red Bank Battlefield taken at 7:30 pm


What battlefield is in Red Bank New Jersey? Revolutionary War?

----------


## Niamh

So nightie already posted some picks from the trip to Manchester, so now its my turn!  :Biggrin: 



cant really remember name of this park... Wentworth? Whitworth? humm


Central Library




some interesting architecture




Brannigans!!!! (ladywentworth understands why this excites me!  :Biggrin:  )


John Rylands Library




Manchester Cathedral (oh so pretty! I do love a nice cathedral! )






(my fave photo)




Around Manchester






Around Chetham

----------


## Lynne50

> What battlefield is in Red Bank New Jersey? Revolutionary War?


This picture is not taken in Red Bank, NJ. I was standing on the shore looking at Philadelphia, Pa. across the Delaware. Yes, it is a battlefield from the Revolutionary War. We have a reenactment every year. Our little town's claim to fame.

----------


## Virgil

Thanks Lynne. Wonderful pictures Naimh. It feels like I'm there. And it looks like you've had some nice weather.

----------


## Stargazer86

Niamh- Amazing photos! I really like them  :Smile:  I concur with your favorite pic but I also really like the one that you took of the corner of the building

----------


## Michael T

I agree with Stargazer, your favorite photo is very good Niamh.  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Virgil

You know, compare the architectrue of the older buildings and the contemporary ones. The older ones are just gorgeous. What is wrong with modern architecture that they produce such sterile buildings. It's not just Manchester, it's every where.

----------


## Michael T

> You know, compare the architectrue of the older buildings and the contemporary ones. The older ones are just gorgeous. What is wrong with modern architecture that they produce such sterile buildings. It's not just Manchester, it's every where.


Agreed Virgil  :Nod:

----------


## Niamh

you are right virgil. And where the old meets new in Manchester to me personally they dont blend well.

----------


## Madhuri

So, I have been traveling for the past ten days. I visited my second home, Varanasi (Benaras / Kashi). It is one of the oldest living cities in the world; an important pilgrimage destination for the Hindus. It is situated on the bank of the river Ganga (Ganges), one of the holiest rivers. People keep Ganga water in their homes for performing _puja_. They say that it's water never spoils, one can keep the water in a can for several years and no alge (or that green slimy thingy) grows.

Here are some pics:






On the left you can see the city, there are several _ghats_ along the river bank. These _ghats_ were built by several rulers and other rich people in earlier times; it was a sort of a place reserved for these people and their families; whenever they wanted to visit Varanasi, they would stay at the houses they built along the river bank.



another view:





A closer view:



One of the _ghats_



View of the other side of the river bank:



Will post more pics  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Oh how gorgeous Maddie. I love that architecture and the river looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing.  :Smile:

----------


## Emil Miller

> You know, compare the architectrue of the older buildings and the contemporary ones. The older ones are just gorgeous. What is wrong with modern architecture that they produce such sterile buildings. It's not just Manchester, it's every where.


Virgil, I posted an item ( Architceture and you) on this very subject in the serious discussions thread a short while ago. You might be interested in some of the comments.

----------


## Virgil

> Virgil, I posted an item ( Architceture and you) on this very subject in the serious discussions thread a short while ago. You might be interested in some of the comments.


Thanks. I'll check it out later when I have a little more time.

----------


## Niamh

Oh Maddie! I love the pics! so nice! Must be getting really really hot there now?

----------


## Lynne50

[B]Maddie, loved your photos. Quite unusual architecture, esp. so close to the water.[B]

*And Niamh, Loved your pix too. One of the modern buildings reminded me of the Louvre.*

----------


## qimissung

Lynne, Niamh, Madhuri, your pictures are gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing.

Lynne, you live in most beautiful place.

Niamh, Manchester looks lovely, and I can tell you and Nightshade had a wonderful time. I agree with you and Virgil; I much prefer older, more traditional architecture.

Madhuri, thank you so much for the pictures of your gorgeous country. It is absolutely fascinating to see the different places where people live.

----------


## The Walker

> On the left you can see the city, there are several _ghats_ along the river bank. These _ghats_ were built by several rulers and other rich people in earlier times; it was a sort of a place reserved for these people and their families; whenever they wanted to visit Varanasi, they would stay at the houses they built along the river bank.
> 
> 
> 
> another view:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Madhuri, I simply looooved it! I couldnt choose just one as my favorite. It looks like such a great place. I liked very much the one with the man on the 'canoe'... Beautiful!

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks guys  :Biggrin: 

Posting some more pictures:





The pictures below are of the ghats where cremation is done.



Here you can see a dead body covered in yellow cloth. The people sitting around are relatives waiting for the pyre to be set.



Another ghat that is used more for cremations. There is a story behind every ghat and why certain things are done there and not on other ghats.

In earlier days, certain section of the cremation places were for general public and certain area was for kings and queens only.



This ghat has a significance in our family. My great-grandfather wanted to die here and he also wanted to be cremated at this place. His last wish was fulfilled.



This picture is the house of the person designated as _Dome_. He belongs to Scheduled Cast (if you are aware of the cast system...) and he gives the _agni_ (fire) or permission for cremations to be done on any of the ghats.

----------


## Stargazer86

Madhuri- very cool and interesting pix. you can really get a feel for the culture and life there

Thanks for sharing  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Yes thank you very much Maddie. I find your pictures fascinating.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

wow! that is fasinating!

----------


## The Comedian

Lovely images Madhuri

----------


## bluevictim

Wonderful pictures, everyone!

Here are some pictures from Mt. Conness in California:

Looking toward the East ridge. The summit is the round hump in the middle of the picture with a small patch of snow on its top left corner.


Looking down toward Alpine Lake (frozen) from a point near the top of the East ridge:


Looking up the East ridge:


Looking toward the summit from the summit plateau:


Enjoy!

----------


## Virgil

I'm always impressed with your mountain climbing pictures Blue. Thanks.  :Smile:

----------


## bluevictim

> I'm always impressed with your mountain climbing pictures Blue. Thanks.


Thanks, Virgil. I'm glad you enjoyed them.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

> I'm always impressed with your mountain climbing pictures Blue. Thanks.


I second this!!!

----------


## Aluminum

Hello! I took these a few months ago before spring, but I thought I'd share them anyway.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Thanks Aluminum. I really like the color of the sky set against the silohetted trees. Did you use a filter? Or was that just the natural tones?

----------


## Aluminum

Thanks! Those were the natural tones, then I brightened the color a bit after importing the pictures. I took them at the end of my driveway. All the trees looked like silhouettes that evening and it was just too pretty to go without taking a picture. ;D

----------


## Niamh

Nice pics Alu!  :Biggrin: 


Okay so here is a black and white i'm quite proud of that i snapped out in Glendalough Last week!

----------


## Janine

Sorry, I tried to post a short video of my grand-daughter and it won't work. Later maybe, when I get it figured out.

*Niamh,* I love your black and white photo. You did a great job. Keep taking those; they have a certain charm.

----------


## Niamh

Thanks Janine!  :Biggrin:  I really love taking photos, and theres just something about getting wonderful shots from a good camera. I just love taking good B&Ws. I think i'm getting better at it too. So far i'm really proud of three of my b&Ws.  :Smile:  the one of Buckingham palace and the one of Machester Cathedral, both of which are also in here, and of course the one above.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

> Thanks Janine!  I really love taking photos, and theres just something about getting wonderful shots from a good camera. I just love taking good B&Ws. I think i'm getting better at it too. So far i'm really proud of three of my b&Ws.  the one of Buckingham palace and the one of Machester Cathedral, both of which are also in here, and of course the one above.


Hi *Niamh!* All the ones you have been posting lately I just love...the old buildings are so interesting and your shots were really well done. I haven't been on this thread too much lately; but now and then, I check in and I saw all the cool ones your posted so far, or at least, I think I did. I will recheck the last page in case I missed anything.

Here's a video of my grand-daughter, Brooke's recent performance on the 4th of July, on her little toy piano. I love her style; I think we have a 'Star' in the making! Enjoy this quick video, taken by my son's wife.

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_5044.flv

As my friend Lynne said "I love how she was keeping time with her foot. And the music just knocked her off her feet."

Hahah..she is so graceful dismounting the stool! I just had to share this with all of you on this thread.

----------


## Haunted

soooo cute! Look she's swaying to the music too. I vote this to be the MTV Music Video of the Year.

----------


## Virgil

> Nice pics Alu! 
> 
> 
> Okay so here is a black and white i'm quite proud of that i snapped out in Glendalough Last week!


Wow, that is a gorgeous picture Niamh. What does it look like in color?




> Hi *Niamh!* All the ones you have been posting lately I just love...the old buildings are so interesting and your shots were really well done. I haven't been on this thread too much lately; but now and then, I check in and I saw all the cool ones your posted so far, or at least, I think I did. I will recheck the last page in case I missed anything.
> 
> Here's a video of my grand-daughter, Brooke's recent performance on the 4th of July, on her little toy piano. I love her style; I think we have a 'Star' in the making! Enjoy this quick video, taken by my son's wife.
> 
> http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_5044.flv
> 
> As my friend Lynne said "I love how she was keeping time with her foot. And the music just knocked her off her feet."
> 
> Hahah..she is so graceful dismounting the stool! I just had to share this with all of you on this thread.


Hahaha that is so cute. I loved it Janine. She's the next Mozart I'm sure.  :Wink:  Is that her mother beside her?

----------


## Janine

> Hahaha that is so cute. I loved it Janine. She's the next Mozart I'm sure.  Is that her mother beside her?


Thanks *Virgil,* I thought it was precious, too....wow, how these little cameras can now catch such a moment in time. I laughed at her dismount; it seemed she didn't take note just how to get off the piano stool; she was too preoccuppied with the music. 

She's walking now; my son called to tell us so. He says she walks all around the whole downstairs. I bet she looks cute, cause she is so little. No, that's not her mother speaking, it's her mother's mom, Myra, Brooke's other grandmother. Wish I had been there too. I guess Michelle was taking the video. They both were laughing.

Now that I know how to post the videos I have a few more I can post from months back. They are so cute, but I think this one is the definitely winner!

----------


## Virgil

> Thanks *Virgil,* I thought it was precious, too....wow, how these little cameras can now catch such a moment in time. I laughed at her dismount; it seemed she didn't take note just how to get off the piano stool; she was too preoccuppied with the music. 
> 
> She's walking now; my son called to tell us so. He says she walks all around the whole downstairs. I bet she looks cute, cause she is so little. No, that's not her mother speaking, it's her mother's mom, Myra, Brooke's other grandmother. Wish I had been there too. I guess Michelle was taking the video. They both were laughing.
> 
> Now that I know how to post the videos I have a few more I can post from months back. They are so cute, but I think this one is the definitely winner!


How old is she there?

----------


## Janine

> soooo cute! Look she's swaying to the music too. I vote this to be the MTV Music Video of the Year.


*Haunted*, thanks for taking the time to view it and your comments. I just love this video now the best. I have several others. I think you are right - this should be the MTV Music Video of the Year, maybe baby category....do they have one?

----------


## Janine

> How old is she there?


I think that was probably taken 4th of July so her birthday was May 14th...hummm....14 months old...right?

----------


## Virgil

> I think that was probably taken 4th of July so her birthday was May 14th...hummm....14 months old...right?


Yes just about. She's very sweet.  :Smile:

----------


## Haunted

> *Haunted*, thanks for taking the time to view it and your comments. I just love this video now the best. I have several others. I think you are right - this should be the MTV Music Video of the Year, maybe baby category....do they have one?


If there isn't a baby category, we'll make one! 
ok Janine, prepare your acceptance speech, little Brooke's #1 Cute all the way!  :Cool:

----------


## Janine

> If there isn't a baby category, we'll make one! 
> ok Janine, prepare your acceptance speech, little Brooke's #1 Cute all the way!


Ok, I will have to write one. I think there should be a baby category...maybe even on Youtube. I bet those would be the greatest videos, don't you? Wish I could combine all these little videos I have of Brooke and put them on a disk or make one longer video. Now that is your expertise, not mine, *Haunted!*


Quote by Virgil



> Yes just about. She's very sweet.


Yes, thanks; she really is a sweetheart, *Virgil.* I think this age is so cute too, don't you? They are so busy doing everything and seeing, discovering everything around them. They don't miss a trick.

----------


## Niamh

> Hi *Niamh!* All the ones you have been posting lately I just love...the old buildings are so interesting and your shots were really well done. I haven't been on this thread too much lately; but now and then, I check in and I saw all the cool ones your posted so far, or at least, I think I did. I will recheck the last page in case I missed anything.
> 
> Here's a video of my grand-daughter, Brooke's recent performance on the 4th of July, on her little toy piano. I love her style; I think we have a 'Star' in the making! Enjoy this quick video, taken by my son's wife.
> 
> http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_5044.flv
> 
> As my friend Lynne said "I love how she was keeping time with her foot. And the music just knocked her off her feet."
> 
> Hahah..she is so graceful dismounting the stool! I just had to share this with all of you on this thread.


I was thinking the same as Lynne. its so cute how she looks like she is pushing her foot down on peddles to the music!  :Biggrin: 





> Wow, that is a gorgeous picture Niamh. What does it look like in color?


I took a pic of it in colour first. this is what it looks like... (with the b&W below for comparison)

----------


## Virgil

Interesting comparison. The color pulls the eye to the right, toward the grassy area of the hill on the right, while the balck and white, having extinguished color contrast, pulls the eye toward the center merge point of the hills.

Perhaps it's just me but I tend to like most nature scenes in color. Now portraits can look good in either.

Thanks Niamh.

----------


## Lynne50

> Interesting comparison. The color pulls the eye to the right, toward the grassy area of the hill on the right, while the balck and white, having extinguished color contrast, pulls the eye toward the center merge point of the hills.
> 
> Perhaps it's just me but I tend to like most nature scenes in color. Now portraits can look good in either.
> 
> Thanks Niamh.


Great photos Niamh. After I read your post, Virgil, I went back and looked at them both too. Good observations! In the color photo, the trees on the right do stand out more prominently and I agree in the b/w the eye tracks right down the middle.

Niamh, I think I do prefer the color one, too, but in either case they are very nice photos. I am a amateur when it comes to picture taking, but I think I do best with landscapes. I'm going to have to try some black and whites now.

----------


## Niamh

> Interesting comparison. The color pulls the eye to the right, toward the grassy area of the hill on the right, while the balck and white, having extinguished color contrast, pulls the eye toward the center merge point of the hills.
> 
> Perhaps it's just me but I tend to like most nature scenes in color. Now portraits can look good in either.
> 
> Thanks Niamh.





> Great photos Niamh. After I read your post, Virgil, I went back and looked at them both too. Good observations! In the color photo, the trees on the right do stand out more prominently and I agree in the b/w the eye tracks right down the middle.
> 
> Niamh, I think I do prefer the color one, too, but in either case they are very nice photos. I am a amateur when it comes to picture taking, but I think I do best with landscapes. I'm going to have to try some black and whites now.


I like hte b&w one better because it drags to the centre. I find that some of the features appear sharper like the rocks and pebbles in the forground and the foliage looks softer. Also in the centre middle ground you can make out the mountain stream that flows into the lake more than in the colour.  :Smile: 
I'm an amateur too lynne, and i think i do landscape much better too. I just cant capture people in a photogenic way. I thinks it also has to do with my love of the landscape.

----------


## Janine

Interesting discussion on B&W verses color photography. I was watching a Hitchcock film the other night - "Suspicion" and after I watched the featurette and it showed various scenes in the B&W version verses the colorized version....then it explained how each was more effective in the B&W. It was very interesting to see the difference. However, my own thoughts on it are that you really need graphic images to make it worth while. Here are some that come to mind - interesting buildings (*Niamh*, you achieved that in some of your earlier shots; canyons or exposed rock in landscapes or other more pronounced or stark environments (a good example of this would be the work by Ansel Adams; fine closeup detail (such as closeups with grains of sand, objects, blades of wheat, etc).

I like your photo of the lake in both, *Niamh,* but I agree with *Lynne,* in that I prefer the color version to the B&W in this case. I think the color version has more depth, because of the subtle effect of the various colors in the background of the hills or mountains. This adds interest to the photo. Now, as to your rural photos, I love these in B&W...they have enough architectural interest to work well in B&W. In art college I had a small course - one semester, of B&W photography; we even developed film back then. It was great fun. I learned a lot of the basics. B&W can be very effective.

I just bought and installed Adobe Photo Elements; can't wait to get to using it more; first I have to learn what it is capable of. It should be great fun. I might need Dummies for APE's! eeek...there is so much there!

----------


## 1n50mn14

Mmm. I want to visit that lake, Niamh, it looks gorgeous. Great photo.

----------


## Virgil

> I just bought and installed Adobe Photo Elements; can't wait to get to using it more; first I have to learn what it is capable of. It should be great fun. I might need Dummies for APE's! eeek...there is so much there!


Oh I've been looking for a photo software. I just never know what to buy. Is that the one I should get Janine?

----------


## Janine

> Oh I've been looking for a photo software. I just never know what to buy. Is that the one I should get Janine?


*Virgil,* I think this is the one to go with. I looked at it a long time, before I bought it. I put in into my Amazon 'wishlist' ages ago, so I could keep an eye on the prices - the go up and down all the time. I know Adobe is the best one to go with. I heard the Elements have all you would need. It has a lot; I am impressed so far. *Stargazer*(she has the full version) told me her friend lost her older program (full version); then she ordered this one and she loves it; the full version is super expensive. I don't think we amateurs would need the full version. For one thing, it would take too long to learn. I asked a lot when I was at various stores, if this was the one to buy and I received all good feedback. I waited till it got to $69.00 and bought it; designated 'super-saving shipping', so it was free to ship. It goes lower sometimes, but beware - they offer a rebate, but in fine type is says, that is if you already own the older version of an Adobe Photoshop program.
The one I bought is *Adobe Photoshop Elements 7*...has a photo of a little girl dressed in a ballet costume, with superimposed butterfly wings...basic color of the box is in blues. I have to learn the program myself. I only fiddled around with it one night, but it looks like it does quite a lot. It was easy to install. There's countless pulldown menus with lots of tools and things; it looks really interesting.

----------


## Virgil

> *Virgil,* I think this is the one to go with. I looked at it a long time, before I bought it. I put in into my Amazon 'wishlist' ages ago, so I could keep an eye on the prices - the go up and down all the time. I know Adobe is the best one to go with. I heard the Elements have all you would need. It has a lot; I am impressed so far. *Stargazer*(she has the full version) told me her friend lost her older program (full version); then she ordered this one and she loves it; the full version is super expensive. I don't think we amateurs would need the full version. For one thing, it would take too long to learn. I asked a lot when I was at various stores, if this was the one to buy and I received all good feedback. I waited till it got to $69.00 and bought it; designated 'super-saving shipping', so it was free to ship. It goes lower sometimes, but beware - they offer a rebate, but in fine type is says, that is if you already own the older version of an Adobe Photoshop program.
> The one I bought is *Adobe Photoshop Elements 7*...has a photo of a little girl dressed in a ballet costume, with superimposed butterfly wings...basic color of the box is in blues. I have to learn the program myself. I only fiddled around with it one night, but it looks like it does quite a lot. It was easy to install. There's countless pulldown menus with lots of tools and things; it looks really interesting.


Thank you Janine. You talked me into it.  :Smile: 

Now which video camera should I get? Do you have one? I will need one for the fall and I want to get during the summer to practice with.

----------


## Janine

> Thank you Janine. You talked me into it. 
> 
> Now which video camera should I get? Do you have one? I will need one for the fall and I want to get during the summer to practice with.


I will ask my son. He's had some digitals he hated and some he really loved. Lynne has a fairly new camera she loves, too. I think it's Nikon Cool Pix, but don't quote me on that. Her photos were really great, from her recent trip to Las Vegas; they were very good resolution and sharp colors. I want a new camera, too. I may be looking around as well. I have to stay within a reasonable price range; but I don't think they run too high - I keep seeing them onsale but meant to ask her what model she owned. I think the Nikons are good. Ask *Lynne*; meantime I will ask my son.

*Virgil,* Alert! I just checked out the photo program on Amazon. It's down now to $59.99...I would go for it tonight. You can't get that rebate though, without owning the older program. 59.99 is the best you can do. It usually doesn't go that low. I would order it tonight and be sure to designate the super-saving shipping. Look it up in search; the link did not work....sorry

----------


## bluevictim

Niamh, that's a great picture of the lake.

Janine, your granddaughter is adorable!

Here's a shot I took in Kings Canyon National Park:

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## Stargazer86

Niamh- Lovely photo  :Smile:  Though I also usually prefer nature shots in color, this particular shot works best in black and white (imo). It has a nice balance and harmony to it.

Blue- that's a gorgeous shot!!

Some pix from my last trip to Sacrament/San Francisco



San Quentin

Sacramento River

Haight and Ashbury

Golden Gate

Sacramento, CA state capitol

The Governator

Alcatraz

----------


## bluevictim

Great shot of the fog rolling in behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Ah, my city by the Bay!

----------


## Stargazer86

> Great shot of the fog rolling in behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Ah, my city by the Bay!


'twas a rare and fleeting sunny moment in San Francisco Bay...
 :Smile: 
ONe of my favorite places in the world...though I'd never be able to live there

Blue, where is that park where you took the picture?
It really is a fantastic pic. Looks like a beautiful place

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## bluevictim

Kings Canyon is next to Sequoia National Park (where the huge tree that you can drive through is). It really is a beautiful place.

Here's another picture from the area:

----------


## Niamh

Nice pics Star!!!

Amazing photos as usual Blue!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

Yes I like that Golden Gate Bridge shot. I don't think I've seen that angle of the bridsge before. Is that off a boat?

I need to take some pictures of the Verazano Narrows bridge here. Much has been made of the beauty of the Golden Gate but I have always felt the Verazano is a better looking bridge.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Stargazer86

Another gorgeous shot, Blue!

The only national park I've ever been to is Joshua Tree...but I think I'd rather go to the one you're shooting photos of!

Virgil- I prefer to take the ferry rather than the bridge because you have to pay a toll either way. And driving/parking there is crazy...well maybe not for you being from New York and all lol but I would never try it. 
Also on the ferry you pass right next to San Quentin and near Alcatraz and I believe Angel Island. If it is not overcast or foggy you can see the bridges quite well
Please do post a pic of the bridge  :Smile:  I'd like to see

----------


## bluevictim

> Amazing photos as usual Blue!





> Another gorgeous shot, Blue!
> 
> The only national park I've ever been to is Joshua Tree...but I think I'd rather go to the one you're shooting photos of!


Thanks for the compliments!

Stargazer86, don't put down JT! It's one of my favorite national parks, and a regular stop during the winter months when the weather is bad everywhere else. The first time I visited, it had just become a national park. I remember that camping back then was free, so my friend and I would drive in and leave at night, so we didn't have to pay any fees at all.

----------


## qimissung

Niamh, I love your black and whit photo; very dramatic. bluevictim, I love your color photo of Kings Canyon National Park. I like them both, but the first one is my favorite. And good pictures of San Fran, Stargazer.

Janine, your lovely granddaughter is adorable. I love how she is rockin' and rollin' with the music!!!

----------


## Virgil

> Virgil- I prefer to take the ferry rather than the bridge because you have to pay a toll either way. And driving/parking there is crazy...well maybe not for you being from New York and all lol but I would never try it. 
> Also on the ferry you pass right next to San Quentin and near Alcatraz and I believe Angel Island. If it is not overcast or foggy you can see the bridges quite well
> Please do post a pic of the bridge  I'd like to see


Thanks. That does sound like a great ferry ride. I'll have to stop and take some pictures of the bridge. If I can remember I'll do it this weekend.

----------


## Madhuri

Some more pics of the city. Every evening prayer is performed along the river bank; it is one of the best prayers I have seen till date. The devotional songs, music, sound of the coonch shells; it was awsome!


There were total seven people, I couldn't take all in one frame. Here they are blowing the coonch shells.

----------


## Olga4real

Just wanted to share some pictures from Cyprus...

----------


## Niamh

Here are some pics taken from the summit of howth and the harbour when Kilted was over.  :Smile: 

Walk up to the summit


on the summit










Howth Harbour as the sun was setting






Irelands Eye

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Ok, In have been idle for too long. Time to get back to this thread, with some pictures from the Swedish west coast:

View towards the sea.

Crabs waiting to be cooked.

A gull, snapped from about 1m. It kept a weary eye out but stayed calm.

Smögen. 

One of several harbours scattered around Smögen.

Interesting colour scheme for a boat. Valön.

Berries.

Cattle, enjoying a day at the beach just as much as humans.

Catching a tan?

Boats everywhere...

/Claes

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## Niamh

claes you have the same pic five time!
beautiful though!  :Smile:

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## Lynne50

*Niamh,
Loved all your photos, but the one picture of the two boats at sunset is really spectacular.

Claes,
Loved your photos, too, especially the close ups of the cattle and berries.

*

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> claes you have the same pic five time!
> beautiful though!


There should be more variation now  :FRlol: 

/Claes

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## JuniperWoolf

Claes, I have NEVER seen a crab like the ones you posted. Look at those tiny little legs! I've also never seen cows on a beach.

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## Virgil

Great pictures all.

Claes those cows look very well fed. I bet they're tastey.  :Smile:

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## Janine

*Claes,* Cows on the beach; how interesting! What is in the ear of that one lone cow - does he have a hearing aid? haha....

I love the little harbour town with the red buildings.

Cool photo of the seagull. He was probably hoping for a handout.

Love those luscious red berries - always love your closeup shots! That red polka dot boat is a scream. I really like it...makes for a very interesting photo....

*Niamh,* beautiful set of photos. I love all of your photos so much. *Lynne* is right. I also love the sunsets.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes those cows look very well fed. I bet they're tastey.


Yes, definitely well fed: They spend the entire summer eating fresh grass by the seaside.




> What is in the ear of that one lone cow - does he have a hearing aid?


Just an ID tag. They all have them.


> Cool photo of the seagull. He was probably hoping for a handout.


Good bet. They always do, and if they don't get one they try to grab something anyway. Besides, we watched one gobbling a dropped ice cream up last week... Including the wooden pin! It actually swallowed a 10cm wooden pin!  :Eek2:  


> Love those luscious red berries - always love your closeup shots!


I'll post some more then  :Nod: 




> Claes, I have NEVER seen a crab like the ones you posted. Look at those tiny little legs!


They do look look smaller than they actually are. Probably folded up somehow.

/Claes

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Right: I promised more pictures, and here they are, including some closeups:


A Bumle bee.


The next few pictures are Rock carvings from ~1000 B.C.










More rocks: Kungsklyftan, Fjällbacka. Some of you may recognize this place. It figured quite a bit in a film derived from a book by Astrid Lindgren.


The boulders from the previous picture seen from another angle. I admit that I did not feel all together comfortable walking under them...


Droplets on a Lily of the valley leaf.


More of the same.

/Claes

----------


## Janine

Oh my gosh, *Claus,* those rock drawings are amazing and that crevice with the bolders unreal looking. Are they all in Sweden? I am so fascinated with the drawings. You said they are 'carvings'...why are they reddish brown and white, as though they were drawn with paint? How can they hold up all those years? 

The bumble bee photo is perfect. I simply love it. I always love your closeups. I like the droplets on the Lily of the Valley leaves too. All are wonderful!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Oh my gosh, *Claus,* those rock drawings are amazing and that crevice with the bolders unreal looking. Are they all in Sweden?


Yep, they are in Sweden.




> I am so fascinated with the drawings. You said they are 'carvings'...why are they reddish brown and white, as though they were drawn with paint? How can they hold up all those years?


The figures were hacked into the rock, and then filled in with paint. At the time those rocks were on a riverbank. Today there is no water to be seen there, as the land has risen considerably during the intervening 3000 years. They were also covered with 5-10 inches of grass covered soil until they were found by a farmer. The paint has been reapplied after they were discovered. 

Some further general info on pteroglyphs.

/Claes

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## Kafka's Crow

Excellent pictures, Claes, wonderful as usual. Those rock-carvings are fascinating. I just returned from Cornwall and although the weather was awful, still I did lot of clicking around taking in excess of 450 photos. Here are some of them. Almost all of these photos were taken in weather conditions ranging from dull to torrential downpour.


Piran Sands Beach (This was our 'private beach' during our stay in Piranporth):




Max chose to learn swimming in Atlantic Ocean itself:


This is heaven on earth:





























I had a strong feeling that the Holy Grail was hidden in the ceiling of this cave:















Remains of St Piran's Church and the famous cross in the churchyard:















Tintagel Castle, the birtplace of King Arthur and Tristan:




























I was fascinated by the location of Tintagel Castle. This furious sea is more befitting a setting for _Tristan and Isolde_ than the Arthurian legends.

----------


## Veho

I searched everywhere for him in that direction, but couldn't see him! - 



The church and graveyard where the Brontes are buried - 



Random flowers - 





Random tower - 



For those unlucky enough to have visited Blackpool in the UK -

----------


## Janine

*Claes,* thanks for the information. I thought the paint looked a bit fresh to be that old. Still the cravings are amazing. How cool to view up close something so ancient. They are so interesting.

*Kafka's Crow* - you may have had horrible weather, but your photos are absolutely stunning and truly awesome area of the country. This has to be a wonderful area to explore; I also would have taken as many photos. This is where I would definitely head if I went to England. I think this might be near a theater I heard of which is rough hewn in the rocky cliffs. I will look it up and see if maybe you came across it, while you were there. I believe it's near Lands End. I have dreamed of being in this area for a long time; your photos bring my dream nearly to life. The photo of the wide vista of waves breaking on the shore is my favorite, but they all are so interesting. I thought immediately of _Tristan and Isolde_; funny you should mention that. Do you know if the movie was filmed in any of these areas? The cliffs, with cave-like features, look like the movie scenes in the film; I just viewed it recently. I would love this area in any weather, but of course, sun would have been nice for you. 

*Veho,* welcome to the forum. I love your photos. I think the church where the Brontes are buried is very interesting. The one of the tower is very well done; love the lighting on that photo particularly; very professional looking. That last photo is fun and truly evokes a certain charm and atmosphere. 

That first flower closeup is very artistic and lovely; so is the yellow rose. I love yellow roses. Heathcliffe is hiding in the basement of the Bronte burial ground church!

----------


## Veho

> *Veho,* welcome to the forum. I love your photos. I think the church where the Brontes are buried is very interesting. The one of the tower is very well done; love the lighting on that photo particularly; very professional looking. That last photo is fun and truly evokes a certain charm and atmosphere. 
> 
> That first flower closeup is very artistic and lovely; so is the yellow rose. I love yellow roses. Heathcliffe is hiding in the basement of the Bronte burial ground church!


Thank you  :Smile: 
To be honest, I'm glad I didn't run in to him actually; he might have taken revenge on me for stepping on his turf or something.

----------


## Niamh

I've always wanted to see Tintagel Castle!

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Welcome aboard Veho, nice photos, specially the flowers. 13 years ago I had the misfortune of going to "...Blackpool, Lancs. The most unimaginable hell-hole I had ever unimagined" (Disani, _All about H. Hattar_.

----------


## Veho

> Welcome aboard Veho, nice photos, specially the flowers. 13 years ago I had the misfortune of going to "...Blackpool, Lancs. The most unimaginable hell-hole I had ever unimagined" (Disani, _All about H. Hattar_.


Thank you. Good quote and very true! It made me laugh.
Your photos look beautiful. I have always wanted to visit Cornwall, but haven't managed to yet.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Time to wake this thread up again; Where are all the vacation pictures?

OK, here we go. Our local flying club hosts a veteran car and aeroplane day once a year:


This is a SG-38 (Schulgleiter - trainer) from 1938 which was used to give the pupils the first 
taste of glider flying by towing it behind a car. It has been restored to flying condition.


Something a bit more up to date: A converted Piper Pawnee (originally a crop duster) towing a couple of present day gliders. 


Glider aerobatics by Pekka Havbrant, in a glider specifically designed for this purpose. Quite a show! 


Cockpit of a beautifully restored Boeing Stearman.


Low and fast flyby by a North American Harvard in Swedish Air Force trainer livery. 


A 1933 MG.


A Porche Spyder... No, not really: Just a beautiful replica, but still...


Interior from a sharp looking Corvette. 


I forgot what make this was (does anyome know?). 


Another one I am not sure about**: I think it may be a Lancia.

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Claes,

Very nice photos!
I take great interest in aviation, particularly vintage military aircraft.
My father was a WW II fighter pilot. He flew the P-38 Lightning in the Pacific Theatre.
The North American "Harvard" was also known as the AT-6 "Texan", the nickname varied, depending on which branch of the military you were training for and in which country.
AT stood for "Advanced Trainer" this plane completedthe final phase of training.

The Stearman looks great as well. It was the PT-17 (Primary Trainer). I enjoyed a ride in one of these many years ago.

Thanks for sharing.
Maybe I can hunt down an airshow photo of a Lightning for you.

Gilliatt

----------


## Virgil

Graet pictures Claes, both the aeros and the autos.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I take great interest in aviation, particularly vintage military aircraft.


Great! That makes two of us, then (I used to fly gliders when I still had the time for such things)  :Wave:  We have to talk... Maybe via PM to avoid boring the rest of the LitNet dwellers to death?



> Maybe I can hunt down an airshow photo of a Lightning for you.


Please do. I know what they look like, of course, but I have not yet been able to see one up close. In the mean time, I'll add another bunch of airborne stuff:


Aerobatic glider MDM-1 FOX with +9.0/-6.0 G-limits. The one seen in my previous batch.


Bücker Jungmeister. A German pre WW2 trainer.


Another shot of the Stearman seen in the previous batch.


The oldest (in flying trim) D.H.Tiger Moth in Sweden.


Nothing particular about this old bucket, right? Wrong: The strange exhaust is the only thing that
gives away that it has been converted, and now gets its power from a light weight end far more fuel efficient Volvo car engine. 


Another Tiger Moth.


And another Harvard.


Detail from the Harvard seen above.


A bit of tinkering with pictures of a looping glider ended up with this result.

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Claes,

You are a master with the camera!
The Tiger Moth has been another personal favorite of mine.
I agree, I suspect we might bore the general populace with our high flying dribble.
Since I am hear I went ahead and attached one photo of a P38-J Lightning.
The photo was taken with a Pentax SLR film camera about 14 years ago and then scanned, so the quality is a bit lacking.
I will visit with you privately and share more details about the Lightning and a few more photos.

Gilliatt

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Sorry all for posting again,
Just a quick test - trying to get this photo sizing trick down.

----------


## DanielBenoit

Here are some from my blog.

Rainy Day





At Town Hall





Abstract





Light, Shadow and Noir

----------


## Virgil

Claes, Gillet, and Daniel - Outstanding! Thanks for sharing.

----------


## DanielBenoit

Thanks *Virgil*!

I simply love your texture *Gillet*, do you use film or digital?

----------


## Madhuri

Here is a picture of a _Rangoli_ made from flowers. Last week we celebrated Onam in our office. It is a harvest festival of the state of Kerala. 

This is a special feature in the celebrations besides preparing delicacies and dressing up in the traditional attire.

----------


## Niamh

thats great Maddie!

----------


## Stargazer86

Beautiful pix everyone  :Smile: 

These aren't the best quality, but here are a couple of shots from a Dodgers vs Padres game last week at Dodger's stadium

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

DanielBenoit,

Nice photos. It is interesting how something as commonplace as twigs on a roof can captivate ones interest if captured by a creative eye. I found the first image under Light Shadow and Noir to be appealing as well. The vague figure in the dark appears slightly skewed as if the image was warped or projected off of a mirror (?)

With the Green Bay winter looming, perhaps you could take a few winterscapes for those of us who dont see a whole lot of snow.




> I simply love your texture *Gillet*, do you use film or digital?


Thanks for the comment, but I have to chuckle at the texture comment simply because the texture is a mostly a result of age and wear on the physical print that I scanned. Yes; the photo was taken with a Pentax ME SLR film camera. Who know's?, maybe one day we will come full circle and re discover the textured qualities of film.

Gilliatt

----------


## DanielBenoit

> Thanks for the comment, but I have to chuckle at the texture comment simply because the texture is a mostly a result of age and wear on the physical print that I scanned. Yes; the photo was taken with a Pentax ME SLR film camera. Who know's?, maybe one day we will come full circle and re discover the textured qualities of film.
> 
> Gilliatt



Thanks for the comments  :Smile: 

Lol, I noticed that kind of grittiness in the picture and that's what I liked about it. For some reason the combination of the aircraft and the worn texture really appealed to me.

----------


## goldenbee

Just thought I d show you the zoom on my sony cam corder
heres the normal pic in the Lake District.. the house in the centre....


heres the zoom

----------


## goldenbee

Remember this pic of some time back



14 July, 1993, at the Champs Élysées.

I thought it was very unusual... all the guys look to
be exactly the same height
but whats more unusual they all ... facially.... look 
the same... !

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Remember this pic of some time back
> 
> I thought it was very unusual... all the guys look to
> be exactly the same height
> but whats more unusual they all ... facially.... look 
> the same... !


Dear me, you are right. I never thought about it, and I snapped that shot...  :Redface:  Interesting observation.

/Claes

----------


## DanielBenoit

> Remember this pic of some time back


Oh my! What color! What movement! This picture should be called "Order."

----------


## goldenbee

I could have added... they look the same age too...

You ve not been dabbling in photoshop have you Claes ?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> You ve not been dabbling in photoshop have you Claes ?


Nope  :FRlol:  Not this time. 

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Here area few wildlife photos that you might enjoy. I discovered these speciemens in a small west Texas town several years ago.

The first is a Phyronosoma cornutum (Texas Horned Lizard)


Mantidae aridifolia (Praying Mantis)


Dasypus novemcinctus (Armadillo)


Gilliatt

----------


## Janine

*Gilliatt*..... :FRlol:  very funny.....I like those sculpures though, very much. I wonder if he sells many? I am trying to picture one in a living room setting. The armadillo is my favorite.

----------


## DanielBenoit

> *Gilliatt* I am trying to picture one in a living room setting.


 :FRlol:  Looking to buy one?  :FRlol: 

By the way, nice pictures, I too am trying to picture the praying mantis in a living room setting  :FRlol:

----------


## toni

The praying mantis is made of pure win!  :Biggrin:  Great images, Gilliat. Thanks for sharing  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

I like the armadillo.  :Biggrin:  They're cute, but who would actually display one in front of their house?  :Wink:

----------


## Hurricane

Hiking in Olympic National Park, WA.






In the White Mountains, NH.



Waiting for helicopters to arrive.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> *Gilliatt*..... very funny.....I like those sculpures though, very much. I wonder if he sells many? I am trying to picture one in a living room setting. The armadillo is my favorite.





> Looking to buy one? 
> 
> By the way, nice pictures, I too am trying to picture the praying mantis in a living room setting





> The praying mantis is made of pure win!  Great images, Gilliat. Thanks for sharing





> I like the armadillo.  They're cute, but who would actually display one in front of their house?


All,

Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed them. Next time I head in that direction, I would like to stop by and see if they are still there.

By the way Virgil, they aren't actually in a residential yard. They are located in a vacant lot near the town center. Apparently the town leaders allowed the local artist to display his work there.

[QUOTE=Hurricane;776139
Hiking in Olympic National Park, WA.

In the White Mountains, NH.

Waiting for helicopters to arrive.[/QUOTE]

Very nice scenery Hurricane, from both corners of the country. 
Please explain the helicopters photo.

Gilliatt

----------


## Hurricane

I spent part of the summer on a Navy LHA (think an aircraft carrier that holds only helicopters and "jump jets", plus about 2,000 ground troops). The picture was taken from the flight deck waiting for helicopters to come and practice landing aboard.

----------


## Virgil

Definitely cool Hurricane.  :Wink:

----------


## Janine

Hi *Hurricane,* Welcome to the forum. I love your photos. I think I have been to Olympic National Park, WA....Isn't that where Mt. Rainer is located, or is that up North more near those mountains. Duh, you can see I really know my geography well...hhaha.... I have been to the Olympic Peninsula. I toured those areas one summer, with a friend who lived there in Yakima. I loved it all. I thought Mt. Rainer was pure heaven. The coastline was gorgeous and my favorite spot was Rialto Beach. Ever been there? I should get my books out that I bought while touring. I probably spelled everything all wrong. Later I went to see Mt. St. Helens. That was awesome - like being on the moon. Good for you hiking up there in Olympic National Park and in the snow. I did see snow, when I was there on the top of Mt. Rainer and we walked up near to the snowline; but mostly it was sunny and warm and quite enjoyable. Lovely pastures and wild flowers everywhere.

----------


## Hurricane

I thought the Olympic Peninsula was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There were places walking around above the treeline where I felt like I was on another planet. 
Funny you mention the geography thing. On my flight out, the flight attendant went on the intercom and pointed out Mt. Rainier and said "To our left, you can see Mt. Rainier. Or Mt. Hood. I don't know. Whatever, it's really pretty, whatever it is."
I went out there for ten days (~6 backpacking) this summer to visit family and definitely want to move/settle there someday. Didn't get to see Rialto Beach, though, I'll have to check that out my next visit. 
It's funny about the snow--the air was fairly warm (T-shirts/shorts type weather) 90% of the time even with the snow, which was kind of disorienting. I'm used to snow automatically meaning cold.

----------


## Janine

> I thought the Olympic Peninsula was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There were places walking around above the treeline where I felt like I was on another planet. 
> Funny you mention the geography thing. On my flight out, the flight attendant went on the intercom and pointed out Mt. Rainier and said "To our left, you can see Mt. Rainier. Or Mt. Hood. I don't know. Whatever, it's really pretty, whatever it is."
> I went out there for ten days (~6 backpacking) this summer to visit family and definitely want to move/settle there someday. Didn't get to see Rialto Beach, though, I'll have to check that out my next visit. 
> It's funny about the snow--the air was fairly warm (T-shirts/shorts type weather) 90% of the time even with the snow, which was kind of disorienting. I'm used to snow automatically meaning cold.


Hi again, *Hurricane.* I haven't been to a lot of places in the US; basically on CA both Southern and Northern - liked the coastline and the Northern parts best. I have been to Yosemite - that's truly 'heaven on earth'. Have you been there yet? Other than that I have been to a few places on the East Coast and only Washington State on the West and that is my favorite place also. I would move there in a flash. I'm glad you agreed about the beauty of the Olympic Pennisula. I thought it was amazing. My friend and I camped out in a two man tent under in this ancient forest; so beautiful and serene, not far from the bay and then the sea. I loved Rialto Beach so much, I will never forget one detail of it. I love to see films or documentaries that show the sea-stackes...those are like nothing I had ever seen before. I bought a new age composer's work on DVD called _Beautiful America_by Tim Janis, just so I could see the spectacular shots of the west coast up to Washington and the Pennisula. The music is lovely and soothing, also. 

It is really something to see snow and be in your shirt sleeves and feel the sun warm on your skin. I experienced the same sort of thing, while walking up the meadow, nearing the snow on one side of Rainer. From Puget Sound you can see both Mt. Hood (more pointed) and Mt. Rainer. We took the ferrry over, so I got to see both and if I recall, I may have seen a third mountain, but not sure now. We later went sailing in the Puget Sound -that was a marvelous day and great experience. It's a beautiful natural place and would be a great place to live. Seattle is wonderful, too. I loved it all. My friend's friends lived on Lake Washington; I also go to see the lockes. That was really interesting.

----------


## Hurricane

Haven't been to Yosemite yet, that's another trip I need to make. The National Parks in the Southwest (Bryce and Zion in particular) are almost as breathtaking, but in a different way. I'd visit those again in an instant.

----------


## Janine

I have seen snapshots from a friend of Bryce Canyon - I would die to go there. It's stunningly beautiful in it's own unique way. Canyons are quite interesting. I experienced one on the back of a motorcycle in Yakima...and past grape orchards at night - smelled just like Welches grape jelly, no lie!

Save up your money and see Yosemite. You will never regret it. It's an amazing place, with lots of exposed granite rock, and beautiful forests and waterfalls - incredible vistas - simply luminous. You will love it there.

----------


## Snowqueen

An Offspring of Andaman Drango. It hopped on my hand and clung to my fingers. 







Isn't it cute? I loved it.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Isn't it cute? I loved it.


And hungry? It seems to be looking for a handout... Nice picture, as usual when animals choose to make friends with humans.  :Nod: 

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

> And hungry? It seems to be looking for a handout... Nice picture, as usual when animals choose to make friends with humans. 
> 
> /Claes


*Thanks Claes*   :Smile: 

Does it really look hungry? 
Well its mother was around all the time, fed it constantly and then she took it away.  :Frown:

----------


## rimbaud



----------


## stephofthenight

graff picking his nose with his tounge, disgustingly hillarious


Fox






Pretty flower with a moth

 This picture gives me the creeps

 Moondance and Peaches







 pretty darkclouds






I hate whoever put powerlines up here.

----------


## Lynne50

Steph,
I loved all the animal pictures. Where were they taken? I especially liked the horse and the kitten, but the leopard was so beautiful. It was a leopard, right? Thanks for posting them.

----------


## zanna

Very cool photos, Steph! And the one that has power lines is kind of pretty, in its own way. But yeah; usually power lines just ruin the view.  :Frown:

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Rimbaud and Steph. either of you mention where you are nor any background to the photos.

Steph I love that fox. And the leopard too.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

*Steph,* love your animal photos; I like the leopard especially, too. And who is the little miss kissing her image in the mirror? That is so cute and endearing. I can relate. My son took one of my grand-daughter which is similar.

----------


## stephofthenight

The horse and cat are in my front yard lol. the good thing about horses is when you are too lazy to mow you just turn them loose in the front yard  :Biggrin:  just watch your step. 

The leopard is at a friends house which is how I got as close as I did

The fox as you can see some of the fence in the picture is at a mini rescue clinic I went to.

The alligator is at the alligator farm in La.

The White Tiger is also with the leopard

The Moth was in my yard...WAS becuase right after I took that picture my horse ate the flower...

The beach photos are from galveston before the hurricane

The girl kissing herself is none other than my niece tayler

The tigers name is bayku
The Leapord hasn't been named yet

----------


## *Classic*Charm*

The leopard is STUNNING, Steph! I love your pony and cat too  :Biggrin:

----------


## stephofthenight

Thanks Classic. They normaly don't like each other in fact they sat there for about five minutes before my cat swatted the horse, and the horse chased the cat off... *sigh* but they look so cute together...
Glad you like them. yeah the leopard is good, but it gives me the creeps. she just looks like she wants to eat you

----------


## DanielBenoit

Steph, the texture of the alligator is so murky and exciting  :Eek:  love it!

By the way I LOVE YOUR LITTLE KITTY!

----------


## Janine

Oh I just saw the kitty and the horse photo. How cute it is! I used to have a kitty like yours - all white with slighly longish hair; I love white cats so much. Yours is very pretty. My cat Pandora (Pandy) was all white; we had her since she was a tiny kitten, a stray; she was stone deaf, but had such a 'sixth sense' about everything. She was amazingly gentle and sweet and she still has a special place in my heart. I miss her greatly.

----------


## Janine

> 



*rimbaud,* is this a temple. It is quite interesting. May I ask where is situated?

----------


## stephofthenight

Aw. Janine thanks. Peaches is both blind and deaf so it gets intersting, yet he still beats up the horses. lol we have had him for three years, he is a hurrican reda evacue. sorry about your pandy though. I don't know what I would do without peaches  :Frown:  you should get another white kitty, they're the cutest..

----------


## higley

Woahhh those animals are awesome! That fox is adorable, you got it at just the right moment.

----------


## Janine

> Aw. Janine thanks. Peaches is both blind and deaf so it gets intersting, yet he still beats up the horses. lol we have had him for three years, he is a hurrican reda evacue. sorry about your pandy though. I don't know what I would do without peaches  you should get another white kitty, they're the cutest..


Wow, deaf and blind; that makes me sad for her; but it's cool she gets along so well. The vet told us it was common with an all white cat to be deaf. I didn't know it would include blindness, but odd about that fact; because when we would take photos of my cat one of her eyes always turned out strange looking, sort of transluscent and red. I wondered if she was blind in that one eye. At anyrate, she was a great cat and lived to be about 13. I know they live a lot longer normally, but she had some kidney defects as well. Our other cat, they grew up together, was black and white and only outlived her by a few years. I am petless now and that's ok. I always say 'been there, done it.'....we had all kinds of pets growing up: dogs, cats, gerbils, guinea pigs, birds, rabbits, fish, turtles, even a pet goose who lived freely on our lake. I think we had our share and now we kind of like our freedom, but pets do very much enrich a person's life. Glad you enjoy yours. I love horses. 

I was wondering *Steph*, how can the leopard live with your neighbor? Is it caged or is it free? Wow, this really fascinates me. Is she a trainer or something. I didn't know it would legal to keep a cat like that. I agree - she's cute but I am not sure I could trust she would not look on me as a good meal...humm.. You were brave getting that photo.

Your little neice is a doll baby!

----------


## stephofthenight

Peaches started deaf bu ended up with glycome which is how he lost his eye, the other he got scratched in. 
The leopard is a friends, not exactly next door, and I grew up with big cats like that. I bottle fed the white tigger. You can get your exotic license, but he happens to be a vet/foster home for animals of the sort. Bayku just never learned to live on her own and that is how he still has her, the leopard he has had about 4 months and has learned that I feed him so he better be nice... You just have to know how to deal with them. its routine, I had to get him use to me, feed him at the exact time, you never turn your back on them, because that strikes instinct to attack. and remeber that they still have natrual instincts and you are fine. they do not like kids however. I'm the only one who can really mess with them, Bayku is a big baby but she has hurt me several times on accident because I messed up when she was little and let her be a lap kitty, and play rough. toss each other around, bat at me, that kind of stuff. and now she doesn't understand her own strength. she will probaly end up at a zoo, or refuge camp. The leopard will go back wherever he came from in about a year. They are fun, and they make great pillows  :Biggrin:

----------


## rimbaud

> *rimbaud,* is this a temple. It is quite interesting. May I ask where is situated?




no, it's actually a monastery or something, it has a church there also, and you can rate rooms to stay there too, it's kind of just a quiet place to escape everything and just go and read, write, draw the whole day  :Smile:  you don't have to be a religious
it is about 50 km from my home town, in Macedonia

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Went to Berwick upon Tweed, an ancient garrison town on Scottish border recently. Beautiful place. I saw the most beautiful sunrise over the North Sea. Shame I didn't have a proper camera with me that morning and had to use my iPhone which has a rubbish camera. Still here are some of the 250 odd photos I took there.

























Most beautiful cricket ground imaginable?


And the golf course!




Max, the sea-dog!

----------


## stephofthenight

WOW! Kafkas even with a less than ideal camera those are still stunning what a beautiful place

----------


## Hurricane

Those were from a camera phone?  :Eek: 

Gorgeous pictures, Kafka.

----------


## Virgil

wow, Max, great photos. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to see a dsifferent part of the world. I can't believe that's from a camera phone either. How many megapixals does it shoot with? And Max looks like my dog.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Kafka's Crow

I think I failed to make much sense here. Only the pictures of that glorious sunrise were taken with an iPhone 3GS with a pesky 2.5 MP camera. The rest were taken with my trusted Canon iXus 7.0. It is a right pain taking pictures of anything with the slightest of movement with this iPhone and could never have captured Max leaping out of water with it. I repeat only the pictures of the sunrise were taken with a cellphone camera. It could have been much better with a proper camera. Think of it, wake up five in the morning and go out in freezing cold wind (North Sea is not very friendly in autumn) and forget to take your camera with you, that's typical me!!!).

----------


## Virgil

> wow, Max, great photos. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to see a dsifferent part of the world. I can't believe that's from a camera phone either. How many megapixals does it shoot with? And Max looks like my dog.


Wow, where was my mind. I meant kafka, great photos, not Max.

----------


## Niamh

Last Friday to Monday i spent in the beautiful city of Bruges. Here are some snaps from my Trip.  :Smile:

----------


## Lulim

@Niamh, Bruges seems to be a very beautiful City -- I like your pictures!

Only a small impression from my way to work:



And that's been in spring in the garden:

----------


## Virgil

Niamh and Lulim, those are beautiful pictures. And Bruges does seem like a wonderful city.

----------


## Snowqueen

Very nice photos Lulim. 


Im posting few pictures here, with a little help from my friend.  :Wink:

----------


## Janine

*Niamh,* I love all your photos of Bruges. May I ask where that is? I have never heard of it before. Ones that stood out to me (although I love them all very much) are the b/w ones (those make me feel I have gone back into an old classic movie) and I love the one with the swans - how cool is that to see swans swimming in the canal? You go to the coolest places; I am envious.

*Lulim,* - love your three photos. I love photos of spider-webs and you have captured this one perfectly. I love the second one with the gorgeous red tulips but the third one is of particular interest to me. What type of plant is that? It's a wonderful closeup!

*Snowqueen,* wow, I love all three of your floral photos. I think the rose is the most outstanding!

----------


## Michael T

Great pictures.
Niamh, I love it when you go black and white with your camera. The best shots by far. I seem to recall it was the same with your pictures you posted a while back. Keep it up, you have a good eye for a photo.  :Nod:

----------


## Lulim

@Snowqueen, your flower pictures are great!




> (...) What type of plant is that? It's a wonderful closeup! (...)


Thank you! I'm sorry, but I don't know what kind of plant that is. They are rather tiny leaves, just a wee bit more than my thumbnail, the drops are dew and I noticed the "hairy tingies" only on the screen, not on the plant itself.

----------


## Niamh

> *Niamh,* I love all your photos of Bruges. May I ask where that is? I have never heard of it before. Ones that stood out to me (although I love them all very much) are the b/w ones (those make me feel I have gone back into an old classic movie) and I love the one with the swans - how cool is that to see swans swimming in the canal? You go to the coolest places; I am envious.


Bruges is in Belgium. such a magical City. 




> Great pictures.
> Niamh, I love it when you go black and white with your camera. The best shots by far. I seem to recall it was the same with your pictures you posted a while back. Keep it up, you have a good eye for a photo.


I love the Black and Whites too. I think they just captured the soul of the city.

Next stop Cardiff in november.  :Smile:  Then Canada in January.

----------


## Virgil

I've got a group of pictures from this shoot in my blog. You can see them all here: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=9046.

----------


## Snowqueen

> *Snowqueen,* wow, I love all three of your floral photos. I think the rose is the most outstanding!


Thanks Janine, you are too kind.




> @Snowqueen, your flower pictures are great!


Thanks for the compliment. 




> I've got a group of pictures from this shoot in my blog. You can see them all here: http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?b=9046.


Have you decided Virgil which picture you are going to frame? I'm keen to know.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> Have you decided Virgil which picture you are going to frame? I'm keen to know.


I'll tabulate the scores tonight and post my decision right after.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Ok and the scoring is - drum roll please -  :Biggrin: 

#1 - 3 votes
#2 - 11
#3 - 17
#4 - 6
#5 - 15
#6 - 6
#7 - 4

And the winner is number 3!

Actually i could have made a case for numbers 2,3,4,or 5. It doesn't cost all that much to print them out in 8x10 size. I think I'll have all four printed and then I'll see which one gets the frame. Thank you all.  :Smile: 

Here is #3 for you.

----------


## Madhuri

I like this picture, Virgil. # 3 and # 5 were my favourites  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Its the festival season here; after every 15-20 days we have a festival until Diwali.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited a city called Mysore, which is about 150 kms from Bangalore. They celebrate the Dussehra festival in such grand manner. The Mysore palace is lighted for all 10 days of the festival; there are cultural programs with artists performing from all over the country and on the last day there is a procession from the palace. It was an awesome experience.

Here are some of the pictures.

Mysore palace entrance:





The entrance of the palace temple:



Another view of the palace entrance:





The palace:



A Bharatnatyam dancer:



On the day of the procession, the 10th and the last day of Dussehra.

It starts with Jumbo savari



Some performers in the procession:







People dressed up as mythological characters:









Hanuman, the monkey god:



Other performers:



Men and women dressed in the traditional attire:



Some more:











Men dressed as lord Shiva:

----------


## Virgil

Fascinating indeed!! This is another world for me Maddie. Thank you for sharing.  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

I am glad you liked it; I enjoyed the occasion very much  :Smile:

----------


## Nyu001

That was nice to see! I loved it!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Niamh

< speechless!!!!!!!  :Eek:

----------


## Madhuri

Hey, I didnt realise you guys will like the pictures so much  :Biggrin:  Thanks  :Biggrin:

----------


## Modigliani



----------


## Niamh

> 


Nice!

----------


## DanielBenoit

Breathetaking Mod! That was taken by YOU?
My God is that beautiful. Did you take it with film?

Utterly amazing! One of the best pictures I've seen on here!

----------


## Maryd.

> 


Yes, sir, this is quite a picture... :Nod:  :Nod:  :Nod:

----------


## Modigliani

Thanks, all.
Just a shoddy old digital, Daniel.

----------


## Virgil

That is a nice picute Modi. Nice to meet you by the way.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

*Modi,* that photo is stunning! Very artistic indeed. I will come back and comment on other photos in here. I love all your cool photos; I wish I had more time to comment on all. *Maddie,* your's are so interesting and soooo colorful! I love them as usual.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

My compliments to all.
Virgil, I particularly admire yours, as they engender a peaceful serene feeling.

----------


## samercury



----------


## Stargazer86

Sam- that is an amazing shot. I love the shallow depth and the rich, warm color. It just makes you feel like fall  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> 


Same, that is absolutely gorgeous!! That is on a professional level. What kind of lighting did you use?

----------


## samercury

Glad you like it  :Smile: 
Virg- sunlight (and the angle helped)

----------


## Niamh

love it Sam!

----------


## Maryd.

> 


OGG Samercury

Faboulous shot. :Nod:

----------


## Snowqueen

> 


It's truly amazing, I just love it.  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Some more pics

These are from another town called Belur and Halebidu. The temple in the pictures is about 900 yrs old, built by Hoysala rulers. In South India, in early days the rulers used to show how powereful they were by building temples; the bigger the temple the more powerful the ruler.

This is what was used in the royal seal during the Hoysala rule



One of the sections in the temple compound



dancers carvings





this is the carving of _dwarpal_ (the person guarding the temple)



The Trinity of Hindu religion - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (L to R)



Narasimha avatar (half human and half lion)



Shiva and Parvati



Others



Lord Ganesha



Temple in Halebidu

----------


## Niamh

Oh my! Those carvings are amazing! Ganesha especially!

----------


## bluevictim

Here are a few pictures from my recent trip to Washington.

Aasgard Pass, Dragontail Peak, Colchuck Pass, Colchuck Lake (the pass on the left is Aasgard Pass, the peak in the middle is Dragontail Peak, and the pass on the right is Colchuck Pass):


Looking North from our campsite at Colchuck Lake:


Looking Southwest from the summit of Dragontail Peak (that's Mount Rainier in the background):


Looking toward Aasgard Pass (and the Enchantments) from the summit of Dragontail Peak:

----------


## samercury

Madhuri- they're really pretty so detailed it's hard to believe that they're made of stone. Love them  :Nod: 

Blue- Gorgeous (especially the first and third one)  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Those are excellent Maddie. And Blue those are awesome. Wow. (For the non Americans, that's Washington State, which is no where near Washington D.C., the city) Thank you both.

----------


## Idril

Those are beautiful, Blue...Aasgard Pass, very cool. ;-)

----------


## stephofthenight

waterfall

 aren't they sweet

 and then there where two

 she Has all of her stripes now

 I promise she knows stay...she jsut chose not to listen

 another waterfall

 My ponys hair took a couple of hours. Had friend take

----------


## Snowqueen

Wonderful pictures stephofthenight.  :Smile: 

I have recently taken these pictures.

Dove and its nest.

----------


## Maryd.

Wow, Snowqueen, I love them... So clear and real. Thank you for such beautiful and clear pictures.

----------


## RickFinney

I'm feeling fine and wishing everyday would feel like this.

OT: Wow! The pictures are amazing. Right on!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

The "Mozartgeist" stuffed with straw and a stake in the head (a detail added by my son)

----------


## Maryd.

^ So funny Gilliat. :FRlol:  :FRlol:

----------


## stephofthenight

Wow what lovely pictures snow! And not sure who orignaly posted the leaf but it is a beautiful shot.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Snowqueen

> Wow, Snowqueen, I love them... So clear and real. Thank you for such beautiful and clear pictures.


Thanks for the appreciation Mary.




> Wow what lovely pictures snow!


Thanks stephofthenight.  :Smile:

----------


## atiguhya padma



----------


## minanamoue

> here is the most recent pic i've taken.. My kitty 'helping' me write, errr, type at my desk :d


<3<3<3

----------


## Janine

This is my grand-daughter on Halloween. My son did his house up with the Michael Jackson theme of 'Thriller'; he projected the video on his garage door and boarded up his windows and made an awesome graveyard. I haven't yet seen his costume; but I understand it was pretty wild. So here is my darling little Brooke dancing to 'Thriller'. Side-note: I didn't take this video, my daughter-in-law did. 

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_6584.flv

ugh, please don't look at the other piano photos; I point out that I look fat in those (my self-conscious me!). Anyway, Brooke sure has good rhythm, I think...she gets that from me! hahaha...she's a real 'swing' kid!

I see so many great photos in here lately and I will come back soon to comment on all of them....

----------


## Virgil

> This is my grand-daughter on Halloween. My son did his house up with the Michael Jackson theme of 'Thriller'; he projected the video on his garage door and boarded up his windows and made an awesome graveyard. I haven't yet seen his costume; but I understand it was pretty wild. So here is my darling little Brooke dancing to 'Thriller'. Side-note: I didn't take this video, my daughter-in-law did. 
> 
> http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_6584.flv
> 
> ugh, please don't look at the other piano photos; I point out that I look fat in those (my self-conscious me!). Anyway, Brooke sure has good rhythm, I think...she gets that from me! hahaha...she's a real 'swing' kid!
> 
> I see so many great photos in here lately and I will come back soon to comment on all of them....


Oh so cute Janine!!

----------


## Haunted

*Janine*, your granddaughter is adorable!

----------


## Janine

*Virgil* and *Haunted,* thanks for watching the video. I think she is pretty adorable and cute, too; God bless her. Do you think she takes after me? hhahaah....just kidding, I hope she's a lot cuter than I am. This age is so sweet and they learn so much so quickly; basically they are little mimics.

----------


## Haunted

> *Virgil* and *Haunted,* thanks for watching the video. I think she is pretty adorable and cute, too; God bless her. Do you think she takes after me?


We'll tell you after you upload your dancing video  :Biggrin:

----------


## Snowqueen

> This is my grand-daughter on Halloween. My son did his house up with the Michael Jackson theme of 'Thriller'; he projected the video on his garage door and boarded up his windows and made an awesome graveyard. I haven't yet seen his costume; but I understand it was pretty wild. So here is my darling little Brooke dancing to 'Thriller'. Side-note: I didn't take this video, my daughter-in-law did. 
> 
> http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_6584.flv


Wow! Its a wonderful video of little Brooke, I loved it. She is looking very cute.

----------


## Janine

> We'll tell you after you upload your dancing video


That will be the day! (yeah, NEVER!!!)...hahaha




> Wow! Its a wonderful video of little Brooke, I loved it. She is looking very cute.


Thanks *Snowqueen!* I just wish it was a little longer. I keep watching these short videos over and over again like a nutty grandmom. I have some more I can send you the links to, if I haven't already done so. I have one of her playing the piano; or at least attempting to, at our house....that was last year - Valentine's Day and my birthday. Brooke sure loves music! Last time I was over to see her we danced together in the living room and she whirled around. I was pretending to do ballet and she tried to do it, too. I laugh at this one, she is barely staying on her feet at moments...a little wobbly in her new shoes.

----------


## Virgil

> *Virgil* and *Haunted,* thanks for watching the video. I think she is pretty adorable and cute, too; God bless her. Do you think she takes after me? hhahaah....just kidding, I hope she's a lot cuter than I am. This age is so sweet and they learn so much so quickly; basically they are little mimics.


Luckily no.  :FRlol:   :FRlol: 

(only kidding  :Biggrin: ) 

Yes God bless her. Her face does seem to resemble you. Otherwise I'm not sure I've seen you running around like that.  :Tongue:

----------


## Janine

> Luckily no.  
> 
> (only kidding ) 
> 
> Yes God bless her. Her face does seem to resemble you. Otherwise I'm not sure I've seen you running around like that.


Hahaaha, It is funny but I think she does resemble photos of Sean (my son) when he was her age. I found one the other day and she has the exact same hair color, just a tiny bit of curling but basically straight. Back then people used to say we looked alike. Today my son looks quite different; his hair is dark and his face slimmer, as you know by his photos in my albums. 

hahah...Now wait a minute, I can dance or I could. I danced up a storm at my son's wedding. I had a great time - we all did. Brooke's mom and dad have been dancing with her since she could sit up. They would hold her and dance around. I think she is quite musical.

----------


## stephofthenight



----------


## rafysamir

> Kew Gardens


beautiful pictures :Thumbs Up:  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## samercury



----------


## Niamh

I've always wanted to see Kew Gardens! 

Interesting Photo Sam.

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## Madhuri

A couple of pictures I took on a beach in Goa.

----------


## DanielBenoit

Stunning beauty Madhuri!

----------


## billl

STEPH

great looks at your horse, the eyes, and the fur, the life coming out, very nice...

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## Madhuri

> Stunning beauty Madhuri!



Thank you  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

Those are beautiful Maddie. That wind surfer better be a good swimmer, because it looks deep out there and far from land.  :Wink:

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## Madhuri

He looked like a professional as everyone was not allowed inside the water just like that...

----------


## Niamh

you went to Goa Maddie? Nice!!!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Madhuri

Yeah, it was only for the weekend. A very short trip, one needs more time to really enjoy the life.

----------


## Niamh

Here are some pics from my recent trip to Cardiff!
These are from the Arboretum.
the river Taff


Stone circle in the distance





The millenium centre, Water Tower and Roald Dahl Plass


Cardiff castle

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## Virgil

Wow, those are great Niamh. I do prefer the color over the black and white, but that first one is stunning.  :Smile:

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

Very nice Niamh.
I tend to lean more toward B&W's myself, although I am still in the dark ages with my film camera.

Gilliatt

----------


## Niamh

I love b&w. There is just something captivating about a b&w!

----------


## Nikhar

Gorgeous pics! 

Thanks for sharing Niamh

----------


## stephofthenight

I thikn the first one is amazing in black and white, however the second I think I would have went with an antique, sepia color. but all are really pretty. I especialy like the first one. very lovely,thank you for sharing

----------


## Niamh

I find sepia is great for old buildings more so than foliage. i dont have the function on my camera at any rate.

----------


## Janine

Wow, everyone has had such great photos recently. I love to see all the places you travel, *Niamh.* Your photos are getting better and better; I love black and white and sepia is always cool. I will try to go back soon a few pages to comment on all the great photos on here. I wish I could keep up with everything online and off.

I haven't posted any photos for sometime. I got inspired by the snowstorm and I went to see my granddaughter and their decorations - spend a really nice evening with my son, his wife and Brooke. She stayed up late. This was the night before the snowstorm...yes, NJ got hit hard and we did get a lot of snow! I just knocked down file sizes in offline; but they still might not be small enough. Let me try a few of the storm results first. If not, I will reduce them even more.


Out front of the house; digging out....


Out my upstairs back window


Not a great photo but this shows how big the drift was on top our roof; it got even bigger later on...I felt 'snowed-in' all night.


I took all of these with my new Canon camera. I think it takes pretty sharp photos but I am still learning to utilize all the features; so it's a little hit and miss at this point.

----------


## Janine

Looks like it worked just fine. Here's the ones of my darling grandbaby the night before the big storm.

Brooke and her love of books ~

"Forget about the Kindle; I like the way my books smell and taste!"...


"Books about animals are the best!"



"Cozy in my jammies reading a Christmas book with my grandma." 
I was pretty tired that night; so this is not by far, my best portrait...but I love the 'grandma-granddaughter' bond here. I will always have this memory. 


"Ok, just enough time before bed for another Hannakuh gift...Mum-Mum started to rip the paper off for me...."

----------


## Janine

*Steph,* I love your horse photos...the first one has the motion and the second is so whimsical.

*rafysamir,* I love the photos from Kews gardens. That must be a spectacular place.

*samercury,* what is that - a fungi? I think it looks really neat.

*Maddy,* I always love your photos; these are no exception. The first beach one is so sharp and detailed...I love it! 
The second one looks so cool with 
the ghosted photo of the ship in the background...nice work as usual.


Some more photos from me ~ Christmas wouldn't be complete without miniature trains...

Here's my son, the tech man, at the controls.



One of two platforms he built...I am sure the village will grow with time...


"Watching Daddy's train go by..."




Second Christmas Tree and second train platform...


Note: See prior page for more photos of my granddaughter, Brooke....

----------


## DanielBenoit

Great photos Janine! That last one is soo beautiful!

----------


## Janine

> Great photos Janine! That last one is soo beautiful!


Thanks *Daniel,* and that is just his little artificial tree but he told me he wanted to make it look sort of 50ish...it's got colored lights but all blue and gold ornaments. He has a full size real tree in the living room; I forgot to get a photo of that one. Did you see the photos on the prior page of my sweet little granddaughter? I think they turned out really cute. I am finally enjoying my new camera. But, right now, I am trying to figure out how to convert a video (from the same camera) into some reasonable format to upload to Photobucket. Do you or anyone else know how I go about this?

----------


## Virgil

Yep, it was a snow storm. Hopefully my back won't hurt tomorrow from all the shoveling.  :Wink: 

How adorable. Granny and Brooke. Wonderful pictures Janine.  :Smile:

----------


## DanielBenoit

> But, right now, I am trying to figure out how to convert a video (from the same camera) into some reasonable format to upload to Photobucket. Do you or anyone else know how I go about this?


Errr, idk, sorry  :Redface:  or at least I've forgotten. . . . .. if it comes back to me I'll make sure to tell you.


Stunning pictures Niamh! I particuarly love the snowy ones. You have a perfect sense of composition and texture  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Haunted

Janine, Brooke's very cute, love the bonding shot, you look great. Toy trains fascinate me, thanks for the photos.

----------


## Janine

Thanks *Virgil* and *Haunted.* I love the trains too...they seem like a magical sort of thing running around a Christmas tree. *Haunted* thank you so much for the compliment; but that time of day I wasn't at my best; I was really tired. I think Brooke was nodding off, as well. She liked the dollar animal book, I brought her more than the involved Christmas story; but luckily she did sit still for a few minutes when my son snapped the photo.

----------


## Niamh

Janine that snow is unbelievable!!!
And Brooke is so cute!

----------


## Janine

> Janine that snow is unbelievable!!!
> And Brooke is so cute!


*Hi Niamh,* shall I send you some? haha...I should gone outside the night of the storm and photographed but it was blowing and would have gotten into my new camera lens. It was just gorgeous and awesomely deep that night. It also was totally frigid and I didn't really have the desire to subject myself to those temperatures...better to stay warm and cozy in the house.

Thanks for looking at Brooke's photos. She is quite hard to photograph anymore; toddlers this age are very active. I am lucky to have gotten these half dozen shots. I will take more on Christmas Eve and Day...we are going up there both times; hopefully weather will permit it! Brooke is my little Irish rose; at least on her dad's side. She is half Jewish and she now is getting so spoiled - everyday a Hannakuh gift for 8 days....and Christmas gifts are yet to come.....she has the best of both worlds...lucky kid!

----------


## Niamh

we have are own crazy weather here too! Just not that much snow!

----------


## Janine

> we have are own crazy weather here too! Just not that much snow!


When you get snow there does it last very long? I am just curious.

----------


## Haunted

> *Haunted* thank you so much for the compliment; but that time of day I wasn't at my best; I was really tired. I think Brooke was nodding off, as well.


*Janine*, if you were tired, I wouldn't be able to tell. I thought you look exquisite and I hope Brooke will take after you. oh BTW her eyelashes are incredible!

----------


## Snowqueen

These are truly amazing pictures *Janine*. 
Its really cute photograph of you and Brooke.  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Pensive

Wonderful additions, I must say! 
Brooke has surely grown bigger than when I last saw her, but never any less beautiful!  :Smile:

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

*Death of the Snowman...*

----------


## Virgil

:FRlol:  That's funny. Strange looking snowman, even before it died. Kind of like a leaning tower of Pisa.  :Wink:

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Yes that's what I thought, leaning tower, er, I planned it that way...

We had a much more traditional and successful snowman on the back though, we rolled that one in the correct manner.

----------


## Janine

Thanks for looking at the photos, *Haunted* and *Pensive* and *Snowqueen*, and *Virgil* and all of your lovely comments and compliments. By then, my lipstick and makeup had worn off, my hair was a bit discheveled; I really was quite tired, *Haunted*; my friend, you are too flattering, but thanks. I do like the photo ok for a change; usually I hate all photos of me....but 'grandma love' can really transform a person and I was feeling a lot of that love at that moment; Brooke was so snuggled down against me and relaxed and listening to the story. I will never forget this precious moment with her. *Snowqueen,* you know what I mean - you experience this with your lovely little neices. *Haunted* - her eyelashes really are gorgeous and long. I used to have fairly long ones; but now I hardly have any. I read it's another sign of aging...eeekk. Her's are all natural and virgin lashes with a pretty little curling. Her dad had the same as a baby. People used to mistake him for a girl; he was very pretty as a little one. I think she takes after him, when I look at his baby photos; but she also takes after her mom; I have seen her baby ones and they are really adorable.

*Neely* - is your snowman drunk? ...a little too much of the holiday cheer...He is so funny!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

It is a rare occasion to get snow in my part of Texas, but a white Christmas, now that is one for the history books! The last one was 1926.

Only in Texas can one experience a sunny, balmy day (December 23rd) with a daytime high temperature of 75 deg F and on the very next day you are turning your back to wind driven snow and temperatures below freezing! 
OK, maybe not as much snow as Janine or Neely, but enough to share from my backyard. 
Heres to you Bing; my dream has come true!

View looking northwest. Yes; that is Mozartgeist in a manufactured pose now donning a balaclava. Native species of trees seen include Post Oak, Cedar Elm, White Ash, Juniper (Cedar), Osage Orange and Hackberry




Having a cold one (borrowed the idea from Neely):



Here are a few from this morning (Christmas morning):

A winding creek and a small waterfall:





Path in a snowy wood



Kids fortress, now my escape. A place to read, draw, watch the birds or hide from the missus, etc.




Janine,
Wonderful pics of a cozy evening. Has cabin fever set in yet? or can you guys get out and about now?

Neely,
Thats my kind of humor! Interesting form for a snow wo/man. All Ive known is the classic three stacked balls concept. Ill give yours a try at the next snowfall.

----------


## Virgil

I saw you had snow in Texas today. Isn't global warming wonderful?  :FRlol: 

Hey that's a wonderful backyard. What part of Texas is that?

----------


## Janine

Oh wow, *Gilliatt,* I love the winding stream and the small water fall photo. How cool to get a little snow for Christmas. We got the opposite and it raining now and melting it all to slush...sort of yuky Christmas day outside but I was inside anyway..so didn't much care. Christmas Eve made for a nice drive to my son's house - the Christmas lights looked so beautiful in the snow. One little town we go through has exclusive little shops and it was just gorgeous. I should have stopped the car and gotten out to photograph the street....oh well, another great photo shot lost. No cabin fever at all; I don't think the snowfall was nearly as bad as they said. First day hwy's were totally cleared and getting around was not difficult at all. That was a fun cozy evening at my son's night before the storm hit. 

Wow, snow in TX - that's great!
I love all your photos. The showman is a riot and that beer a good addition! haha..Your backyard does look neat. Love that lookout or treehouse. Do you hide from your wife in there? haha

----------


## Janine

Ok, lots more Christmas photos to come but here is a preview...Brooke in her Christmas PJ's...my little rock star in the making....

----------


## Virgil

Oh how pretty Janine. She's adorable.  :Smile:

----------


## Snowqueen

Oh! Its great picture of little Brooke and she is playing her guitar, how cute!




> *Snowqueen,* you know what I mean - you experience this with your lovely little neices.


Yes time spend with little ones is always precious.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> It is a rare occasion to get snow in my part of Texas, but a white Christmas, now that is one for the history books! The last one was 1926.
> 
> Only in Texas can one experience a sunny, balmy day (December 23rd) with a daytime high temperature of 75 deg F and on the very next day you are turning your back to wind driven snow and temperatures below freezing!
> OK, maybe not as much snow as Janine or Neely, but enough to share from my backyard.
> Here’s to you Bing; my dream has come true!


Just shows you doesn't it, I also heard that it is snowing in Spain too, wow!  :FRlol:  Love the snow dude, maybe I started something with the drunken snowmen, but seriously those pictures do look great, you have all that space over there - love the line about escaping from the wife - I have my computer for that, but it is not a very good hiding place, when all is considered.

----------


## Niamh

> When you get snow there does it last very long? I am just curious.


in Dublin it doesnt last that long but if you look up the news for Ireland you should see some fantastic sights! We rarely get snow here. we cant cope! lol! 
In Dublin our problem is ice and frost. The frost is so think in some places it looks like snow... rain fallowed by minus temperatures and meant that a lot of our roads have become ice rinks and are very very dangerous. I think we would rather the snow here in Dublin. I took a picture of the frost and ice this morning. will post it later.




> It is a rare occasion to get snow in my part of Texas, but a white Christmas, now that is one for the history books! The last one was 1926.
> 
> Only in Texas can one experience a sunny, balmy day (December 23rd) with a daytime high temperature of 75 deg F and on the very next day you are turning your back to wind driven snow and temperatures below freezing! 
> OK, maybe not as much snow as Janine or Neely, but enough to share from my backyard. 
> Heres to you Bing; my dream has come true!
> 
> View looking northwest. Yes; that is Mozartgeist in a manufactured pose now donning a balaclava. Native species of trees seen include Post Oak, Cedar Elm, White Ash, Juniper (Cedar), Osage Orange and Hackberry
> 
> 
> ...


oh wow!!!  :Eek:

----------


## Pensive

> *Death of the Snowman...*


Now this is just classic!

And wonderful photo of Brooke, Janine!  :Smile:

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## Janine

> in Dublin it doesnt last that long but if you look up the news for Ireland you should see some fantastic sights! We rarely get snow here. we cant cope! lol! 
> In Dublin our problem is ice and frost. The frost is so think in some places it looks like snow... rain fallowed by minus temperatures and meant that a lot of our roads have become ice rinks and are very very dangerous. I think we would rather the snow here in Dublin. I took a picture of the frost and ice this morning. will post it later.


Wow, I can't wait to see that photo. Once when I was a kid, it was slick like ;that on the roads, so we all got our ice-skates on and actually skated on a back road near my house. I live bordering a lake so we always had skating in the winter...not hardly any ice anymore. Usually the winter would mean ice-skating for months and the ice got really thick...I still standby the global warming which my dear friend, Virgil, *wink* keeps poking fun at me about. *Niamh,* do you ice-skate? You should try skating on the streets. In the USA, now they are always so prepared for bad weather; I recall days in my childhood I imagine they weren't so prepared and everything was pretty dangerous and we got snowed-in. Today it is raining - started yesterday - and has been quite heavy at times...nearly all the beautiful snow is gone; not a big loss though, since the snow got really dirty looking in our neighborhood which is very urban. My mother kidded and said we had a 'dirty white Christmas'....how true but at least the houses did look pretty with the lights and the snow. Curb areas were awful with exhaust from the cars, etc.




> Oh! Its great picture of little Brooke and she is playing her guitar, how cute!
> 
> Yes time spend with little ones is always precious.


*Virgil* and *Snowqueen*, Thanks from Brooke for your compliments...we think she is pretty cute, too. It was so great to be with Brooke all day and evening yesterday and Christmas eve, too; she is just as happy as a lark, as she is pretty. She is such a sweet little one. *SQ,* can you imagine if Bushy and her sister and Brooke were to play together - they would all be so cute. She loves her books like your neices love theirs. Oh by the way, isn't her hairdo a riot? Her other grannie made a tiny ponytail at the top...sort of was falling out.

----------


## Idril

Our first time out on the lake this year...

This is just a piece of grass frozen into the shape of a...something with flippers. My boys are marching in step and it almost looks like whatever creature that is, has a sort of baton, helping them keep time. 


This used to be a path through the thick brush of the beach but it's now under water...well, frozen water now but you know what I mean.  :Tongue:  I have a beautiful picture of this place before it froze and it's neat to see them side by side...but I don't have the picture on this computer so the comparison will have to wait for another day.


These trees are also all in the water. I love the little ice shelves they are all standing on.


Into the abyss...

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Our first time out on the lake this year...


Bleak and beautiful!

I wish I was there.

----------


## Idril

> Bleak and beautiful!
> 
> I wish I was there.


Really?! I mean, it _is_ beautiful, I find the starkness and simplicity of it a great source of beauty but not everyone sees it that way.  :FRlol:

----------


## bluevictim

Wonderful photos, Idril! All that frozen vastness -- very sublime.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice photos Idril. Did you heighten the contrast somehow?

----------


## Janine

*Idril* I loved those. I like that white wilderness feel to them...the lake must be really awesome to venture out on.

----------


## Lynne50

Wow, *Idril* Great photos. The other day I went to an iceskating performance outside. It lasted only 30 minutes, but I was an icicle! After seeing your pix, I feel like such a whiner about the cold weather. 
That piece of grass frozen looks like a penguin. I guess that means it's too cold even for a penguin in your neck of the woods.

----------


## Idril

> Very nice photos Idril. Did you heighten the contrast somehow?


I did on some, otherwise the trees just looked gray. I didn't increase the contrast in the first one with the penguin type thing and you can see those trees are definitely less defined. It was so gray and foggy that day and the vividness of the dark trees against the pristine white of the snow and ice didn't translate very well so it needed a little help. 




> *Idril* I loved those. I like that white wilderness feel to them...the lake must be really awesome to venture out on.


A frozen lake really is fun to explore and the truly great thing about it is that it's different every year depending on how and when it froze, if it was sudden or slow, it was was windy or still, if snow was falling while it was freezing. The disappointing thing about this year is that it was covered with so much snow so you couldn't see all the bubbles and cracks in the ice and I think it muffled all the moans and creaks because a frozen lake is usually a fairly noisy place but it was very eerily quiet this time.

----------


## Snowqueen

> .
> 
> *SQ,* can you imagine if Bushy and her sister and Brooke were to play together - they would all be so cute. She loves her books like your neices love theirs. Oh by the way, isn't her hairdo a riot? Her other grannie made a tiny ponytail at the top...sort of was falling out.


Her little ponytail is adorable. Bushy never allows us to make her a ponytail.
Yes, the thought of three little kids playing together is very interesting. Hopefully they wont tear the house down.  :FRlol:

----------


## Janine

> Her little ponytail is adorable. Bushy never allows us to make her a ponytail.
> Yes, the thought of three little kids playing together is very interesting. Hopefully they wont tear the house down.


Hi *Snowqueen,* I can't wait to tell you this. Has Bushy or her sister ever hide from their parents? My son and his wife came in the house with Brooke the other night; she had just been to her other granny's house and perhaps they were playing 'hide and seek'; they set her down, to go put groceries away; suddenly they could not find her; I guess they were in a panic searching through the house. Their house is not that big; but anyway, they found her upstairs (the little devil climbed the stairs herself) and was hidden in her room under the rocking chair. When they found her she thought the game was sooo funny. I would have had a heart-attack myself! I said to my mom, my son's grandma, who "does she take after?'...we both agreed that my son at her age had a very ornery streak in him. Once my mom told him, as he was playing with his bowl of spinach, "Sean you might as well dump it on your head!" - he looked at me and her very devilish and accomodated - wish I had a photo of that moment now; it was hilarious.

Yes, three together might do a lot of destruction to the house! haha...glad now that Brooke was not twins. As to her hair, she will let them do anything to her - she loves hats and she loves bows and hairdos - she is already a little princess.

----------


## Janine

> I did on some, otherwise the trees just looked gray. I didn't increase the contrast in the first one with the penguin type thing and you can see those trees are definitely less defined. It was so gray and foggy that day and the vividness of the dark trees against the pristine white of the snow and ice didn't translate very well so it needed a little help. 
> 
> A frozen lake really is fun to explore and the truly great thing about it is that it's different every year depending on how and when it froze, if it was sudden or slow, it was was windy or still, if snow was falling while it was freezing. The disappointing thing about this year is that it was covered with so much snow so you couldn't see all the bubbles and cracks in the ice and I think it muffled all the moans and creaks because a frozen lake is usually a fairly noisy place but it was very eerily quiet this time.


*Idril,* I know exactly what you mean by different types of ice or formations when it freezes. I live in a house bordering a lake; been here my whole life minus 3 yrs. We went ice-skating every winter as a kid and if it was windy and it froze the ice was all ripples and bumps - no too great for skating. If it snowed on the ice it melted beneath and also ruined the surface. If it was dry snow it could shoveled away to make a little rink. Best ice of all was pristine virgin ice when the water froze after the snows and it was still out, not windy. We had some great memories on the frozen expanse of ice. The ducks didn't have such a great time when it was frozen for too long; my one friend actually used to go and chip them out of the ice to rescue them....poor things...she saved many a stranged duck! Nowday, the ice is hardly ever frozen long enought to make for good skating. Right now it's ice but ruined by the last snowstorm...it just looks like ugly gray. If it snows it actually will improve the appearance and it will look like a vast space of white something like the photos you posted...would make for some good photo opportunities anyway.

----------


## Molpadia

I'll throw my hat in the ring with the snowy pictures.

Per usual New England mid-December shenanigans, we here up in the Northeast been getting dumped on with copious amounts of snow since early, early Saturday morning. Never one to miss an early morning trek through a blizzard, Elliði and I woke up at the crack of dawn (which was a wee bit of an effort after a long night of sipping vodka and enjoying the storm), geared up, and made our way into the Esker.

The Esker houses the Back River, which is a brackish river connected to a herring run which flows into a fresh water pond on one end, and a couple miles down river it flows into Hingham Harbor, and eventually the Atlantic. Being a salt marsh, there are hundreds of little outlets which cut into the marsh from the river. One of these main outlets, a little stream, is what separates the bulk of the Esker from the area near the gate. There is a small, hand-crafted crossing which we call the Boyscout Bridge, as traditionally that's who built it (not anymore, however).





Once you cross the bridge, you're now in the marsh and much more separated from my neighborhood, which also sits in the marsh, but on the edge of it. When we got across, we had found that the snow drifts on that side were almost three feet deep, some up to my midsection. We had a blast pushing through it. I fell into a couple of sink holes along the way, not being able to see them with the snow; and Liði, ever the Northern dog, happily threw himself into the slushy water to cool himself off a few times.



After about an hour of hiking, we made our way along the river and to a large field which houses an abandoned Cold War-era factory. So we dug in and had our breakfast in a cozy little hole in the snow drifts.



It ended up being a great hike. It was the little man's first snow storm, and we finally got to test out those big *** snow shoes of his that he calls paws. This is why I love the winter.

----------


## Idril

First of all, that is one beautiful dog and I'm not even really a dog person!  :FRlol:  What breed is that?! And the pictures are beautiful! I hate winter, which makes the fact that I've lived the majority of my life in the frozen north very sad, but I love _pictures_ of winter. That looks like a wonderful place to wander in, especially with such a magnificent dog!

----------


## Molpadia

Thanks for the countless kind words, Idril.

The dog, my dog, is a Japanese Akita Inu. He's only a few days shy of six months old, so he's stall largely a pup. The little dude's my best friend in the entire world.

And you have to learn to embrace the winter, my friend! I'm not exactly sure where you live, but I can relate to the frozen north sentiment. Having now endured nineteen (currently on my twentieth) frigid, nine month-long New England winters, I've learned you either live in spite of it, or on behalf of it. So when it snows, I don't coop myself up; I gear up. Blizzards are more fun when you're pushing through them as opposed to sitting inside and brooding over the nature of the weather.

----------


## Idril

> Thanks for the countless kind words, Idril.
> 
> The dog, my dog, is a Japanese Akita Inu. He's only a few days shy of six months old, so he's stall largely a pup. The little dude's my best friend in the entire world.
> 
> And you have to learn to embrace the winter, my friend! I'm not exactly sure where you live, but I can relate to the frozen north sentiment. Having now endured nineteen (currently on my twentieth) frigid, nine month-long New England winters, I've learned you either live in spite of it, or on behalf of it. So when it snows, I don't coop myself up; I gear up. Blizzards are more fun when you're pushing through them as opposed to sitting inside and brooding over the nature of the weather.


I have a dog that is part Sheba Inu but I like yours better.  :Wink:  

New England winters have nothing on what goes on here. I lived in Boston for a time so I have experienced a New England winter...although I will admit that Boston winters are probably among the mildest as far as New England goes. You guys can get a lot of snow but you don't get the cold temps. I live in North Dakota and our winters are just ridiculous. It's not the blizzards that bother me so much, it's the insanely low temperatures. It was a mere -17 degrees when I got up yesterday morning, this morning we are having a bit of a heat wave, it's a whopping 3 degrees above zero! The day we were out on the lake it was around 20, which is fine and manageable but when the blizzard blew in, it was -20...needless to say, I stayed inside, brooding over the nature of the weather.  :FRlol:

----------


## Molpadia

Well, I can't argue against that. You guys definitely have the more extreme winters, for sure.

What New England has on everyone is that the weather is just an exaggeration of the season all around. The winters are really bad and long (though as I said, not as bad as yours'), the springs are a drown out of rain and cool temperatures for weeks on end, the summers are short but scorching hot up into the upper nineties with a hundred percent humidity, and the fall is just typically more cool rain.

So while the weather's not the worst in every category, it's just bad all around.

*Edit:* Oh, and Shibas are awesome! They're actually bred from Akitas, but as you know, smaller. Mine will be about 120-35 pounds or so fully grown.

----------


## Virgil

Fabulous pictures Molpadia, especially that first one. The haze really gives it a great texture. Love your dog too. He looks great, and nice to know your face. I actually thought you were female.  :Wink:  That beard is definitely not one to grow on a woman, at least not one who's not in a circus.  :Tongue:

----------


## Molpadia

Well, I'm honored to have established my gender amongst you people.

And my beard is my most valuable asset this winter. The lumberjacks, Vikings, and Amish had it right with storm+mighty beard=face insurance.

----------


## Virgil

> Well, I'm honored to have established my gender amongst you people.
> 
> And my beard is my most valuable asset this winter. The lumberjacks, Vikings, and Amish had it right with storm+mighty beard=face insurance.


 :FRlol:  You look very good with that beard. I look terrible with one. The one time I grew one, I could see everyone snickering at me.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Snowqueen

I took these photos on a very foggy day.








We have a few orange trees in our house.

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## Maryd.

Hey Snowy. They are amazing shots. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Hey Snowy. They are amazing shots. Thanks for sharing.


Thanks Mary.

----------


## Heathcliff

Wow Snow. They are awesome.


This is something my dad took. Not intentionally, but it is nice.

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## Snowqueen

> Wow Snow. They are awesome.
> This is something my dad took. Not intentionally, but it is nice.


Thanks and its a beautiful sunset.

----------


## s16amir

hi Snowqueen!!
oh my GOD!!! These are superb,i really loved the one showing dew drops on the web..it looks like a pearl necklace. Brlliantly captured..good job dear

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## Virgil

Very nice Snowqueen, each for their own reasons. Nice colors Heathcliff. Thank you both.  :Smile:

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## Janine

> hi Snowqueen!!
> oh my GOD!!! These are superb,i really loved the one showing dew drops on the web..it looks like a pearl necklace. Brlliantly captured..good job dear


I second that! I love these, too and especially that cool web dew-drop necklace...

*Snowqueen*, you outdid yourself on these!

----------


## Janine

> Wow Snow. They are awesome.
> 
> 
> This is something my dad took. Not intentionally, but it is nice.


*Heathcliff,* I guess mistakes can turn out pretty interesting...cool photo!

----------


## Heathcliff

Thank you. Generally, I don't take photos, not ones that I don't photoshop, anyway.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Very nice Snowqueen, each for their own reasons. Nice colors Heathcliff. Thank you both.


Thanks *Virgil*.  :Smile: 




> I second that! I love these, too and especially that cool web dew-drop necklace...
> 
> *Snowqueen*, you outdid yourself on these!


Thanks *Janine* you have made my day.




> hi Snowqueen!!
> oh my GOD!!! These are superb,i really loved the one showing dew drops on the web..it looks like a pearl necklace. Brlliantly captured..good job dear



Hey its so nice to see your post here. I thought this day will never come.  :Wink: 
Thank you.

----------


## Heathcliff

> Very nice Snowqueen, each for their own reasons. Nice colors Heathcliff. Thank you both.


Thanks Virgil!!

I've got to give credit to Snow's though. Totally awesome, particularily the spider web one.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Street performers:

----------


## Hurricane

Snow in Maryland? What? (This was taken partway through "Snowtorius B.I.G." and does capture the full effect)



Getting stuck with a bunch of people who have never seen snow before? Build a snow cave!

----------


## Virgil

Haha! Must have been horrendous Huricane. You got a ton of snow. 

Nice pictures Kafka. What is the second picture of? I don't recall that when I was there.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> Haha! Must have been horrendous Huricane. You got a ton of snow. 
> 
> Nice pictures Kafka. *What is the second picture of?* I don't recall that when I was there.


That's London County Hall:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Hall,_London

----------


## Janine

Wow, tons of snow down there in Maryland, too. I have to get with it and post some of my snow pictures here...we got snow on snow and icky ice in-between. Car just got dug out and now I am snowed in again. I wouldn't care but I need to get to the drugstore...hummm....a little problematic.

----------


## Virgil

> That's London County Hall:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Hall,_London


Thank you. I guess I didn't see that in my short stay in London. The building is quite striking. My compliments to the archetect.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> Wow, tons of snow down there in Maryland, too. I have to get with it and post some of my snow pictures here...we got snow on snow and icky ice in-between. Car just got dug out and now I am snowed in again. I wouldn't care but I need to get to the drugstore...hummm....a little problematic.


We got 18 inches. This is two days in a row i didn't go into work. I spent all afternoon digging my car out. At least the sun is out and it's relatively warm. Hope you didn't get too cloberred again.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

> We got 18 inches. This is two days in a row i didn't go into work. I spent all afternoon digging my car out. At least the sun is out and it's relatively warm. Hope you didn't get too cloberred again.


Wow, didn't know you got that much up there, *Virgil.* Yes indeedy, we once again got clobbered! This time in-between the blizzard, we even had sleet - very nasty stuff. Our poor neighbor has blown our walks three times this year. Our other good neighbor has dug out the car as many times. He was here today. I need to get to the drugstore before it snows again....I don't think they are predicting anymore until about next week.

I was getting some photos together now to post tonight. I have to break though to go and make us dinner. Be back later on.

----------


## qimissung

Snowqueen, Kafka, Hurricane, Heathcliffe-great pictures. 

I heard Maryland got 40 inches of snow!!! A friend of my son's lives there.

----------


## stephofthenight

His first snow, the others where in the barn, he wouldnt sstay... will post the video of him trying to kick the flakes later. :P it was cute. than he tried eating thim and they got up his nose...

----------


## Virgil

> His first snow, the others where in the barn, he wouldnt sstay... will post the video of him trying to kick the flakes later. :P it was cute. than he tried eating thim and they got up his nose...


Oh how pretty!!! That's a great picture Steph!  :Smile: 


By the way, just for giggles, I'm going to post this smilie because I don't think you should ever do this to your horse, and because I'm not sure if I will ever get another chance:
 :Beatdeadhorse5: 

 :FRlol:

----------


## Maximilianus

> His first snow, the others where in the barn, he wouldnt sstay... will post the video of him trying to kick the flakes later. :P it was cute. than he tried eating thim and they got up his nose...


Lovely snowy Moondancer

----------


## Janine

I think I am seeing triple today....is there three horses above this post?  :FRlol:  I love that photo, *Steph*.....your horse is so wonderful. I love horses; they are such gentle animals. Wow, you got a lot of snow for Texas, didn't you? It sure looks pretty there. I can't wait to see the video. I can imagine how amusing it must be. How old is he? He looks young.

*Virgil,* you are terrible. *Steph* hates that emoticon!

Ok, here is what the storm looked like in NJ; I am thinking this is the second one...didn't take anymore after this past one that added more to the accumulation.



Edit: I have more to come...have to reduce all the file sizes...

----------


## Virgil

I'm sorry Steph. I was only kidding around. 

Janine - that's definitely worse than over by me. But not by a heck of a lot.

----------


## Janine

> I'm sorry Steph. I was only kidding around. 
> 
> Janine - that's definitely worse than over by me. But not by a heck of a lot.


Yeah, but that photo was taken before the 3rd storm; so you can add another 10 inches or more to the snow already visible in my photo. I haven't taken anymore since...actually, that's not true...some I took from the inside the house, which I did take the night of the last blizzard and they are still in the camera. I just need to download those and downsize for the net.

Ok, here's some more shots...remember second snowfall...before this weeks blizzard.

In the front yard looking towards my neighborhood. You can tell how deep the drifts are by the fences; some were even deeper than the ones in my photo. The one roof shot shows how uneven the drifing was.




Backyard from looking over the roof and out the upstairs window.





From our back picture window in the living room at night.

----------


## Michael T

:Thumbsup: Excellent pictures *Janine*. We never really get snow here so I'm a little jealous! :Biggrin5:

----------


## Janine

> Excellent pictures *Janine*. We never really get snow here so I'm a little jealous!


Thanks *Michael T*! Considering I didn't leave the house much to take these...only got as far as the front step...I guess they didn't turn out half bad. At least you all can see how much snow we did get. As a kid, we loved playing in the snow. So sad, *Michael,* that you have never experienced it. Like *Hurricane* in Maryland, I loved building igloos and snow caves...what great memories I have of that era of my life. Now I hide out in the house - too frigid to go out, but it's nice and cozy inside when it snows.

----------


## Virgil

Now that is a lot of snow Janine. I don't envy you. Hey, that second to last picture. Did you climb out on the roof to take that?  :Tongue:

----------


## Janine

> Now that is a lot of snow Janine. I don't envy you. Hey, that second to last picture. Did you climb out on the roof to take that?


See, it is a lot of snow (surprised you can see tonight; wasn't it a little blurry  :Eek2:  :FRlol: )..NO, I didn't climb out on the roof...not in a snowstorm silly. I held the camera out the bathroom window. I guess the zoom lens kicked in. I just noticed that; I hadn't cropped the photo at all. When I was younger and thinner, I did used to climb out on the roof, come to think of it...but in my sitting/den room, which has a sort of window-well. I climbed out to clean the outside of the window. hahah...how did you know?

Edit: alternate answer - yes, I climbed out on the roof, took the photo and then ski jumped off the back roof slope....are you impressed yet?  :FRlol:

----------


## Virgil

> See, it is a lot of snow (surprised you can see tonight; wasn't it a little blurry )..NO, I didn't climb out on the roof...not in a snowstorm silly. I held the camera out the bathroom window. I guess the zoom lens kicked in. I just noticed that; I hadn't cropped the photo at all. When I was younger and thinner, I did used to climb out on the roof, come to think of it...but in my sitting/den room, which has a sort of window-well. I climbed out to clean the outside of the window. hahah...how did you know?
> 
> Edit: alternate answer - yes, I climbed out on the roof, took the photo and then ski jumped off the back roof slope....are you impressed yet?


 :FRlol:  Sign her up for the Olympics.  :Biggrin:

----------


## stephofthenight

> I think I am seeing triple today....is there three horses above this post?  I love that photo, *Steph*.....your horse is so wonderful. I love horses; they are such gentle animals. Wow, you got a lot of snow for Texas, didn't you? It sure looks pretty there. I can't wait to see the video. I can imagine how amusing it must be. How old is he? He looks young.
> 
> *Virgil,* you are terrible. *Steph* hates that emoticon!


Virgil, its ok. to each their own

janine, Moondance is 6 he has the bone structure of a 3 year old becuase he was malnurished and beat as a foal all the way up until last year when we got him. That is also why he is as small as he is. We really did. if we got that much snow I would cry. people in East Texas; freak out over what we got. our 6 inches shattered records. Everywhere was out of water, battaries, gas everything.  :Svengo:   :Out:   :Svengo:  that much and like wow, texas would panic

----------


## Janine

> Sign her up for the Olympics.


 :FRlol:  Can I have a parachutte? I could break my neck skiing off my roof...once for me was enough!

----------


## Janine

> Virgil, its ok. to each their own
> 
> janine, Moondance is 6 he has the bone structure of a 3 year old becuase he was malnurished and beat as a foal all the way up until last year when we got him. That is also why he is as small as he is. We really did. if we got that much snow I would cry. people in East Texas; freak out over what we got. our 6 inches shattered records. Everywhere was out of water, battaries, gas everything.    that much and like wow, texas would panic


How funny, 6 inches was freaking out Texans, *Steph*? That's a dusting here! I didn't panic at all this time. I figured I was off the hook for a few errands I really didn't want to do anyway and staying in was kind of cozy and nice...it was a good rest period. I did feel sorry for those who had to shovel...that is no fun. But, I am now getting cabin fever this week. Eekkk..they are predicting another storm next week...'enough it enough' by now!

Moondance is so cute and I love the name. I am sorry to hear he was once abused, and for that many years...that is horrid and very sad. I always cry when I watch Black Beauty when Ginger dies of abuse. Glad he found a good home with you at last...he's totally sweet looking.

----------


## Virgil

Moondance is beautiful Steph. Please accept my apology again. I have this streak in me that has to make a joke of everything. I go over the line sometimes. God will eventually get me.  :Mad5:

----------


## Janine

> Moondance is beautiful Steph. Please accept my apology again. I have this streak in me that has to make a joke of everything. I go over the line sometimes. God will eventually get me.


Yep, he will....he's always catching up to everyone!  :FRlol:

----------


## Snowqueen

These are wonderful pictures Janine 



> yes, I climbed out on the roof, took the photo and then ski jumped off the back roof slope....are you impressed yet?


WOW! I'm impressed. 




> Sign her up for the Olympics.


 You are absolutely right Virgil; she seems to be a gifted athlete.  :FRlol: 

Hey thanks *qimissung*!

----------


## Janine

> These are wonderful pictures Janine


Thanks, *Snowqueen.* I have more to come; I have to reduce them for online. I should take my camera with me today, when I venture out to the pharmacy. I might run into something good to photograph.




> WOW! I'm impressed.


 Haha...we are kidding about this but seriously my next door neighbor's son used to dive into a 4 foot pool off the back of their roof. I thought they were surely crazy to let him do such a dangerous thing. Unbelievably he did survive.




> You are absolutely right Virgil; she seems to be a gifted athlete.


 Oh yeah, very gifted...did I fail to mention on hitting the snow..I then quickly ?....sort of a tri-athelon feat...after reaching other side of the lake I snowboarded my way home. Yeah, right believe this one and I will tell you all another. :FRlol:

----------


## samercury

Wow Janine, that's a lot of snow, and so pretty (esp. the roof one)- kind of jealous since we ended up getting less than an inch and had a snowless snow day D:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Here are a few pics from the recent storm that passed through Texas. I realize this pales in comparison to what the northeast received, but we did in fact break the local snowfall records.



Path in a Snowy Wood
The path leads to a small clearing and reading bench:



Our winding creek:







Gilliatt

----------


## Janine

Oh, *Gilliatt,* these are stunning photos. I was breathless at that first one....the trees are so coated with snow....a real wintery wonderland. The creek ones are beautiful, too. You must have a great camera...the resolution is wonderful. One night here, during the second storm, the trees looked like this somewhat. It was snowing too hard to go out and take the photos. Last snowstorm came from a different direction and so our fir tree was coated only on one side. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of that either.

----------


## Janine

> Wow Janine, that's a lot of snow, and so pretty (esp. the roof one)- kind of jealous since we ended up getting less than an inch and had a snowless snow day D:


How funny, you had a 'snowless' snow day...well, not really funny for you. Here they have often predicted here that we will have a big exciting blizzard and nothing happens. This year they seem to be spot on. I like the roof ones too. My rooms are right opposite that roof and so when it snows I see it at a glance and it's very pretty to watch. My whole window well was filled up with a big drift both times. I will post some more photos. I am a lazy photographer though; I tend to stay in when it's so frigid out and so I had to open windows and put my arm out with the camera to come up with these. Maybe next snowstorm I will actually venture out in my backyard to take some better shots.

----------


## Janine

Some more snow photos; all of these were taken out the windows; I am a lazy photographer....like being warm and toasty inside the house, thank you.

----------


## Virgil

Those are fabulous pictures Gililatt. I can't believe that's Texas!

----------


## Heathcliff

Those are absolutely beautiful.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Virgil

> Some more snow photos; all of these were taken out the windows; I am a lazy photographer....like being warm and toasty inside the house, thank you.


 :FRlol:  Well, you'll never get a Pulizter Prize.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

> Well, you'll never get a Pulizter Prize.


haha...I wasn't trying to be; I just wanted to document the snowstorm further. *Gililatt's* gorgeous professional looking photos are a hard act to follow.

----------


## samercury

> Some more snow photos; all of these were taken out the windows; I am a lazy photographer....like being warm and toasty inside the house, thank you.


Really like this one, it looks so peaceful. And taking pictures from the inside when it's cold outside is so fun  :Biggrin: . 
Janine- they were predicting a blizzard this time to (up to a foot of snow and really windy), so all the schools didn't want what happened last year to happen again and decided to give us a snow day, which ended up being pretty pointless.

----------


## stephofthenight

We dont get snow. it drops below 50 and you have mass panic. and major winter storm alerts. texas does not do snow. never really had it.

yes moondance is my little love, he is very sweet. thank you for the kind words towards him

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Oh, *Gilliatt,* these are stunning photos. I was breathless at that first one....the trees are so coated with snow....a real wintery wonderland. The creek ones are beautiful, too. You must have a great camera...the resolution is wonderful...





> Some more snow photos; all of these were taken out the windows; I am a lazy photographer....like being warm and toasty inside the house, thank you.





> Those are fabulous pictures Gililatt. I can't believe that's Texas!





> Those are absolutely beautiful.





> haha...I wasn't trying to be; I just wanted to document the snowstorm further. *Gililatt's* gorgeous professional looking photos are a hard act to follow.


Thanks all for the comments !
Janine, It's good to see you made it through the storm and Virgil too I suspect.
It's funny you mentioned my camera. 
It is actually an older model Canon Powershot 520; not a lot of bells and whistles with that one. I try to compensate with the natural light I'm given and the framing of the shot. Mother nature takes care of the remaining 90 percent.

Don't sell yourself short, that first photo of the tree is very intriguiging and illusory. 
I like that one quite a lot.

Gilliatt

----------


## Janine

Thanks *Gilliatt*. I have a Canon, too...it's new this year...it's actually 12MP. Before that, I had and still do have an Olympus Camedia - only 1.3MP, but it really took good pictures; especially closeups.
I actually have to do more work with the higher pixel camera, because of knocking the file sizes down for the internet. I bought the Canon, because my son has one and their photos always turn out great. My son has higher end cameras, too, but he said he usually ends up grabbing the little Canon (so lightweight) when his daughter does something cute. My camera is red; what color is yours?  :FRlol:  Typical woman question.

Thanks for the compliments. I though that first one came out sort of neat, also. I think the glass was fogged up and that is why it's difused like that. Bare branches and the patterns they make are always good subjects. I noticed in your first photo just how heavy those branches are with snow. It's a wonder they didn't break off and block the roadways. That can be really hazardous. It happened about 25 miles north of my house; trees even came down. My friend said it was like a huricane. I am glad we escaped fairly unscathed, although now the plowed mounts of snow are problematic. I had trouble pulling out of the driveway today; kept scrapping one. AND I heard a rumor that more snow is predicted for Tues night into Weds...ekkk...that will prove more difficult yet.

----------


## Scented Letters

Oh, how nice! It's wonderful to see everyone's photography here!  :Yawnb:  Janine, lovely colours in your winter photographs!

I take to photography myself, and I'm quite enamoured with it... Here are a few of mine, from my Flickr.  (I use a Canon Rebel XTi)

----------


## Maryd.

My dear Janine, those are fabulous.

And Scented Letters.... Love the dog. Woof to you.

----------


## Virgil

Those are outstamnding pictures Scented. I assume you're a professional.

----------


## Janine

*Scented Letters,* I am greatly impressed with you photos. They are truly amazing. The dogs hairs are so distinct on the last one. These do look so professional. Sounds like you have a high end camera. You really have an eye for good composition and design.

and..Thanks for the compliments, *Mary.*

----------


## qimissung

Gilliat, Steph, Janine, Scented Letters, awesome, stunning, beautiful. Thanks for sharing your little corners of the world.

Your horse is beautiful, Stephanie; I would have loved to see him trying to eat the snow and then getting it up his nose.

Janine, I love that you took all the pictures from the windows of your house. I loved looking at your neighborhood through your eyes.

----------


## Janine

> Janine, I love that you took all the pictures from the windows of your house. I loved looking at your neighborhood through your eyes.


Thank you, *gimissung*...I sort of intended it to be that way; also I must admit when it's snowing out or even just frigid, I would prefer to stay inside and be a hermit and stay warm.

----------


## Heathcliff

*Scented Letters* I like the second and the last especially. Very nice!!

----------


## Snowqueen

These are wonderful pictures* Janine*. I have found out, you are a good photographer.

Amazing shots *Scented Letters*.  :Thumbs Up:

----------


## Janine

> These are wonderful pictures *Janine*. I have found out, you are a good photographer.


 Thank you *SQ,* but I don't think these reflect it. I was merely trying to document the showstorm. If I ventured out I might be able to get some better more artsy shots. I have a new camera but don't quite know how to use all the features yet. It's pretty fool proof though...with 12mega pixels it's hard to go wrong. Also it has an authomatic setting, although I didn't use it for this. It is suppose to adjust the color so they 





> Amazing shots *Scented Letters*.


 They truly are beautiful and so artistic. I also looked at your photos in Flickr and they are wonderful. You are a very talented photographer. Maybe you can give me some pointers sometime.

----------


## Snowqueen

My darling nieces.

It's Shinu.




Now Bushy, watching the ducks quite intently.

----------


## Heathcliff

Snowqueen they are absolutely adorable.

Such angels...  :Rolleyes:   :Nod:   :Biggrin:

----------


## Janine

*Snowqueen,* these photos of your neices are wonderful. I love them best. They are the cutest little neices in the whole wide world! How fun they look...both look like they are very happy children...beautiful children and so are your photos, as usual. I love Bushy's wide-eyed expression and Shinu is changing and getting older looking and I notice her hair has grown and is curling...both are so adorable, I could give them a hug right through my screen.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Snowqueen they are absolutely adorable.
> 
> Such angels...


Thank! Yes they are angels but a bit naughty.  :Devil: 




> *Snowqueen,* these photos of your neices are wonderful. I love them best. They are the cutest little neices in the whole wide world! How fun they look...both look like they are very happy children...beautiful children and so are your photos, as usual. I love Bushy's wide-eyed expression and Shinu is changing and getting older looking and I notice her hair has grown and is curling...both are so adorable, I could give them a hug right through my screen.


Thanks *Janine*, in fact they both are growing fast and getting mischievous.

----------


## Maryd.

Snowqueen, so cute... I just want to put a bow in their hair and take them home.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Snowqueen, so cute... I just want to put a bow in their hair and take them home.


Ha ha..beware Mary they are little imps.  :Smash:   :Boxing Smiley:  :Crash:

----------


## Maryd.

> Ha ha..beware Mary they are little imps.


You know how many people say that about kids and I have them at my place and they turn into angels.

----------


## Janine

> Thank! Yes they are angels but a bit naughty. 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks *Janine*, in fact they both are growing fast and getting mischievous.


I know just what you mean. Brooke is getting very mischievous, bordering on naughty. Actually, last night my son said she had to sit on a chair (not sure how they accomplised that one), because she was hitting some kids at daycare.....waaa....my sweet little angelic Brooke - what happened? One day a few weeks ago, a kid was potty training and somehow Brooke and another kid snuck into the bathroom and thought it would be great fun to splash in the water. Thank god the little potty had been flushed. They had to scrub her and the other kid up....yuky. My son said she is really learning the word 'no' now! I guess she survived the toilet tramua and I sure hope she doen't hit any kids anymore and have to be punished. I guess she is heading for the 'terrible twos'....sigh....

----------


## Snowqueen

> You know how many people say that about kids and I have them at my place and they turn into angels.


Yes I know it's the house of angels.  :Angel: 




> I know just what you mean. Brooke is getting very mischievous, bordering on naughty. Actually, last night my son said she had to sit on a chair (not sure how they accomplised that one), because she was hitting some kids at daycare.....waaa....my sweet little angelic Brooke - what happened? One day a few weeks ago, a kid was potty training and somehow Brooke and another kid snuck into the bathroom and thought it would be great fun to splash in the water. Thank god the little potty had been flushed. They had to scrub her and the other kid up....yuky. My son said she is really learning the word 'no' now! I guess she survived the toilet tramua and I sure hope she doen't hit any kids anymore and have to be punished. I guess she is heading for the 'terrible twos'....sigh....


 :FRlol:  It's rather funny, kids do stuff like that. So we have to forgive little Brooke, kids love experiments.  :Wink:

----------


## Janine

> Yes I know it's the house of angels.


 I will send Brooke right over to Mary's house. Maybe she can restore her 'angel' statis.  :Angel: 





> It's rather funny, kids do stuff like that. So we have to forgive little Brooke, kids love experiments.


Oh, I know it. I have heard of worse, believe me. I guess the water in the bowl was clean by then. I think she got the idea since she has splashed around in buckets at the pool and the beach and also at the Please Touch Museum in Philadephia, they have a fun duck pond. She just went to the aquarium and she loves the movie Nemo. Maybe she was looking for Nemo in the toilet bowl. Of course the hitting was another story. However maybe they were fighting over a toy. Brooke can be pretty feisty and stand up for her rights. I guess that is the Irish blood in her. Thank God her mother's side is of the more peaceful demeanor.

Another day not long ago they came in with her and groceries and she ran and hide from them. They had search the house frantically. She had climbed the stairs and was hiding in her room under the rocking chair. I bet your neices do things like this, too. They love to play 'hide and seek'.

----------


## samercury

Wow Scented, those are amazing photos! and Snowqueen, what adorable nieces  :Biggrin: 


Another sunset picture

----------


## Heathcliff

Everyone loves loves sunset.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Strange... I posted a buch of pictures yesterday, but I must have botched it somehow. Here we go again:


Ice yacht in Roskilde, Denmark.


Closer look at an Ice yacht minus its skates.


Vor frue Kirke in Kalundborg, Denmark. The only European church with five towers.


And on top of the highest tower you find....


A narrow and interestingly shaped foot bridge in Kalundborg.


Kalundborg, Denmark. Something for the Roses to climb (During summer, that is).


A walk in the woods back home.


Fresh timber.


Another disused shed in the woods.


A frozen reed.

We had a blizzard here yesterday and another one coming in tonight. I'll post some pictures of it later.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> Wow Scented, those are amazing photos! and Snowqueen, what adorable nieces 
> 
> 
> Another sunset picture


Nice gradations in color Same. Nice sunset.

----------


## Snowqueen

> We had a blizzard here yesterday and another one coming in tonight. I'll post some pictures of it later.


Truly amazing pictures *Claes*, we will be waiting to see more.




> Wow Scented, those are amazing photos! and Snowqueen, what adorable nieces 
> 
> 
> Another sunset picture


It's really wonderful picture *samercury* and it looks like a painting.

----------


## Idril

> A frozen reed.
> 
> /Claes


You didn't post that picture before (they are in the photo album thread), that is just incredible! I absolutely love pictures of grass.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> His first snow, the others where in the barn, he wouldnt sstay... will post the video of him trying to kick the flakes later. :P it was cute. than he tried eating thim and they got up his nose...


He seems like a nice guy, Steph. 




> Edit: alternate answer - yes, I climbed out on the roof, took the photo and then ski jumped off the back roof slope....are you impressed yet?


Very... Oh, by the way, I just cleared the roof of the garden shed from snow... without using a ladder to get up there. I climbed up the wall, which was easy because of all the snow. When I was done, all I had to do was to jump. The snow broke the fall very nicely. 

Scented, those pictures were very nicely done. I particularly liked the bottles.




> You didn't post that picture before (they are in the photo album thread), that is just incredible! I absolutely love pictures of grass.


Yes, I snapped that one recently, so it is not in the albums.

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> /Claes


Nice to see you back Claes 
Wonderful photos as usual and would you believe we had a decent amount of snow here in Texas too!
I posted a few photos of our snow storm on February 11 - 12th a few pages back.

Gilliatt

----------


## Idril

> Nice to see you back Claes 
> Wonderful photos as usual and would you believe we had a decent amount of snow here in Texas too!
> I posted a few photos of our snow storm on February 11 - 12th a few pages back.
> 
> Gilliatt


I have a cousin who lives in Texas. Grew up in California, moved to Texas as an adult and he was so excited because this was the first time he had ever experienced snowfall that wasn't in the mountains. He was just so dang cute in his enthusiasm about it. I promised him the novelty wears off fast.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Thank you Gilliat  :Seeya: 


> I posted a few photos of our snow storm on February 11 - 12th a few pages back.


In Texas? That must have caused a bit of commotion, right? I'll check the pictures right away...

/Claes

----------


## qimissung

*Snowqueen*, Bushy and Shinu are adorable! They could not possible be be anything but little angels  :Angel:  ever-Brooke, too, Janine! They are too cute for words!

*Claes*, your pictures are wonderful. Those little sheds in the snowy woods are quite beautiful; I think I might be inspired to try capturing that with my watercolors. Not that it will turn out very well, but still, I'd love to try.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I think I might be inspired to try capturing that with my watercolors. Not that it will turn out very well, but still, I'd love to try.


...and if you do, I would love to see the result.

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

> *Snowqueen*, Bushy and Shinu are adorable! They could not possible be be anything but little angels  ever-Brooke, too, Janine! They are too cute for words!.


Thanks for the compliments *qimissung*.

----------


## samercury

Claes, those pictures are amazing! (especially the bridge and fence ones)

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Talking about the Peak District in another thread recently reminded me to transfer my photos to my computer, so I just thought I'd share a few in the process (and remind myself what summer was like). 




Far from the best photos of the Peak, but a quiet road that we bike through on the way to Castleton.


Ladybower reservoir, regular biking haunt.


The peak behind is Win Hill, you can climb up to the top and sit with the sheep.


A bridge in a place called Lower Bradfield, not far into the Peaks at this point. Behind you can just make out the church in Upper Bradfield.


This is not the Peaks actually, just Dam Flask, about 5 mile from my house, 2 mile from Lower Bradfield, but in a City of half a million, most people don't even know that it is there...


The George pub in Castleton, the Castle pub just behind it, nice but can't get served in the summer for toffee.


The Castle pub and our bikes in the foreground and the ruins Peveril Castle behind. Not me in the photo.


Inside the Castle pub.

Haddon Hall, medieval manor house near Bakewell:






The gardens are pretty good, nice to sit in, there's never many people around.








Outside Bakewell.


A bridge near Bakewell.

 
I can't remember the name of this village, something "...well" just somewhere we passed through once when we got lost, they all look the same after a while, but many have nice little coffee shops to re-fuel and fill our faces with buns.  :Biggrin:

----------


## The Comedian

Neely -- sign me up for some of those bike rides! That country looks beautiful.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> Neely -- sign me up for some of those bike rides! That country looks beautiful.


Cheers, yes will do, it's good to get away from it all and get out there. Twice a week in the summer months, 50/60 mile rides, the hills are a killer for me though.  :Hat:

----------


## Veho

They're lovely pictures Neely and have inspired me to go to the Peak District on a nice day this summer. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful pictures Neely. I enjoyed them immensely. Thank you.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Great pictures everyone  :Thumbs Up: 


> we will be waiting to see more.


I have more coming up, but it will have to wait a day or two: I chucked win XP out and installed win 7 an hour ago, so I still have some setting up to do.  :Crash:  I'll be right back with new pictures as soon as I have things set up the way I want them...

/Claes

----------


## BienvenuJDC

I'm not much of a photographer...and I'm using a Blackberry phone, but here is mine...

True fashion...

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> They're lovely pictures Neely and have inspired me to go to the Peak District on a nice day this summer. Thanks for sharing.


Oh, that's great, well worth it. I basically live there in the school summer breaks but there are still many places I've not been to or explored fully, you're sure to enjoy it, do you live far?




> Wonderful pictures Neely. I enjoyed them immensely. Thank you.


Great thanks, glad you liked them, I enjoyed looking over them again myself, got me in the mood for outdoor life. I can't wait to get out there again - well Lower Bradfield is just around the corner, but it is not much fun on the bike in the cold.  :Cold:  There are some signs of spring in the air at the moment, but it is still a little chilly, a few more weeks maybe...

----------


## Virgil

She's so cute Bien.  :Smile:   :Smile:

----------


## Paulclem

> Cheers, yes will do, it's good to get away from it all and get out there. Twice a week in the summer months, 50/60 mile rides, the hills are a killer for me though.


Fantastic photos Neely - I like living in the Midlands, but I do miss the hills. It's a bit flat down here.

----------


## Veho

> Oh, that's great, well worth it. I basically live there in the school summer breaks but there are still many places I've not been to or explored fully, you're sure to enjoy it, do you live far?


Sometimes I forget that they're such beautiful places in this country, I can understand why you go there so often. I live about 60 miles away, so not too far really.

----------


## qimissung

Neely, gorgeous pictures! I would give anything to visit/live there. Oh, you are so lucky!

----------


## Heathcliff

This is what I took at camp. It was nice that day.
Not bad for a second-rate, old camera.

----------


## Revolte

> This is what I took at camp. It was nice that day.
> Not bad for a second-rate, old camera.


Jesus, that place is beautiful!

----------


## Heathcliff

> Jesus, that place is beautiful!


It is in the middle of nowhere, so it is untouched. So it is beautiful in that sense.
For some reason it is a lot prettier in the picture than it is in real life. It was all sort of yellow... But it is pretty.
There are scary ants there...

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> Sometimes I forget that they're such beautiful places in this country, I can understand why you go there so often. I live about 60 miles away, so not too far really.


Yes it is easy to forget or overlook, which is why I made the vow to go there as much as possible. I think is it essential for sanity to get away from all the noise and nonsense.




> Neely, gorgeous pictures! I would give anything to visit/live there. Oh, you are so lucky!


Thanks. I suppose I am lucky living on the edge of the Peaks, though you can often take those things for granted and want for other places. I am hungry to see Italy and France for example, very hungry, but it is comments like that which help to reinforce what I have got here and to keep me from automatically assuming that the grass is greener in another country, it is important to remember for me that England still has its charms.




> Fantastic photos Neely - I like living in the Midlands, but I do miss the hills. It's a bit flat down here.


Thanks, yes we have the hills that's for sure, they're hard work on the bike though!




> It is in the middle of nowhere, so it is untouched. So it is beautiful in that sense.
> *For some reason it is a lot prettier in the picture than it is in real life*. It was all sort of yellow... But it is pretty.
> There are scary ants there...


Love the photo. I wondered where it was at first thinking that it looked lovely and warm and then I realised that it was Australia - so certainly hot enough!

If I might add and digress a little, apologies but, I was sort of amused by the line above because it follows on exactly Wilde's point about art over nature echoed in many aspects of his thinking, but particularly well here in "The Decay of Lying" which incidentally I only just recommended to someone the other day. Anyway it opens:




> Cyril: My dear Vivian, don’t coop yourself up all day in the library. It is a perfectly lovely afternoon. The air is exquisite. There is a mist upon the woods like the purple bloom upon a plum. Let us go and lie on the grass and smoke cigarettes and enjoy nature.
> 
> Vivian: Enjoy nature! I am glad to say that I have entirely lost that faculty. People tell us that art makes us love nature more than we loved her before; that it reveals her secrets to us; and that after a careful study of Corot and Constable we see things in her that had escaped our observation. My own experience is that the more we study art, the less we care for nature. What art really reveals to us is nature's lack of design, her curious cruditites, her extraordinary monotony, her absolutely unfinished condition. Nature has good intentions, of course, but, as Aristotle said, she cannot carry them out. When I look at a landscape I cannot help seeing all its defects. It is fortunate for us, however, that nature is so imperfect, as otherwise we should have no art at all. Art is our spirited protest, our gallant attempt to teach nature her proper place. As for the infinite variety of nature, that is a pure myth. It is not to be found in nature herself. It resides in the imagination, or fancy, or cultivated blindness of the man who looks at her.
> 
> Cyril: Well, you need not look at the landscape. You can lie on the grass and smoke and talk.
> 
> Vivian: But nature is so uncomfortable. Grass is hard and lumpy and damp, and full of dreadful black insects...


This is Wilde's opinion that art is superior to nature, which like I said is found heavily in many aspects of his thinking, but quite amusing here especially since it also mentions the insects - and it is true laying on the grass can be lumpy. Of course whenever most of us take a photograph we do so with the art of it in mind, cutting out any unwanted or ugly bits from the frame without thinking, so in effect, just by the mere fact of taking photos in this manner we are trying to "improve" nature or the representation of it as Wilde suggests here. His thinking goes a lot further, but I'm not going to derail yet another thread by talking about Oscar Wilde!  :Biggrin:

----------


## Heathcliff

> Love the photo. I wondered where it was at first thinking that it looked lovely and warm and then I realised that it was Australia - so certainly hot enough!
> ...
> This is Wilde's opinion that art is superior to nature, which like I said is found heavily in many aspects of his thinking, but quite amusing here especially since it also mentions the insects - and it is true laying on the grass can be lumpy. Of course whenever most of us take a photograph we do so with the art of it in mind, cutting out any unwanted or ugly bits from the frame without thinking, so in effect, just by the mere fact of taking photos in this manner we are trying to "improve" nature or the representation of it as Wilde suggests here. His thinking goes a lot further, but I'm not going to derail yet another thread by talking about Oscar Wilde!


Ahh, yea. Well, I'd be lying to say that every word of that made immediate sense to me, I understand though.
I don't think I was trying to create artwork with a moderately broken camera whilst running to get lasagna, although I suppose you could say it qualifies.
Thank you.
Oscar Wilde is cool, I don't know anything much about him though.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Oh, I am really, really tempted to de-rail this thread by talking Wilde for the next hour or so! But, alas no, I'll "do the right thing" and leave it be. Though, you are under-selling yourself by saying your photo is not art, of course it is! As if the material you used to take the photo or the time you took is ever going to be a factor. Seriously though I love the shot. It is the warmest thing I have seen in three months! Thank you.

----------


## Heathcliff

I could de-rail it by asking questions about him.
Or by rambling on and on about my supposed 'art'. You are right though, it is pretty. I should photoshop it, just because I can.
Your welcome, I suppose. Hehehe.

----------


## qimissung

I am very disappointed with Oscar for preferring art over nature.  :Smile:  That makes me think of that Wallas Stevens poem "The Anecdote of the Jar." However, I must admit that I only enjoy nature in very small doses. On the other hand doing without it entirely is also anathema to me.

Heathciliffe, your picture is beautiful.

And Neely, I think that must be a universal struggle. It isn't wrong to want to travel. I, too, long to visit Italy and France. I wish I was fantastically rich and could have homes all over the world!

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Yes you are quite correct about the yearning for other places, other people and cultures being something that many of us feel Im sure.

Dont be disappointed in Oscar in preferring art over nature  to Oscar art _was_ life. If you allow yourself to dwell upon his thoughts long enough, you too will see that he is correct in this point and in all things. Ill just leave you with this passage, plucked almost at random, from his much mocked America lecture tour of 1882. It shows Wildes seriousness to the position of art in life even then and is quite beautiful, even if he is heavily indebted and influenced by Pater and Ruskin here:

Love art for its own sake, and then all things that you need will be added to you.

This devotion to beauty and to the creation of beautiful things is the test of all great civilized nations. Philosophy may teach us to bear with equanimity the misfortunes of our neighbours, and science resolve the moral sense into a secretion of sugar, but art is what makes the life of each citizen a sacrament and not a speculation, art is what makes the life of the whole race immortal.

For beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, and creeds follow one another like the withered leaves of autumn; but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons and a possession for all eternity. 

Oscar Wilde The English Renaissance of Art.

Quite beautiful and true, I'm sure you'll agree.  :Smile:

----------


## Le_Iris

Well, photography is my small hobby. So, judge my works))

Photos from one old house.
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs42/i/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs42/i/20...es_forever.jpg

Fortune

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs48/i/20...es_forever.jpg

The "Sedov Ship"
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs48/i/20...es_forever.jpg

My friends
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs43/i/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs43/f/20...es_forever.jpg

Pier. The Baltic Sea.
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs25/f/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs26/f/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs25/f/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs31/i/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs28/f/20...es_forever.jpg

----------


## Veho

> Well, photography is my small hobby. So, judge my works))
> 
> Photos from one old house.
> http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs42/i/20...es_forever.jpg
> 
> http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs42/i/20...es_forever.jpg
> 
> Fortune
> 
> ...


They're great photos. I particularly like the first and the third.

----------


## Virgil

They are great photos Iris. I think the second one most interesting, and the third is very nicely done.

----------


## Heathcliff

Ahh, yes. I agree with Virgil. I like the second one.

----------


## pussnboots

here's a picture in my mother's backyard from when we had 18 inches of snow. My great niece decided to name the snowman Maurice

----------


## Janine

> here's a picture in my mother's backyard from when we had 18 inches of snow. My great niece decided to name the snowman Maurice


That's a great picture/group shot. Why can't I get everyone to smile when I attempt these type family photos? Is that you in the sunglasses? I love all of your smiles....cute snowman - Maurice...hahah...is that you mom in the middle? She looks a little like you.

----------


## pussnboots

yes Janine, that's me in the red jacket and my mom is next to me.

----------


## Hurricane

First person to correctly name the airframes pictured gets a worthless internet cookie!

----------


## Heathcliff

If I say they are aeroplanes do I win?
Nicen!!

Did you take those?

----------


## Hurricane

> If I say they are aeroplanes do I win?
> Nicen!!
> 
> Did you take those?


Well, they _are_ airplanes...

Yeah, I took those this past summer and fall.

----------


## samercury

Spring is here

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Ah! Very neat! My town is still frozen, we usually get spring in April (but I can't wait).

----------


## Virgil

> First person to correctly name the airframes pictured gets a worthless internet cookie!


I'm no good at naming planes and helicopters, but is that a Huricane? Now do you pilot those?





> Spring is here


Crocuses!! I wonder if mine have popped up. Not quite spring Same. Crocuses come before spring, but just before spring.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Hurricane

> I'm no good at naming planes and helicopters, but is that a Huricane? Now do you pilot those?


It's the MV-22 Osprey. I don't fly them (I wish! Someday, maybe), but they're an awesome airframe.

----------


## Virgil

> It's the MV-22 Osprey. I don't fly them (I wish! Someday, maybe), but they're an awesome airframe.


Ah yes, the Osprey. That's the one that tilts the copter blades, right? The others must also be naval helicopters. I just can't place them. The middle one almost looks like a chinook but that's Army I think.

----------


## samercury

> Crocuses!! I wonder if mine have popped up. Not quite spring Same. Crocuses come before spring, but just before spring.


Close enough to spring (especially with the great weather)  :Tongue:

----------


## Virgil

> Close enough to spring (especially with the great weather)


 :Wink5:  Unfortunately the great stretch of weather is ending here. It was a really nice few days.

----------


## Hurricane

> Ah yes, the Osprey. That's the one that tilts the copter blades, right? The others must also be naval helicopters. I just can't place them. The middle one almost looks like a chinook but that's Army I think.


100% correct! Watching Ospreys take off is really cool because they sometimes start out in plane mode and then transfer to helicopter mode as they leave the deck. The first is an MH-60S, used by the Navy, and the middle is indeed a Chinook. Some Army units get their landing qualifications on Navy ships (this was news to me).

----------


## Virgil

> 100% correct! Watching Ospreys take off is really cool because they sometimes start out in plane mode and then transfer to helicopter mode as they leave the deck. The first is an MH-60S, used by the Navy, and the middle is indeed a Chinook. Some Army units get their landing qualifications on Navy ships (this was news to me).


Cool. Thanks. Must be fun to ride in them.

----------


## Hurricane

I wouldn't know, I just got to watch this past summer. Maybe this year... *crosses fingers*

----------


## Snowqueen

Few pictures of summer clouds.

----------


## Niamh

I lvoe pictures of clouds!

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Snowqueen, but after the storms we've been getting the last two days and continue with today, I'd rather not think about clouds at the moment.  :Wink5:  I want some sunshine!  :FRlol:

----------


## Le_Iris

Pictures of Riga.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...es_forever.jpg

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...es_forever.jpg

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Iris. Looks like a charming old city.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

Le Iris, beautiful pictures. I've always wanted to see Eastern Europe. I take it you are latvian?

----------


## Le_Iris

*Niamh*, Thank you. No, I'm Russian, but I live in Lithuania. Lithuania is in the neighbourhood with Latvia. We just came to Riga to take part in competitions) 

*Virgil*, thanks ^_^

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...es_forever.jpg

Love this one, (the third one) in particular.  :Smile:

----------


## qimissung

SnowQueen and Iris, your pictures are awesome!

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks *Niamh* I love clouds too.

Thank you *qimissung*.  :Smile: 




> Nice pictures Snowqueen, but after the storms we've been getting the last two days and continue with today, I'd rather not think about clouds at the moment.  I want some sunshine!


I took these pictures right after the storm.  :Brow:  But don't you worry I'll post some sunsets for you.  :Yesnod:

----------


## soundofmusic

Neely, when I try to go to your listed site, I get a message: file not found...any idea why?

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Oh, yes, I don't know. I just copied the link from the poster above, the third photo down, I'll try it here:

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...es_forever.jpg

If not scroll back a bit.  :Smile:

----------


## Le_Iris

*Neely*, it doesn't work. Anyway, thank you very much ^^

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

We've managed to get out for a quick ride today for the first time this year and took my camera along for a change. It is good to get out even if it is just for a bit. This is our usual quick circular route around the Strines reservoir, stopping off at the Strines pub half way round.

There's some good quiet roads up there:


That's me up ahead. I'm far too handsome to appear any closer!


At the back Strines reservoir and the area around it always looks great:


Dam Flask which is right on the edge of the Peaks which we ride around to get to the Strines. You can see the Peak milestone marker on the right.


Middle:


From the other side:


Just before Lower Bradfield. Look lambs!:


The Strines pub, it's part of a 14th century Inn, I was going to take some photos inside (it's full of country things, old beams and stuffed animals etc) but people were all tucking into their Sunday lunches so I thought it would have been a bit rude. They even had the open fire going which it didn't need, far too warm, we sit outside anyway.


This is actually for me one of the best places on the whole ride and this shot just doesn't do it justice. In the middle you can just make out this big country house which has loads of acres of private land and easy access to the reservoir. They have even got their own tennis court. To the right on the hill you can just see the folly (the little tower thingy) which can be seen for miles around.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Cool, I think that I could see the leaves just starting to poke out on those branches. The seasons are much earlier there then they are here, I had another snow storm today.

----------


## Virgil

What lovely countryside Neely. I love the pictures. And I wonder if those lambs make tastey lamb chops.  :Biggrin:

----------


## The Comedian

Beautiful images, Neely. Thanks for posting them.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Neely,
Your pictures sound wonderful, if only I could see them! 
This includes the set you sent earlier in the month.
(I was able to see your snowman photos -go figure) 
For some reason your images appear as those nasty white boxes with a red X in the center!
I am able to see photos by other posters. 

Gilliatt

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Yes thanks Virgil/Comedian, it is great to get out for sanity purposes. I don't like lamb though...

It's a shame you can't see them, I don't know why that is, there's a couple I've found of the net to give you an idea - these look like summer shots though:







My jammy brother has been out again today while some of us have be doing hard labour in the classrooms of Britain! :Rolleyes5:

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Neely.  :Smile:

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

I know. I still can't believe this is not more than 6 or 7 miles from my house which is in an estate on the poor side of the city. When I get mega rich for knowing "stuff about Wilde"  :Rolleyes5:  I'm moving 6 miles away!!! (or to Italy) whichever is closer!  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> I know. I still can't believe this is not more than 6 or 7 miles from my house which is in an estate on the poor side of the city. When I get mega rich for knowing "stuff about Wilde"  I'm moving 6 miles away!!! (or to Italy) whichever is closer!


It does look like Tuscany. Buy up as much land there as you can and be into real estate. You'll make a fortune when the secret gets out.  :FRlol:

----------


## Heathcliff

Neely, I like the last one. It looks awesome. All of your pictures are really cool!

----------


## Janine

Wow, everyone of you have amazing photos. I peek in here all the time. I have been meaning to post these video links of my granddaughter. I am cheating. I didn't take these; my son did. I did take some last night I will add to these after I figure out how to get them on the web. 

Brooke, my tiny dancer!

Back at Halloween 09
http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_6584.flv

A month ago
http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_7447.flv

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_7370.flv

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> It's a shame you can't see them, I don't know why that is, ..."


Neely, now I see them; clear and magnificent! 
I had run an update to my security/ virus software and now I see. Must have been those "Wilde" viruses. 
Thanks for sharing yourpart of the world.





> ...I have been meaning to post these video links of my granddaughter...
> 
> Brooke, my tiny dancer!


Janine,
Brooke is a charmer! 
Hmmm...videos ? may add a whole new dimension for those posting on the litnet photo album ...?
Thanks for sharing.

Gilliatt

----------


## Janine

> Neely, now I see them; clear and magnificent! 
> I had run an update to my security/ virus software and now I see. Must have been those "Wilde" viruses. 
> Thanks for sharing yourpart of the world.


I can see all the pictures in here and they all are just wonderful; all of you are such good photographers.





> Janine,
> Brooke is a charmer! 
> Hmmm...videos ? may add a whole new dimension for those posting on the litnet photo album ...?
> Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Gilliatt


*Gilliatt,* thanks for looking. I was dying to share these with everyone. Yes, she is indeed a charmer. She has me totally charmed and she can wrap me around her little finger. She's my little darling. I love her so much and enjoy spoiling her. It's great being a grandma!

----------


## Haunted

Janine, Brooke is such a happy child. keep spoiling her, it's working!

----------


## Janine

> Janine, Brooke is such a happy child. keep spoiling her, it's working!


She's delightfully happy most of the time. This makes me happy, too. It's infectious. I will continue to spoil her; that is what grandma's are for!

----------


## Heathcliff

The Yarra River:

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful pictures Heathcliff. That middle one is especially nice.

Janine, those are marvelous videos. I absolutely loved her facial expressions on the one with the shake.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

*Heathcliff,* Is the Yara river in Australia? It is so beautiful. I love your photos. Where exactly were you taking them from - it looks high up...from a tower or what?

*Virgil,* I love the dancing one, but you're right - the Shamrock shake expressions are so cute....especially when she says "ummm." The little girl likes to eat! My son said he grilled some chicken outside and she came out to watch...she sat on the edge of the deck very quietly and said "ummm, chicken, daddy". She loves chicken and all kinds of things, especially milkshakes! She is at such an adorable age.

----------


## qimissung

Yeah, Neely, your countryside is awesome, and Heathcliffe, the Yarra River is beautiful, and so are your pictures.

----------


## Maximilianus

*@ Janine (1):* quit spoiling that poor child! Leave her alone now, you spoiling granny!  :FRlol:  cute baby she is. You're lucky  :Nod:  I should find me a daughter... long way to go 

*@ Heatcliff:* pretty pix all of them. Aussie land's a pretty one  :Thumbsup: 

*@ Janine (2):* The Australian river is actually spelled _Yarra_. As for _Yara_, it used to be a former name for the now _Coco River_ in Central America (between Honduras and Nicaragua). Just wanted to make it clear to avoid confusion  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Nice pictures, everyone. Ok, this took a bit longer than expected, but here are the winter pictures I promised to post:


In the evening before the blizzard really took hold. Starting to snow.


After a noisy night we woke up to this... The back yard.


And the front....


The front yard seen from the outside.


A park close to work.


Runaway "snowling". 


Thoroughly blocked door.


A bike road.


Frozen apple trees.


Ekeby airfield, where I spent most of my youth. No flying that day...


View not far from our house


A cold and miserable Mistletrush outside my window at work.

/Claes

----------


## Heathcliff

Thanks Virg, Qimi and Maxi.




> *Heathcliff,* Is the Yara river in Australia? It is so beautiful. I love your photos. Where exactly were you taking them from - it looks high up...from a tower or what?


Up in a ferris wheel. That was when I decided I am scared of heights.

There really awesome, ClaesGefvenberg. Especially the first and the third and fourth last.

----------


## Virgil

Claes! What wonderful pictures. I have to say, thank God we didn't get that, though we have had a couple this year that were overwhelming. I want to move south. No more winters for me.  :Smile: 

I hope you had a snow blower. How deep was the snow?

----------


## Olga4real

My favorite place

----------


## Olga4real

After the rain in Malta

----------


## Snowqueen

These are truly amazing videos *Janine*. I loved the way Brooke danced, she is a cute little doll. Thanks for sharing.

*Heathcilff*: The photos are really wonderful.

Hey *Claes*! Thanks for keeping your promise, the pictures are great as ever. 

Nice pictures *Olga4real*.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I hope you had a snow blower. How deep was the snow?


Nope. There is no room to use a blower at home... unless I aim it at the neighbour. (now, there's an idea  :Ihih:  ) I think the average depth came up to roughly a meter/3ft before it started thawing, and my biggest concern was the garden shed roof which started creaking ominously: I had to get up there and shovel it clean, and when I was done I could step right over to the snow heap (step, not jump) and walk down.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

One meter of snow! Oh my God!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> One meter of snow! Oh my God!


Well.. It is a lot more than usual, but we did not get it all in one go (fortunately). I was in Denmark getting ready to go home when one of the major blizzards of this winter hit: Driving back to Copenhagen was a bit of an adventure as the Danes don't use studded winter tyres. When I finally got there, I got stuck in Kastrup airport for half a day before the flight back to Arlanda Airport, near Stockholm. When I got there all communications were out, so I had to get a room for the night and wait it out until next morning. Then I made my way home via thoroughly disrupted train schedules. When I got back to work I was a day late...  :FRlol: 

/Claes

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Wow Claes! Those photos are beautiful! I especially love the 'snowling' and the Mistletrush. 

@Heathcliff - The middle one is especially nice!

@Olga4real - I'm jealous  :Biggrin:

----------


## Olga4real

TurquoiseSunset, don't be jealous, you will learn to fly and see even more beautiful places. Don't forget to take a camera with you. :-)

----------


## Janine

Wow, *Claes,* that is a lot of snow....more than we got here all at once and I thought we got a lot this winter. I love your photos. Those mounds are gigantic. It must have been fun stepping right off of your shed roof onto one. Did you and your daughter go sledding? I can imagine just how disappointed you were to miss a day of work.  :FRlol:

----------


## Janine

*Olga,* I love that reflection photo. It is so interesting.

----------


## Virgil

> Well.. It is a lot more than usual, but we did not get it all in one go (fortunately). I was in Denmark getting ready to go home when one of the major blizzards of this winter hit: Driving back to Copenhagen was a bit of an adventure as the Danes don't use studded winter tyres. When I finally got there, I got stuck in Kastrup airport for half a day before the flight back to Arlanda Airport, near Stockholm. When I got there all communications were out, so I had to get a room for the night and wait it out until next morning. Then I made my way home via thoroughly disrupted train schedules. When I got back to work I was a day late... 
> 
> /Claes


What an adventure! Thank God it wasn't me.  :Wink5:

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> TurquoiseSunset, don't be jealous, you will learn to fly and see even more beautiful places. Don't forget to take a camera with you. :-)


You know what? You're right.  :Smile: 

If other South Africans read that comment they will crucify me for saying that anyway  :Biggrin:  We have a really beautiful country, I should just get off my behind and take some pictures! So I have a crappy camera, but my mom has a nice one (in comparison to mine) and she only ever takes it out when my parents go away on the odd weekend. So I'll high-jack it!

In the mean time, can anyone explain to me how to post photos on this forum? I don't want the photos to display as links though...

----------


## Revolte

Ok this is the ashtray at my friends house lol


This is my favorite hang out in the crappiest town around


this is my best friend and his girl at Santa Cruz

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Those mounds are gigantic.


The problem is that they are still rather massive, in spite of both thaw, rain and (would you believe it) a thunderstorm the other night. I will have to break them up with a shovel this weekend, or they will still be there well past midsummer.




> I can imagine just how disappointed you were to miss a day of work.


Um... I *was* actually... I have too much to do to like missing a day like that, but on the other hand I had the laptop with me. 

/Claes

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Okay, so I know it's supposed to be pictures taken by me...these weren't taken by me, but because I live in a lovely region I might take a few of them myself in the future  :Smile: 

So here goes:

----------


## Olga4real

Now I am jealous 
 :Cheers2:

----------


## Niamh

claes fantastic photos! now that s what i call snow! (what i was also hoping to see in Canada but...)

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

:Banana:  Thanks Olga!

Now that I'm at home I can add a few I've taken myself! ...I've actually forgotten I had them  :FRlol: 

Constantia Museum on the lovely Constantia farm...


A few views from the front of the museum...

----------


## Virgil

> this is my best friend and his girl at Santa Cruz


Oh, what a wonderful picture. Very nice.  :Smile: 




> Okay, so I know it's supposed to be pictures taken by me...these weren't taken by me, but because I live in a lovely region I might take a few of them myself in the future 
> 
> So here goes:


That is a lovely country. I love a field full of grape vines. What is that building in your first picture? Interesting architecture.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Thanks Virgil!

It's the Afrikaans Language Monument. On Wikipedia it says it's located on a hill, but it's actually on Paarl Mountain (the mountain in the second picture with the large granite outcrop) - Paarl being my home town.

----------


## Olga4real

So Turquoise, you have grape fields in your country? There are many of them in Hungary too. Hungarians are proud of their wines. I don't have any pictures of the grapes I prefer to take pictures abroad, although Hungary is definitely a beautiful country.
One of my dreams is visiting Africa one day. I have never been outside of Europe.

----------


## magzarelli

Amazing photos!  :Banana: 





> Thanks Olga!
> 
> Now that I'm at home I can add a few I've taken myself! ...I've actually forgotten I had them 
> 
> Constantia Museum on the lovely Constantia farm...
> 
> 
> A few views from the front of the museum...

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Wow some stunning shots. The amber one is like something made up from heaven!!! I'd like to go there on my holidays.

----------


## Paulclem

I like dropping in and looking at the pictures you all post. 

A nice cheery thread.

----------


## Snowqueen

Great pictures everyone. 
Here are the sunsets, I took these picture last month.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Snowqueen.  :Smile:

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> So Turquoise, you have grape fields in your country? There are many of them in Hungary too. Hungarians are proud of their wines. I don't have any pictures of the grapes I prefer to take pictures abroad, although Hungary is definitely a beautiful country.


South Africans are very proud of their wines/wine industry too. It's especially the case where I live as it's right in the middle of the wine counrty. Some of my friends and family are in the industry as well, from making wine to selling it  :Biggrin: 




> One of my dreams is visiting Africa one day. I have never been outside of Europe.


I've never been out of Africa  :Tongue:

----------


## Olga4real

> South Africans are very proud of their wines/wine industry too. It's especially the case where I live as it's right in the middle of the wine counrty. Some of my friends and family are in the industry as well, from making wine to selling it


I've heard about Southern African wines but never tried yet, would be nice to compare with Hungarian.

Snowqueen, wonderful pictures! I love sunsets and have taken some nice pictures of that time of the day.

----------


## qimissung

Claes, Olga, Revolte, Turquoise, Snowqueen, thank you for all the beautiful pictures. This is my favorite thread. I wish I could o that. I do have a camera phone. Maybe I'll try to take a few next week, but that is not a strong point of mine, I fear.

*Claes,* the snow looked awesome; I'm glad you made it through safely. I love snow, but like all exteme weather it can be dangerous. 
*
Olga,* that picture of the reflection in the water is just stunning. Revolte, you have a real gift for the modern, quirky picture.

*Turquoise,* your part of the world is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. And *Snowqueen,* those pictures are just spectacular!

----------


## Olga4real

> *
> Olga,* that picture of the reflection in the water is just stunning. Revolte, you have a real gift for the modern, quirky picture.


Thanks *qimissung*, I was lucky to visit Malta on a sunny day after rain, so it is not me it is the Nature.

*Snowqueen*, Your sunset picture are masterpieces! 

I found some sunset pictures taken last year.

These two are from Malta (Gozo):






Sunset over Saint Hilarion Cyprus:

----------


## Janine

*TurquioseSunset,*. I love your photos. I love vineyards and mountains in the background....That white building is so pretty, too. 

*Snowqueen,* I love your sunset photos...wow...they seem otherworldly...like you captured the last sun beames. I feel heat when I look at them as though the day was warmed by the sun and it will stay warm at night....just lovely and so beautiful, as all your photos always are.

*Olga,* those sunset photos are lovely. I love to see landscapes shot through stone windows, buildings; so the third on is my favorite, even though you don't see the orb of the sun, it's evident on the side of the stone...luminous.

----------


## Virgil

Very nice Olga.  :Smile:

----------


## Janine

> The problem is that they are still rather massive, in spite of both thaw, rain and (would you believe it) a thunderstorm the other night. I will have to break them up with a shovel this weekend, or they will still be there well past midsummer.


*Claes,* I know what you mean. I saw mounds like this one recently at our local mall parking lot. It surprised me, because it got quite warm for a week or so and it rained a lot, so you would think they would be gone; but there they were - snow-covered mountains in southern NJ! If you don't get them broken up, look at this way, you can ski down them in the summer in bathing suits.




> Um... I *was* actually... I have too much to do to like missing a day like that, but on the other hand I had the laptop with me. 
> 
> /Claes


You sound a little like my son; he actually loves his job and to go to work; but now having a little one around he rather enjoys those unexpected days off. However, this year has been too much shoveling so we are welcoming spring in with open arms.

----------


## Snowqueen

*Janine*, *Virgil*, *qimissung*, *Olga* thanks for your lovely comments. And Olga your photos are truly amazing.

----------


## dizzydoll

I dont know why photos will not load from my computer. The file says its a JPEG 2.58MG whatever that means. Here's some from Woodstock 1969:






*Oh Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz, my friends all drive Porsche's*

----------


## Olga4real

Easter holiday is gone but I would like to share a picture of painted eggs. 
Do anybody paint eggs at Easter?



Here is another one I would like to share: Alps from the plane on Tuesday

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Spring literally just came to my town yesterday (first day above 18 and without snow), so I went out into the woods and took some pictures. 


First shoots of grass. You can barely see them. Look for a little shade of light green.


Still a bit of snow in places.


Coupla sqirrels. The one on the top branch was yelling at me and freaking out, that's why he's all blurry.


One of my favorite gnarled old trees.


I like this one growing out of a rock wall, too.


Aww, the first little baby pond scum. Isn't it cuuute? In about a month, this bog will be dark green. It'll have a layer of pond-scum two inches thick, and if you rip it open you'll be able to find this fantastic little ecosystem. There's a lot of life in there; tadpoles, water-beetles, little shrimp things... it's beautiful. 



It's all pretty ugly and dusty and brown right now, but give it a month and it'll be green and beautiful and covered in wildflowers.


My pale little leg, and an occupational hazard of being a wild girl.


Back in town. The black and white house to the left is where I live. The purple car in the driveway is mine, and the blue truck is my brother's.

The woods are in DESPERATE need of water. One thunderstrike or failure to put out a campfire and we go up in flames.

 :Biggrin:  Do I already sound like a forestry ranger, or what?

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Juniper. The mountains and woods where you live looks really neat.  :Smile:

----------


## Maximilianus

Really nice pictures everyone!

----------


## dizzydoll

Beautiful pix JW especially with the mountains in the background. 

Here is a view from my windows as I type to you right now...



or;



This one wows me, and thinking of all the pix Ive seen of the world, it truly shows we live on a very generous globe.

----------


## stephofthenight

snowday/other random pictures I've been neglecting to post

 a friend trying to give our snowman a light...





 me and part of my class



 eeek thats a lot of snow

 my princess on midnight

 you will let me inside....fix me warm milk...now...

----------


## Olga4real

Very nice pictures JuniperWoolf, dizzy and stephofthenight! I would like to share some spring pictures taken last weekend in Basel.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Those are really nice, the flowers make me miss spring and the pigeon makes me miss Petunia (a broken pigeon that I couldn't save, RIP).

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Spring literally just came to my town yesterday (first day above 18 and without snow), so I went out into the woods and took some pictures. 
> 
> 
> Aww, the first little baby pond scum. Isn't it cuuute?


Great photos JuniperWoolf.
We live on a creek with a small pool at one part that gets quite a bit of the scum in summer. However, any appreciable rain will clearit out.




> Beautiful pix JW especially with the mountains in the background. 
> 
> Here is a view from my windows as I type to you right now...
> 
> This one wows me, and thinking of all the pix Ive seen of the world, it truly shows we live on a very generous globe.


I envy your ability to look out on the sea.
Thanks for sharing.




> snowday/other random pictures I've been neglecting to post...


Kilgore !!
It is a small world. My now decesased paternal grandparents lived in Kilgore. 




> ...in Basel.


Beautiful flowers Olga4real.
I passed through Basel many years ago.
Thanks for sharing.


Here are few from my trip through New Mexico last month:

"Waves on the Sand"



Portion of Pueblo del Arroyo ruins at Chaco Culture National Historical Park:




Old adobe style church in San Antonio New Mexico:

----------


## Olga4real

> Great photos JuniperWoolf.
> We live on a creek with a small pool at one part that gets quite a bit of the scum in summer. However, any appreciable rain will clearit out.
> 
> Here are few from my trip through New Mexico last month:


Now I am envy Gilliatt. I have posted pictures of places I visited now I asked myself why don't post some pictures of Hungary - eventually it's a nice beautiful country. I don't want to seem that I don't appreciate what I have. 

So here is some pictures I took today afternoon. Sorry for the quality - I didn't have my camera with me only my phone. 



This is Tagore avenue the tree was planted by him.



Just a swan on the lake Balaton

----------


## Olga4real



----------


## Paulclem

Great pictures everyone. 

Hi Olga - loved the pictures of Basel and Lake Balaton - I've been to both places and they are both really beautiful. The water in lake balaton was so milky. We've got pictures of swans too - perhaps they are their progeny.  :Biggrin5:

----------


## Virgil

Thank you Olga. Very nice.  :Smile:

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Olga, those pics remind me of South Africa!! Hungary is indeed very beautiful!!

----------


## qimissung

Juniper Woolf. Olga, Gilliat, DizzyDoll, your pictures are all spectacular, and I enjoyed them tremendously.

----------


## dizzydoll

I loved all these pictures. Thanks all. Arent we lucky that cameras catch so many details today.  :Biggrin5:

----------


## Virgil

> I loved all these pictures. Thanks all. Arent we lucky that cameras catch so many details today.


Yes, that is an interesting though. It is lucky.  :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

I would like to share some new pictures with you. I hope you like...







Isn't it like 'Little Swans Dance' and 'The Ugly Duckling' mixture?

----------


## Olga4real

*Paulclem, Virgil, qimissung, dizzydoll*  and everybody thank you for the kind comments.

*TurquoiseSunset* I post the following picture for you this is a grape field in spring, taken two weeks ago. BTW last month I tried South African wine and liked it. 



This is a squirrel, which just rushed across the road then jumped on a tree, I didn't even have much time to focus my camera properly... 



The following picture is for those who has been to Hungary like *Paulclem* to make them want to come back and for those who has never been here to make them want to explore it.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Great pics Olga! Especially of that vineyard  :Ihih:  ...and I'm glad you liked South African wine!  :Banana:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I found some old (Early 1980's) pictures and cranked them through the scanner:


A spitfire with clipped wings, a P47 Thunderbolt and a B17.


De Havilland Mosquito. Probably one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.


Three gliders from different eras: A SG-38 (Schulgleter) from 1938, a Slingsby
T31 side by side trainer and a more modern ASH22 tandem two-seater. 

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thanks for posting those Claes!
There's nothing like the sound of a Merlin, Pratt & Whitney or Wright or even the whistle of air as it slips across a glider.

You must have been flying something to get the last photo...?

Gilliatt

----------


## Virgil

Love those swans Olga and Claes, those are really cool pictures. Thanks to both.  :Smile:

----------


## Emil Miller

I thought that some of you might be interested in some pictures that I have taken in the past. I hope to show some more recent photos later.


The Arc de Triomphe Paris


Jaini Ho aged two and a half. 


Richmond Park London


Cafe Rotonde in Paris


Bridge statue in Wurzburg


Bullfight poster in Seville

----------


## stephofthenight

No mommy I didnt untie my rope after you told me to stay...



Hey mom, uh you left? 



the horse I bought my mom for her birthday. shes finaly getting good and fat.

----------


## Paulclem

> *Paulclem, Virgil, qimissung, dizzydoll*  and everybody thank you for the kind comments.
> 
> *TurquoiseSunset* I post the following picture for you this is a grape field in spring, taken two weeks ago. BTW last month I tried South African wine and liked it. 
> 
> 
> 
> This is a squirrel, which just rushed across the road then jumped on a tree, I didn't even have much time to focus my camera properly... 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks - We always wanted to go back to Hungary. It would have been great to take the kids when they were young. We still would like to return. We went through HHungary, and came back again on our trip to the South of Europe.  :Biggrin5:

----------


## Paulclem

Nice pictures Brian and Steph. Paris is great, and the cats are very photogenic.

----------


## Lulim

> Bridge statue in Wurzburg


@Brian, have you been to Würzburg? I'm living quite near, half an hour's drive, but I never got round to visiting those bridge.




> 


@steph, your cat looks like the brother of mine  :Smile:

----------


## Emil Miller

[QUOTE=Lulim;906524]@Brian, have you been to Würzburg? I'm living quite near, half an hour's drive, but I never got round to visiting those bridge./QUOTE]

Es ist nicht nur für die Brücke, man solle Wurzbug besuchen, sondern auch für die Residenz des Fürstbischofs von Bamberg und Würzburg. Die Gebäude ist eine spektakuläre barocke Palast und wirklich groß. Unten steht ein Bild von einem Gateway, das in den Gärten des Palastes führt.


Leider ist das Bild ein bisschen schief gegangen.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Brian,
Assuming that your photos are from your film camera, (Nikon was it?) the clarity even after scanning, is brilliant. The architecture is magnificent, but nothing compares to Jaini Ho.

Steph, Hey, I know what those are on the dirt drive! -Sweet Gum fruit. Sweet Gums are beautiful in the fall.

Gilliatt

----------


## Emil Miller

> Brian,
> Assuming that your photos are from your film camera, (Nikon was it?) the clarity even after scanning, is brilliant. The architecture is magnificent, but nothing compares to Jaini Ho.
> 
> Steph, Hey, I know what those are on the dirt drive! -Sweet Gum fruit. Sweet Gums are beautiful in the fall.
> 
> Gilliatt


Yes that's the beauty of SLR, it enables the user to use the correct lens for each subject. I have sometimes been complimented on my photos but it isn't my work, its the Nikon that does it. Jaini is eleven now and is attending one of London's top girl's schools; she also plays the piano much better than I do.

----------


## qimissung

Great pictures, brian and stephanie. Your litte girl is adorable, brian

----------


## stephofthenight

> Steph, Hey, I know what those are on the dirt drive! -Sweet Gum fruit. Sweet Gums are beautiful in the fall.
> 
> Gilliatt


HAHA If this was not a family site I would tell you what east texans call them  :Biggrin:  Lets just say the most commen injury is a broken ankle due to those sweet gum balls....

----------


## Emil Miller

> Great pictures, brian and stephanie. Your litte girl is adorable, brian


Unfortunately she is not my little girl but the daughter of some friends of mine. I do agree though that she was a very photogenic child.

----------


## Olga4real

*stephofthenight* what a nice pictures I love animals and your humour, your horses are lovely... and cats - I love cats white and black grey and striped, thin and fat long haired and short haired.... :Yawnb: 

*Brian* your pictures look just like professional! Well done!!!

*TurquoiseSunset* waiting for your pictures of South Africa.

*ClaesGefvenberg* your pictures are just breathtaking. They remind me of the times when I flew too. 

*Paulclem* I couldn't resist temptation to post something for you and of course for everybody. 

I hope it is not too immodest to post as many pictures as I do I love beauty and like photography and love sharing it with others. 



This picture was taken last week during my cycling to Balaton - I love poppy flowers!

----------


## Emil Miller

> Nice pictures Brian and Steph. Paris is great, and the cats are very photogenic.


Cats are probably the most photogenic of all animals and below is a picture of mine in a typical pose.



Paris is my favourite city and here is a picture of yours truly taken on one of my visits. The guy who is getting all the attention from the lady is Jean- Antoine Watteau, the famous rococo painter.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Olga,
Poppy's were one of my mother's favorite flowers. My childhood cat was named Poppy.

Brian,
Now I have a face to the name, to the pctures and the words.
Milly ?, looks quite languid there! 
We have a cat as well named Lilly
Thanks for sharing.

Gilliatt

----------


## qimissung

I love the poppies. Such a beautiful picture, olga, for real! The cat is adorable, and I like the picture of jean-antoine and you, brian bean.  :Smile:

----------


## Emil Miller

Gilliatt,

I guess all cats are great to have around the home. I have seriously thought about getting another but Milly defends her territory so fiercely from other cats that sometimes come into the garden from outside that I'm sure she wouldn't accept another feline in the place. If I take any more pictures of her I will post them on this thread.


qimissung,

I'm glad that you liked the photos. Milly is adorable and I have trouble in trying not to spoil her. She took control of the place soon after I brought her from the cat shelter.

----------


## Snowqueen

*Olga* and *Brian Bean* your pictures are truly amazing.

----------


## Emil Miller

> *Olga* and *Brian Bean* your pictures are truly amazing.


Thanks for saying so. I have a very good camera, which is the main requirement for taking decent photographs. I have enjoyed looking at those posted by other members and hope to post some more in due course.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Speaking of cats, I wanted to share a recent picture of Lilly. Lilly is actually an indoor cat due to the predators that roam the creek, primarily Coyotes. We let her out periodically, but I keep her tethered so she won't dart off. She is concentrating on a small toad. 



This is a recent photo of an Opossum (the other, other white meat) that wandered up from the creek close to the fenced part of our yard, launching our dogs into a barking fit. I had the fella clamp down on the stick you see, to serve as a handle of sorts in order to carry it further away:



Finally, this is a photo of a Yucca plant in blossom. These plants are located very near the Police project I posted in the Architecture thread. The trees in the background are Juniper:



Gilliatt

----------


## stephofthenight

Gilliant, beautiful pictures, what type of yucca is that? I love the kitty  :Smile:  and the opposom is cute, I should add pictures of coon, a opposom I had as a pet one time, Its incredible that I survived bringing home everything I did for a pet...

----------


## Olga4real

> Olga,
> Poppy's were one of my mother's favorite flowers. My childhood cat was named Poppy.
> 
> Gilliatt


Thank you *Gilliatt*, your kitty is so adorable!

I think that pictures of animals deserve a separate thread, I might start one.

I have hundreds of pictures of cats I've taken during my trips I will share only three of them now they were taken in Cyprus. 



On the wall of the castle Saint Hilarion in North Cyprus



Unexpected meeting...



"Have you said something, was it about some food or recent political events?"

----------


## qimissung

What a sweetheart Lilly is! Love the urban flora and fauna, too. Its nice tomeet other cat lovers. Olga I. Really think you could write/publish your own cat book, you have so many lovely pictures of them.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I have been a bit busy for a while, but... Here are some new pictures: The neighbours cat has assumed ownership of us as well, and drops in every day for some cuddling, a snack and a vere prolonged nap.


Cat paw.


Where did his legs go?


Cat nap.


Dreaming about food? Licking his mouth...


The favourite hobby: Taking a nap.


Well... He is entertaining even in his sleep.

/Claes

----------


## Olga4real

Claes don't you think that you need to ask for an appointment at pedicure for your neighbour's cat?
He is so lovely and he looks like mine.

----------


## Olga4real

> What a sweetheart Lilly is! Love the urban flora and fauna, too. Its nice tomeet other cat lovers. Olga I. Really think you could write/publish your own cat book, you have so many lovely pictures of them.


I am not sure I can write a book of cats but I definitely can make an photo album of them. :-)

----------


## Emil Miller

We all have our likes and dislikes but it totally defeats me that anyone cannot like cats. As kittens they must surely be the most attractive creatures on earth, but as cats they are the aristocrats of the animal kingdom; suave, lithe and athletic, whilst being mysterious and enigmatic. 
I don't look upom my cat as being an animal but as a creature beyond human comprehension, that casts a spell over her human servant. Which doesn't mean that I don't have to chastise her sometimes for killing birds.

----------


## qimissung

> I am not sure I can write a book of cats but I definitely can make an photo album of them. :-)


Which is what I meant!  :Smile: 

Claes, your neighbors cat looks like mine, too!

Agreed, Brian Bean, except for the last part. Although if I was rich I would love to spend some money putting little cat runs up on the walls of my house. How much fun they would have.

----------


## Emil Miller

Looking through my stack of photos I found these which you may find interesting.




Lake Lucerne - Switzerland



My favourite flowers



The village of Shipburne in Kent, England.



French policewoman - Paris



Hangzhou - China




Riverboat at Hampton Court - England

----------


## Olga4real

> We all have our likes and dislikes but it totally defeats me that anyone cannot like cats. As kittens they must surely be the most attractive creatures on earth, but as cats they are the aristocrats of the animal kingdom; suave, lithe and athletic, whilst being mysterious and enigmatic. 
> I don't look upom my cat as being an animal but as a creature beyond human comprehension, that casts a spell over her human servant. Which doesn't mean that I don't have to chastise her sometimes for killing birds.


Brian I absolutely agree with you and feel puzzled when I meet people who don't like cats. Maybe somebody will laugh at me but I talk to my cats regularly and I am likely to believe that they understand me. Don't chastise your cat for hunting - try to talk to her eye-to-eye seriously it might help. On the other hand hunting is the main instinct in her life - she is a female and all female cats are much better hunters.

----------


## Olga4real

> Looking through my stack of photos I found these which you may find interesting.


Brian your pictures look like professional! I see you travelled the world. I am a bit envy. LOL

----------


## Emil Miller

Well olga, I admit that I also talk to my cat frequently. I don't think that they uderstand exactly what is being said but they do pick up inflections in the voice that tells them whether we are pleased or angry etc. I don't hit my cat but I will shout to stop her catching a bird or a squirell. I know that they are instinctive hunters and are not fully in control of their actions when small creatures come into sight but I feel that I have some responsiblitey to protect them. I regularly put out food for the many birds that come into the garden so I am directly responsible for seeing that they don't come to harm.

I haven't travelled the world but I have been around Europe quite a lot over the years and also visited China a couple of times although I'm afraid I haven't been to Hungary. These days, it has become increasingly difficult travelling abroad on account of the anti-terrorist procedures at airports, so I haven't been anywhere for a couple of years.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

*Claes*, your neighbour's cat is beautiful! 

*Brian*, I have to agree with Olga and admit to being very envious as well!!

I'm glad to hear there's so many cat lovers on Litnet! I love them too, but I am surrounded by dog-only people most of the time  :Smile:

----------


## Snowqueen

*Brian Bean* your pictures are very interesting indeed. I hope we will get to see more photos like these in the future. 

*Olga* and *Claes* thanks for sharing these are wonderful pictures.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

I may as well throw a few more pictures in:


Bleeding Hearts.


Spider on a Strawberry blossom.


Another close up, but I don't know the name of this one.

 
Cheeky hedgehog sticking his tongue out, right beside my mailbox.

 
Bear cub at Kolmården Zoo in Norrköping, Sweden.


...and here is Mama Bear.


A grey seal, also at Kolmården Zoo.

----------


## Emil Miller

> *Brian Bean* your pictures are very interesting indeed. I hope we will get to see more photos like these in the future. 
> 
> *Olga* and *Claes* thanks for sharing these are wonderful pictures.


I am glad you like them. My camera has always accompanied me on journeys since I bought it, so I have quite a lot of pictures. It would seem strange to me if I didn't have a camera to hand when I am travelling and it makes a visit more enjoyable to be able to seek out interesting sights or artifacts as a memento of the trip. I will try to post some others later.

----------


## Olga4real

> *Olga* and *Claes* thanks for sharing these are wonderful pictures.


It's a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to post some of my pictures here to let other people enjoy the beauty I was blessed to notice and record.

----------


## Snowqueen

> I am glad you like them. My camera has always accompanied me on journeys since I bought it, so I have quite a lot of pictures. It would seem strange to me if I didn't have a camera to hand when I am travelling and it makes a visit more enjoyable to be able to seek out interesting sights or artifacts as a momento of the trip. I will try to post some others later.


Yes you are quite right. I always try to keep my camera with me when I’m traveling. (I travel less though)




> It's a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to post some of my pictures here to let other people enjoy the beauty I was blessed to notice and record.


I really like your pictures so keep on posting.  :Smile:

----------


## Emil Miller

> Yes you are quite right. I always try to keep my camera with me when Im traveling. (I travel less though)


Yes it's a good idea. Please remember that my travels have been taken over many years and you may still travel much more in the years ahead. Tomorrow, I am going to the South coast of England for the day and I will certainly take some pictures which I hope to show on this thread later on.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Yes it's a good idea. Please remember that my travels have been taken over many years and you may still travel much more in the years ahead. Tomorrow, I am going to the South coast of England for the day and I will certainly take some pictures which I hope to show on this thread later on.


Oh! Then take a lot of pictures and have fun. Bon voyage.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

More pictures from Kolmården Zoo:


Siberian Tiger.


Chimps in cover during a rain shower.


Bottle nose Dolphin and trainer.

----------


## Lulim

Great pictures, Claes, but what is the dolphin doing on land in the last one?

----------


## Olga4real

Your pictures are just splendid, Claes!

Especially one of tiger, it's a cat too  :FRlol:  :FRlol:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

I cant keep up!
We have so many great photos from so many parts of the world.

Olga,
The composition of your first photo is engaging with the rock opening, framing the rugged talus slope beyond. And lets not forget the cat who looks quite regal and in command of the castle.

I have to say an unexpected meeting is my favorite. The cats postures and expressions say it all.

Brian
Youre on a roll! Please continue digging up those photos. I recall visiting Lake Lucerne during my 1988 summer Europe trip. By the way, I have been rounding up more photos from the past, many of which are architectural in nature. Ill place a few on the architecture thread as well.

Claes,
Brilliant clarity! The hedgehog doesnt seem to be too bothered by your presence which is further demonstrated by sticking the tongue out. 
I had mentioned to Brian that I am looking to invest in a decent 35mm DSLR. Currently, I own a Canon compact digital, about four years old now and my old (C-1980) Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR film camera. Im leaning toward Pentax since I already own several lenses that supposedly will fit a new Pentax. Perhaps we can chat about cameras on the side.

Here are a few random selections many of which are scanned from older film prints:

Detail of Post Office in Fort Worth Texas:




Mrs. Gurgle on the Rio Grande Gorge bridge on highway 64 northwest of Taos New Mexico. Looming in the background is a snow storm shrouding the Sangre de Cristo Mountains:




A Cholla cactus in the landscape gardens at Coronado State Monument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronado_State_Monument in New Mexico:
(compact digital)




Gothic period jamb statues at one of several entry portals at ___________. Yes, I have a mystery on my hands. I dont recall where this is. Clue: After scanning the negatives, I noticed it falls between photos of La Tourette Monastery in France and Barcelona Spain. Taken in 1988. 



Gilliatt

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Great pictures, Claes, but what is the dolphin doing on land in the last one?


Just popping up for a quick hello. 




> Especially one of tiger, it's a cat too


Yep it is, albeit a rather big one.




> Perhaps we can chat about cameras on the side.


 Absolutley: There is in fact an old thread about cameras around here somewhere. Perhaps it is time to revive it? I am not using a SLR these days, btw. I have a Canon Powershot 100, which was a high end pocket camera when I bought it, but is nothing special today.

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

Your pictures are amazing *Claes*.

Here is a photo of my little cousin.

----------


## Janine

Oh *SQ,* she/he is adorable. This one is of your cousin or your neice? Great closeup shot!

----------


## Snowqueen

> Oh *SQ,* she/he is adorable. This one is of your cousin or your neice? Great closeup shot!


Thanks Janine! She is my cousin, my uncles daughter.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Thanks Janine! She is my cousin, my uncles daughter.


She is wonderful. Is that a small tear I see?
____________________

Here are a few photos of my son taken a few years back at Red River New Mexico.
The photos are scanned from film prints.







Washing down the dust after a long, hard days ride!



Gilliatt

----------


## Emil Miller

Gilliatt,

Your boy looks like a natural horseman. Is that the Lone Ranger I see in the background?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Hehe, Yes, and I'd say he's put on a few pounds, shed the mask and upgraded to sunglasses!

----------


## Snowqueen

> She is wonderful. Is that a small tear I see?


Thanks *Gilliatt* and I must say you have a good observation, yes she was in tears when the picture was taken. 





> Here are a few photos of my son taken a few years back at Red River New Mexico.
> The photos are scanned from film prints.


Oh your son is adorable, how old is he now? Is it you riding beside your son?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Thanks *Gilliatt* and I must say you have a good observation, yes she was in tears when the picture was taken. 
> Oh your son is adorable, how old is he now? Is it you riding beside your son?


Hehe - In the words of Mies van der Rohe; "God is in the details". I thought she may have been a little upset given the tear and a slight furrow in the brow.

My son is now 15 (God help us) and we were "riding" together. I would say strolling is more accurate. 
Gilliatt

----------


## Emil Miller

Here are a few more photos taken at various locations throughout the years.




Mannheim Water Tower - Germany.





Boats at low tide - Devon, England.





Basle - Switzerland





Neue Staatsgallerie art gallery - Berlin.





Me (younger slimline version) on the roof of Milan Cathedral.






Monte Carlo harbour.






Roman baths at Bath - England






Chinese sailors - Shanghai, China.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Here we go again:


A macro of Forget me nots


A minute Field Mouse surprised away from cover.


The neighbours cat begging for a snack.


White Water Lily in a nature reserve a couple of miles from home.


Another macro, but I do not know the name of those (in any language).


Grass Snake going for a swim.


Another macro.


And another...


A tiny bug.


And a Mosquito having a meal... on me! (ouch).


Since I cannot stay outdors the entire day: A macro of some candy. 

/Claes

----------


## Lulim

> (...)
> 
> 
> A minute Field Mouse surprised away from cover.
> 
> 
> The neighbours cat begging for a snack.
> (...)


Why, it's right above  :Biggrin: 

Great pictures, Claes!


@Brian, you are quite a traveller, apparently  :Smile:  Nice pictures, especially that of the Milan Cathedral.

----------


## Emil Miller

> @Brian, you are quite a traveller, apparently  Nice pictures, especially that of the Milan Cathedral.



I'm glad you like the pictures. I have travelled fairly widely, but it's worth remembering that it has been over many years. My earliest pictures were taken with a much cheaper camera than the one I have now, and it shows. Unfortunately, they are firmly stuck into albums and, therefore, cannot be shown on this thread. I do have plenty of other photos and will endeavour to show some of them in due course.

----------


## Snowqueen

> My son is now 15 (God help us) and we were "riding" together. I would say strolling is more accurate. 
> Gilliatt


Oh! He is a young lad now.  :Smile: 




> Here are a few more photos taken at various locations throughout the years.


Great variety of pictures there *Brian*, I hope you had a good visit to the South coast of England too.

*Claes* how do you manage to take such wonderful close ups?

----------


## Emil Miller

> Great variety of pictures there *Brian*, I hope you had a good visit to the South coast of England too.


Thanks. I did have a good trip to the coast and I will show the photos I took when I have them developed.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> *Claes* how do you manage to take such wonderful close ups?


Thank you... Basically by sheer numbers: I snap a ton of pictures and then sift through the wreckage to find some decent shots among all the mediocre or utterly failed attempts...  :Smilewinkgrin: 

/Claes

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Oh the white cliffs!

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> A minute Field Mouse surprised away from cover.


Awe, sweet!

Claes, your pictures are all great! May I ask what camera/attachments you use? Same to you Kafka!

Brian, I'm so jealous of all your travels and your pictures are lovely!  :Biggrin: 

Gilliatt, your son is cute! The New Mexico landscape is absolutely beautiful!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Certainly: A Canon Powershot SX100 IS. Nothing fancy, but it does the job. The only problems if you can call them that is that it needs more light than a SLR camera, and that you can not change the lens. It was called a high end pocket camera when it came out but these days it is more or less run of the mill. 



/Claes

----------


## papayahed

> Certainly: A Canon Powershot SX100 IS. Nothing fancy, but it does the job.



erm, how come my canon powershot doesn't take pictures like that??

----------


## kiz_paws

> Wow, everyone of you have amazing photos. I peek in here all the time. I have been meaning to post these video links of my granddaughter. I am cheating. I didn't take these; my son did. I did take some last night I will add to these after I figure out how to get them on the web. 
> 
> Brooke, my tiny dancer!
> 
> Back at Halloween 09
> http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_6584.flv
> 
> A month ago
> http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_7447.flv
> ...


OMG, these were ADORABLE!
That last one would make a great ad for a certain restaurant chain that shall remain un-named ... !! That one was my favorite, Janine. Thanks for posting them.  :Smile:

----------


## Niamh

> Here are a few more photos taken at various locations throughout the years.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mannheim Water Tower - Germany.



Fantastic photo Brian!




> Here we go again:
> 
> 
> A minute Field Mouse surprised away from cover.
> 
> 
> /Claes



So cute!




> Oh the white cliffs!


that lighthouse looks so out of place the way its dwarfed.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> erm, how come my canon powershot doesn't take pictures like that??


My guess is that it is mainly due to opportunities missed: As I have said before, I bring the camera (ready for action) more often than most people I know, and I also take the shot even when I know that it will probably fail. Thus I snap lots of failed shots, but every once in a while things work out and you get a good shot where you did not expect it. 

All things considered: Shoot like crazy, and you *will* get some great shots out of it.

It also pays to know the camera. I have been through every nook and cranny of the manual and experimented with every single setting, even in ways not described in the manual. Keep experimenting.

/Claes

----------


## Lulim

The Garden by night, seen from the kitchen window:



Sunset, seen from my kitchen window:



And impressions on my walk this morning:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> The Garden by night, seen from the kitchen window:
> 
> And impressions on my walk this morning:


Beautiful Lulim. Thanks

Do you have any idea as to the name of that flower ?
Quite unique.

Gilliatt

----------


## Lulim

> Beautiful Lulim. Thanks
> 
> Do you have any idea as to the name of that flower ?
> Quite unique.
> 
> Gilliatt


It's called Phacelia. I've never seen it before.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

A few more from my past (Europe 1988):

Flowers near Zermatt Switzerland:






Foothills and mountains near Zermatt:




Looking down on the town of Zermatt Switzerland:



Gilliatt

----------


## Snowqueen

Great pictures *Lulim* I loved the sunset.

*Gilliatt*, the view of these mountains is superb. The pictures are quite old but wonderful.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> Foothills and mountains near Zermatt:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking down on the town of Zermatt Switzerland:
> 
> 
> 
> Gilliatt


Wow! I've always wanted to go to Switzerland!

----------


## Snowqueen

Can anyone guess what are these?

----------


## Lulim

Olives? -- great pictures, Snowqueen!

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> Can anyone guess what are these?


They almost look like mangoes, but I don't think they are...

----------


## Emil Miller

My earlier pictures are all from the dim distant past so I thought I would post these that were taken last week. I hope you find them interesting.




Old warehouses at Guildford in Surrey, England.







Country footpath in Surrey, England.







My favourite tea mugs.







The Lamb Inn Eastbourne, Sussex, England .







Guildford Castle in Surrey, England.







The rear of the Lamb Inn from St Mary's churchyard, Sussex.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Great pics Brian, Surrey is really beautiful!!

Ah, I miss summer...

----------


## Snowqueen

> Olives? -- great pictures, Snowqueen!


Thanks *Lulim*, but these are not olives, in fact TurquoiseSunset is right they are mangoes, a bit tiny though. 




> They almost look like mangoes, but I don't think they are...


Good guess *TurquoiseSunset* how did you find out?

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> Good guess *TurquoiseSunset* how did you find out?


Well, they are shaped like small mangoes (and smooth like them), only green, but I was unsure because I've never actually seen them grow or anything.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Great pics Brian, Surrey is really beautiful!!
> 
> Ah, I miss summer...



Glad you like them, I grabbed the chance to get out and about while our very unpredictable summer was, and still is at the moment, warm and sunny.
Surrey is probably the most beautiful county in England and the picture of the footpath is typical of the scenery. I have often walked that path which eventually leads on to the village of Shere, said to be one of the prettiest in England.

----------


## Snowqueen

Great pictures Brian, I also liked your special penguin mugs. 



Now they do look like mangoes don't they?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> *Gilliatt*, the view of these mountains is superb. The pictures are quite old but wonderful.


Is that a slight at my age?! I'm not that old! hehe
One could not take a bad photo of Switzerland even if you tried and that includes 20+ year old scratched prints.




> Wow! I've always wanted to go to Switzerland!


Travelling solo in Europe (summer of 1988) was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am truly grateful for.




> My earlier pictures are all from the dim distant past so I thought I would post these that were taken last week. I hope you find them interesting.
> 
> Old warehouses at Guildford in Surrey, England.
> 
> The Lamb Inn Eastbourne, Sussex, England.


Brian,
Wonderful photos as usual.
The old warehopuses reminded me of the Salzspeicher (salt storehouses) of Lübeck located along the Trave River next to the Holstentor.

I noticed the "1180 AD" sign in the photo. It is interesting to compare the level of development there in 1180 to that of North America in 1180 AD --

"Anasazi" ruins in northwest New Mexico. Remains of Pueblo Bonito abandoned approximately 1200:



Gilliatt

----------


## Snowqueen

> Is that a slight at my age?! I'm not that old! hehe
> Gilliatt


Haha...I didn't mean to silght your age, I'm sure you are still a young man.  :Rolleyes:

----------


## Emil Miller

> Brian,
> Wonderful photos as usual.
> The old warehopuses reminded me of the Salzspeicher (salt storehouses) of Lübeck located along the Trave River next to the Holstentor.
> 
> I noticed the "1180 AD" sign in the photo. It is interesting to compare the level of development there in 1180 to that of North America in 1180 AD --
> 
> "Anasazi" ruins in northwest New Mexico. Remains of Pueblo Bonito abandoned approximately 1200:
> 
> 
> ...



That's a very interesting photo. It's odd, but although we know that there were people living in America all those centuries ago, I think that many people here in England imagine that the Pilgrim Fathers were the first settlers. The indigenous population had developed an extensive tribal system and, as your picture shows, had already built stone habitats. I doubt that the landscape in that part of the US has changed much since those times and, unlike England, it looks a pretty harsh environment to survive in.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

I've been rumaging around my pictures and realised that I have some nice pics to share with you guys...I won't put them all on in one go though  :Biggrin: 

The next photos were taken at the Cederberg moutains. 



Crazy people climb to the top, the sane ones take pictures  :FRlol: 


Some rock paintings...


View from the 'big rock'...


Some caves...


Here I took the picture standing at the entrance of the cave...the view being the 'back door' of the cave  :Smile: 


Hope you like them!

----------


## Zee.

^ I love the rock paintings.


New Zealand -



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us




Uploaded with ImageShack.us

----------


## Emil Miller

Amazing rock formations Turquoise Sunset, it must be quite a climb to the top but the view is worth it.

Here are a few taken at various places with my trusty Nikon camera.





WW1 memorial - St James's Park, London




 


Boulevard St Michel - Paris.








Moated Elizabethan manor - Kent, England.








Market place in Darmstadt - Germany.








Bath - England.









Sheep market at Rye, Sussex - England.









Suzhou - China.









Windsor Castle - England.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Great snaps Brian.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

I like your mountains, Turquoise. How do they form in big bulks like that? There must have been a sea or something there at one point.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> I like your mountains, Turquoise. How do they form in big bulks like that? There must have been a sea or something there at one point.


Thanks!!
Well, actually those rock formations aren't the mountains...they are rocky outcrops on the moutains. So even though it doesn't look like it (or feel like it when you are there) on the photos we are already on the mountains. It's just a really big moutain range...

The rocks formed partly because of their composition (if that's the right word), which is sandstone and shael, I think, because they are so high up and the climatic conditions and water, like you said  :Smile:  There are loads of marine fossils actually. 

I got some great pics (courtesy of Google) of some of the more famous rock formations...
First up, the Maltese Cross.


The Wolfberg Arch.


The Wolfberg cracks.
 

You see, since we were there for a weekend we only had time to see the rock paintings near Kromrivier (on my pics) and that was it. We went there on the Saturday to explore and the Sunday morning we went horse riding...the rest of the weekend was spent in the car getting there and going home  :Biggrin: . I'm hoping to go back and take my _own_ pictures of these formations soon!

*Edit*
Brian, your pics are great as always!

----------


## Snowqueen

Amazing pictures Turquoisesunset and the last one is awe-inspiring.

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

> Amazing pictures Turquoisesunset and the last one is awe-inspiring.


Thanks  :Biggrin:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Turquoise,
Wonderful vistas and landscape there!
The sandstone outcroppings, colors and arches are reminiscent of the southwestern U.S., such as New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. 

Wiki link to Arches National Park, Utah (scroll down to photo gallery)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arches_National_Park

Wiki link to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona: (scroll down to the photo gallery)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_...ional_Monument

Brian,
Great photos. 
I particularly enjoyed the market in Darmstadt. You captured the character of a scene played out countless number of times over many centuries. We have a produce vendor in a casual stance either receiving an earful about the high price of his squash or perhaps we are witnessing an amiable chat about the weather.

I finally threw in the towel and purchased a new Pentax K-7 DSLR camera. Here are a few shots from its maiden voyage:

Smoke Bomb:
My son is holding the smoke bomb, while my niece and nephew find their way.



Lizard:



Water Lily:



Fountain:




Flowers (??):



Hope you enjoy.
Gilliatt

----------


## Emil Miller

Gilliatt,

Thanks for the DSLR photos, they are very good examples and comparable to those shown in advertisements for this type of camera. The one with the firework is brilliant in both senses of the word. I can see why you wanted your Pentax K7, I hope you have a lot of fun with it.

----------


## Emil Miller

As this is a literature forum, I thought I would post a few literary locations.





Somerset Maugham's villa in the South of France.




Thomas Hardy's residence from 1878-1881, London.








The house where John Keats died, Rome.







Guy de Maupassant's grave, Montparnasse, Paris.







George Orwell's prep school, Eastbourne, England.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

The scenic route to work:


The Bike: A new Scott Aspect.


Part of the scenery beside the river.


River Scenery


The river follows the track.


The track. Now imagine what it looks like in January...


Fields on the other side of the track.


Flowers..


The scenic part of the route ends here, at a bridge across the E20 motorway.


If I am in no hurry I may skip the bridge and go through this wetland instead ( Slight detour). 
It is not obvious from the picture, but this wetland, home for lots of birds is artificial, and part of... *The local sewers*.

/Claes

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Great photos all. I love literary connections, more of those people please! 

I had Wilde's house in Merrion Square on an old phone and saved online and they both crashed!!! There is something to be said for hard copies, i.e real photos sometimes... Never mind, I have a picture of his house framed on the wall at the top of the stairs, which I bought from a artist while I was over there.

----------


## Emil Miller

Claes you are a very lucky person to be able to cycle to work in such attractive surroundings. If you have been to London you may already know that travelling to work in the rush hour is nothing short of hell on earth. The only downside that I could see in your excellent pictures is the ubiquitous Macdonald's sign when you get to the motorway. Apart from that, everything is as natural as one could wish. However, your earlier pictures of winter conditions make me wonder how you get through the snow in the winter.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Yes it looks a great cycle to work, I thought that, but sure, unfortunately those "golden" Ms are everywhere!

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes you are a very lucky person to be able to cycle to work in such attractive surroundings.


Yes, I am and I know it 


> If you have been to London you may already know that travelling to work in the rush hour is nothing short of hell on earth.


Yes, I have been there, and I suppose it's the same in all larger cities. 


> However, your earlier pictures of winter conditions make me wonder how you get through the snow in the winter.


Yes, you got me there. The answer is: With considerable force and extensive use of the "granny gears" and studded tyres. I have to keep warm in some way, right?  :Cold: 




> unfortunately those "golden" Ms are everywhere!


True, but I usually look the other way.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Olga4real

I haven't posted anything on this thread but regularly look at the pictures of other people. This is my favourite thread. 
Brian, your pictures as usual remarkable. Claes yours are so bright! Lulim and Gilliatt yours are so colourful!
Kafka's Crow, TurquoiseSunset and Snowqueen your pictures are fascinating!

I would like to share a picture of one of my cats.

----------


## Emil Miller

> I haven't posted anything on this thread but regularly look at the pictures of other people. This is my favourite thread. 
> Brian, your pictures as usual remarkable. Claes yours are so bright! Lulim and Gilliatt yours are so colourful!
> Kafka's Crow, TurquoiseSunset and Snowqueen your pictures are fascinating!
> 
> I would like to share a picture of one of my cats.


Your cat Boris is thinking, why is she holding that funny aparatus to her face?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Great shot of your cat, Olga  :Thumbsup:  He looks just like my neighbours mog.

Ok, here comes a mixed batch:


Close up of a Clover flower.


A different kind of flower: These are made of glass, and quite small.


A stilleben. Fruit on a glass plate.


A girl in a sea kayak, right outside City Hall in Stockholm. 


A member of the palace Guard in Stockholm. She did not move a muscle during the five minutes we stood there.


Stockholm Old Town with Storkyrkan or Sankt Nikolai Church in the background. 
It is the oldest church in Stockholm, first mentioned in writing in 1279. 
It is also where our Crown Princess Victoria and her Daniel were married recently.


Another Stockholm view, taken from right outside the Royal Castle.
Notice the fishing boats? They are for Smelt fishing. You can also see
Salmon fishing here, and an otter lived right beside the parliament 
a few years ago. All in all, the water quality is pretty good.

/Claes

----------


## Paulclem

Great pictures Brian and Claes. it's always worth dropping by here.

----------


## Virgil

Great pictures every one! Especially you Claes. I really like the girl in the kayak. What a pretty looking thing. And the picture isn't bad either.  :Biggrin:  Seriously the glitter off the water is fabulous.  :Smile:

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Great pics Brian, Claes and Olga!

@Claes - I really love the photo "taken from right outside the Royal Castle." It's beautiful! I also love all your nature shots!
@Brian - The photo of the building where Keats died is stunning!
@Olga - Your cat is super cute!

----------


## Emil Miller

Some people.



Gerda Dauber: Berlin




Frank Bowery: Autobahn in Germany





Police Officer: Rome





In conversation with Marlies Rauchfuss: Munich





Maurizio Franco: Paris





Woman haggling with shopkeeper: Bellagio - Italy





Zu Jin: London






Street Musician: Heidelberg

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Some people.


Brian,
Thank you again for sharing bit of your past along with the friends and acquaintances that helped shape it. Your photos provide us with cultural vignettes from your many and varied travels.
Im particularly fond of your:

_In conversation with Marlies Rauchfuss: Munich_. Does that mean you that we see in conversation? Must have been quite an intellectual conversation, what with the apparent empty beer bottle, a couple of substantial books at hand and drafting utensils hanging from the wall.

_Woman haggling with shopkeeper: Bellagio  Italy_ I passed many similar episodes such as this while wandering Italy.

_Zu Jin: London_ - Is this the charming little girl we saw earlier in this thread or related in some way?

Gilliatt

----------


## qimissung

.Claes, Stockholm is beautiful, especially as seen through the lens of your camera! I, too, disliked the McDonald's sign.

BrianBean, your pictures and the cryptic captions are intriguing. I especially liked the street musician and the woman haggling.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Brian,
> Thank you again for sharing bit of your past along with the friends and acquaintances that helped shape it. Your photos provide us with cultural vignettes from your many and varied travels.
> Im particularly fond of your:
> 
> _In conversation with Marlies Rauchfuss: Munich_. Does that mean you that we see in conversation? Must have been quite an intellectual conversation, what with the apparent empty beer bottle, a couple of substantial books at hand and drafting utensils hanging from the wall.
> 
> _Woman haggling with shopkeeper: Bellagio  Italy_ I passed many similar episodes such as this while wandering Italy.
> 
> _Zu Jin: London_ - Is this the charming little girl we saw earlier in this thread or related in some way?
> ...


Glad you found the photos of some interest. This thread has caused me to look through a stack of old pictures that have lain unnoticed for years. I thought it might be a good idea to show some where the subject matter was people rather than what I have already posted.

Yes that's me in the photo. Marlies was a very close friend of mine when I was living in Germany. The picture was taken in the house of a mutual friend but I don't recall what the conversation was about. As for the beer bottle, there were a lot of those around when I was over there. 

The picture of the couple bargaining outside the antique shop was taken on a holiday in the Italian lake district near Lake Como. You're right, Italy's a great place for photographing people.

Zu Jin isn't related to Jaini Ho, she was studying English in London when I met her and we became close friends before she returned to China. I met her subsequently when she came to the UK as an interpreter for a Chinese trade mission, but it was only for one evening as they were leaving for Germany shortly thereafter.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Another from the old camera taken about ten years ago.
My son and Deruchette, our home built canoe, taking a break from paddling. 
The water was a bit murky due to a recent flood.



Flooding Creek (w/ new Pentax):



For comparison, this is the same view I posted back in February (w/ Canon compact digital). 
Notice the difference in the amount of water:



Yellow Garden Spider (w/ new Pentax):



Same spider and web :




Gilliatt

----------


## TurquoiseSunset

Great pics Gilliat!!
 :Cheers2:

----------


## qimissung

Wow! Awesome pictures, Gilliatt! Where did you say you lived? That creek is bea-u-tee-full!!!

----------


## Snowqueen

The pictures are breath taking Gilliatt. Is it a lake or pond?

----------


## Emil Miller

I see you are making great use of the new camera Gilliatt, I'm looking forward to any that you might take in Chicago. I will try to post some taken a few weeks back on trips out of London.

----------


## Virgil

> Another from the old camera taken about ten years ago.
> My son and Deruchette, our home built canoe, taking a break from paddling. 
> The water was a bit murky due to a recent flood.


Wow, Gilliatt, they are awesome. That one especially is top notch. If only the child wasn't in the picture I think it would be the perfect pictures of a stream.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Great pics Gilliat!!


Thanks TS  Glad you enjoyed




> Wow! Awesome pictures, Gilliatt! Where did you say you lived? That creek is bea-u-tee-full!!!


Qimissung Thanks  I seem to recall where you live. I am several miles north of you, to the west of I-35 near Lake Lewisville. The top photo was taken along the banks of the Trinity River that runs north of Denton, Texas. This particular section of the river is approximately 15 miles long and connects two lakes, Lake Ray Roberts and Lake Lewisville. Qimissung, you may be familiar with the Ray Roberts Greenbelt trail:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publicat...p4503_176a.pdf





> The pictures are breath taking Gilliatt. Is it a lake or pond?


Thanks Snowqueen . Glad you like them. The top photo is part of the Trinity river. See description above.
The 2nd and 3rd photos show the creek that runs by our house. Our yard is on the right side of the creek. 




> I see you are making great use of the new camera Gilliatt, I'm looking forward to any that you might take in Chicago. I will try to post some taken a few weeks back on trips out of London.


Thanks Brian. I am back in Rockford for my second of many, three week stints and as promised, the new camera is here. Perhaps Sunday ?? will find me in Chicago.




> Wow, Gilliatt, they are awesome. That one especially is top notch. If only the child wasn't in the picture I think it would be the perfect pictures of a stream.


Thanks Virgil, but I wouldnt have changed a thing. It was one of those special moments with your children (Im including the canoe) that had to be captured against the backdrop of a tree lined, hazy, lazy stream. The fallen Willow you see became the object of many adventures. 
Otherwise, I think I see your point; humans have a knack for cluttering things up.

Gilliatt

----------


## qimissung

Sometimes I might agree that having people in a picture might clutter up a beautiful scene, but not in this instance; in fact I think it enhances and makes lively a scene that might seem rather sterile without him.  :Smile:

----------


## Virgil

> Sometimes I might agree that having people in a picture might clutter up a beautiful scene, but not in this instance; in fact I think it enhances and makes lively a scene that might seem rather sterile without him.


Possibly.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

A few more with the new camera, taken along the running trail I found while away on business:

Monarch butterfly on Swamp Milkweed:




Queen Anne's Lace:




A** end of Bee on Thistle:




Bee on Common Teasel:




Gilliatt

----------


## The Comedian

Nice photos Gilliatt! The garden spider is my favorite of the bunch. And of the group, I've always enjoyed photos that make the small and common vibrant and grand.

----------


## Emil Miller

You're going great guns with the digital Gilliatt. Looks like you're giving Claes a bit of competition in the close-up department.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> You're going great guns with the digital Gilliatt. Looks like you're giving Claes a bit of competition in the close-up department.


And about time too. Great shots, Gilliatt. You seem to be getting along fine with your new camera.

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thanks guys !

I finally managed to spend a day in Chicago this past Sunday.
So.....

A few photos from a day spent in Chicago this past Sunday.
These first groups of photos were taken at Millennium Park utilizing the Cloud Gate sculpture as a prop.
Cloud Gate was created by artist Anish Kapoor

http://www.millenniumpark.org/artand...loud_gate.html

Aon Center Eclipse
Cloud Gate in the guise of Mercury eclipsing the Aon Center building. (unaltered original image):





Aon Center Eclipse w/ B&W filter applied:




Caught in a Cloud (Thats me in the lower right corner) : 




Overall view of Cloud Gate:





Roswell Mystery Cover Up  A Reflection of the Alien World 





A few from the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago: http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/


From Khorsabad ancient Mesopotamia.
Relief sculptures that once lined the throne room façade in the palace of the Assyrian king Sargon II, who ruled from 721-705 B.C.





From Khorsabad ancient Mesopotamia.
Detail of hands from relief sculptures that once lined the throne room façade in the palace of the Assyrian king Sargon II, who ruled from 721-705 B.C.







From Khorsabad ancient Mesopotamia Human headed winged bull that that once lined the throne room façade in the palace of the Assyrian king Sargon II, who ruled from 721-705 B.C.



Head of bull from Persepolis ancient Persia that once guarded the Hundred Columns Hall
From 520 bc to 331 bc




Gilliatt

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Some pictures from my latest visit to the Swedish Airforce Museum:


SAAB 39 Griffin prototype.


SAAB 37 Viggen


SAAB 35 Draken


SAAB 29 Flying Barrel


SAAB 105 trainer. I have a story about a couple of those:

One day many years ago I was flying a glider at 4000 feet, calmly minding 
my own business when two 105's targeted me for a mock attack and 
boomed past me, one on each side. I nearly soiled myself. They appeared 
out of nowhere and were quite noisy  :Eek: 


SAAB 21. A somewhat unorthodox design using a pusher prop configuration.


Another angle of the SAAB 21.


SAAB 21R. When SAAB got their hands on their first jet engine they promptly 
redesigned the previously prop driven SAAB 21: They chucked the piston 
engine out, bolted the jet engine on, moved the vertical stabilizer up a bit
to avoid frying it with the jet blast, and hey presto: SAAB's first jet aircraft.

Btw: Have those of you familiar with SAAB Automobiles ever wondered where the name came from? 
It stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB - Swedish Aeroplane Ltd. 
The company did not start out building cars. That came later.

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

Wonderful pictures Claes. I didn't know what SAAB stood for. Now I will never forget. Hey, that Flying Barrell plane looks really odd. What's its function? Why is it built that way?

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Wonderful pictures Claes. I didn't know what SAAB stood for. Now I will never forget. Hey, that Flying Barrell plane looks really odd. What's its function? Why is it built that way?


It's not as odd as it looks: First of all it is old. the original spec is from 1945(!), and it entered squadron service in 1950. Its wide "tummy" is a result of the fact that its De Havilland Ghost engine was very wide. The type saw action with UN forces in Congo.

It was the first post WWII jet fighter with swept wings to become operative in western europe and is of the same generation as the similar MiG-15 & F-86 Sabre. It was also faster than it looks: A pair of S 29Cs set a world record for a 1000 km closed circuit on March 23:rd 1955 with 900.6 km/h (the previous record being 822 km/h set by a RAF Gloster Meteor in 1950). You can read more about it here: J29 Tunnan

/Claes

----------


## miss tenderness

My sister's daughter :Ladysman: 



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


The French Village in Malysia :




Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Wafi Mall in Dubai :



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Dubai Mall :



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

----------


## Paulclem

Great pictures Gilliat, Claes and Miss.

----------


## Virgil

> My sister's daughter


Ah, she's beautiful Miss T. Nice to see you back and nice pictures.  :Smile:

----------


## Lulim

> (...)
> Dubai Mall :


Miss Tenderness, those are no real people, jumping down that waterfall on the left side? -- Very nice pictures  :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

I took these pictures this morning and send them to all people who like roses:

----------


## Virgil

Lovely roses Olga.  :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

Thank you Virgil, I know that my pictures are not as good as Gilliatt`s Claes` or Miss`.

Here are one taken in the afternoon and as you can see new flowers opened during the day:



And some red roses:

----------


## Olga4real

Almost forgot I took these pictures on Friday:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Some pictures from my latest visit to the Swedish Airforce Museum:
> 
> SAAB 35 Draken
> 
> One day many years ago I was flying a glider at 4000 feet, calmly minding 
> my own business when two 105's targeted me for a mock attack and 
> boomed past me, one on each side. I nearly soiled myself. They appeared 
> out of nowhere and were quite noisy


I always admired the design of the "Draken". I believe I had a toy Draken when younger and great story by the way.




> The French Village in Malysia :


"French village in Malaysia" -it is a small world!




> Almost forgot I took these pictures on Friday:


Forgive my ignorance, but who is the subject of those last two photos?

Thanks all for sharing.

Gilliatt

----------


## Leland Gaunt

Those Dubai and Chicago pics were wonderful.

I'd post some from my recent road trip but they won't upload. :Frown: 


Edit:
By the power of grayskull! That's Susan Boyle, isn't it?

----------


## Olga4real

> Those Dubai and Chicago pics were wonderful.
> 
> I'd post some from my recent road trip but they won't upload.
> 
> 
> Edit:
> By the power of grayskull! That's Susan Boyle, isn't it?


Can`t wait for the pictures from your trip!

I don`t know what does it mean "By the power of grayskull" but yes it is her Susan Boyle, I met her accidentally and she was very nice and friendly with people she didn`t behave as a star. I didn`t know much about her before because in Hungary very few people know her I read an article about her about a year ago but from now it will change.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Some more pictures from this years vacation:


I already posted this picture of the neighbours mog in Olga's pet pictures thread, bet here he is again.


Wild Strawberry


Droplets on a leaf


Close-up of a quite common flower, but I cannot remember the name.


Another close-up.


Just a snail


Raspberry.


Trout. 

/Claes

----------


## Virgil

> I don`t know what does it mean "By the power of grayskull" but yes it is her Susan Boyle, I met her accidentally and she was very nice and friendly with people she didn`t behave as a star.


There is something about Susan Boyle that really endears me to her. I really love her voice. I have her album and it's beautiful. I highly recommend it.

----------


## Leland Gaunt

> Can`t wait for the pictures from your trip!
> 
> I don`t know what does it mean "By the power of grayskull" but yes it is her Susan Boyle, I met her accidentally and she was very nice and friendly with people she didn`t behave as a star. I didn`t know much about her before because in Hungary very few people know her I read an article about her about a year ago but from now it will change


. 
I'll try to make them work tomorrow.

Haha, neither do I to be honest. I just remember that line from the movie Hot Fuzz.

Nice pics Claev, I like the close ups. The details revealed are fantastic.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Back to the aircraft, perhaps? My last batch was exclusively about SAAB aircraft, but there is more, of course:


Early aero engine.


A truly spartan cockpit (if you can call it that) of one of the earliest aircraft of the Swedish Airforce.


A beautifuly restored old Heinkel.


A Gloster Gladiator in Finnish livery.


Interesting detail: Skis brought along on missions...


Fiat C.R. 42 Falco.


Business end of a North American P- 51D Mustang


FFVS J22. A Swedish product that came into being due to the problems involved with importing anything during WWII. 


Hawker Hunter. An early jet, and a really beautiful aircraft.


Spitfire PR Mk XIX. Popular among the pilots, as it was able to give the early jets a run for their money.
Interesting fact: The prop is in fact wooden! The reason was that the contraption was rather front heavy and tended to chew tarmac if brakes
were applied too heavily. The wooden prop bashed its tips off instead of ruining the engine when that happened.

/Claes

----------


## Olga4real

Your pictures are amazing Claes, as usual but the first series those close-ups with raspberry and unknown flowers just are marvelous!

----------


## Virgil

Excellent pictures Claes. Those old planes were beautiful.

----------


## Pensive

Wonderful additions, everyone!  :Banana: 




> My sister's daughter
> 
> 
> 
> Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Awwwww she's such a cutie!  :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

As I promised to some people I post some pictures taken during my trip to London. Never enough!





I have some more to show but it takes time to upload. 
I also have more in my album on my profile page.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Some random pictures from Gothemburg:


Sunday morning runners.


Bird gathering near the harbour.


Haga quarters


International Market


International Market


International Market


Not so nice: Aftermath of a robbery.


Tram.


Detail of a statue of Gustav II Adolf.


Rooftop Pool.

----------


## Emil Miller

Here are some shots I took earlier this summer.

The beach at Eastbourne on the south coast of England.






The river Thames as it enters Kingston.






Modern apartment block in Eastbourne.






Sea and cliffs at Eastbourne.





Hampton Court palace.






Another shot of the beach at Eastbourne.






Kingston a market town near London.




Scenic view of the coast.

----------


## Snowqueen

Great pictures Claes! 

Ah! _Sweet Thames run softly_. Nice pictures Brian thanks for sharing.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Great pictures Claes! 
> 
> Ah! _Sweet Thames run softly_. Nice pictures Brian thanks for sharing.


You're welcome, I hope to be sending some more in due course.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Great photos everyone !
We have a resurgence.

.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

> Great photos everyone !
> *We have a resurgence.*
> 
> .


Oh yeas we do, we do!

We went to the Lake District for our summer holiday this year. We stayed in the village of Near Sawrey a couple of miles from Hawkeshead (where Wordsworth went to school) and Lake Windermere .

The cottage we stayed in (Anvil Cottage)






This cottage is opposite 'Hilltop Farm' where Beatrix Potter lived. The entrance to Anvil Cottage appeared on Potter's book 'The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan' (1905):


Lake Windermere:




Wordsworth or no Wordsworth, when a dog's gotta swim, a dog's gotta swim:







Our local lake 'Estwaite Water' the most peaceful place on earth!:













My heart leaps up when I behold/ A rainbow in the sky...






The Wordsworths resting in Grassmere:






Ever thought that the sky could be so beautiful???















Lake Buttermare:






I have forgotten the name of this place!

----------


## Emil Miller

These are just a few practise photos using my recently purchased digital camera which I am still getting used to.




Some books.







Milly waiting for it to stop raining.







Thetford in Norfolk, the birthplace of Thomas Paine.







More books.







Statue of Thomas Paine.







Even more books!







An interloper from the neighbourhood.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Wonderful photos and library Brian. Youve entered the digital world, well, at least with your photography.
I see you still have quite a collection of VHS and cassette tapes. hehe

Millys beard gives the appearance of a smile, but I doubt she is happy given the dreary weather.

I have several very old books from my grandfather' that appear much like your old brown book underneath Beethoven. (I may be showing my ignorance; it appears to be Beethoven). 
Can you tell me/us about the book? 
I was also curious about the book to the left of the Napoleon book?


Gilliatt

----------


## Emil Miller

Thanks Gilliatt, I imagine that you had the same experience of wanting to frame things at hand in the viewfinder when you first went digital. Yes, it is Beethoven and the old book you mention was printed in 1732 and is a translation from the French of the History of Charles XII by Voltaire. Unfortunately, it's not in good condition; having suffered burn marks to the cover and is also a second edition. It actually belongs to my brother, who found it behind a filing cabinet when he was in the military years ago. The book next to that on Napoleon is 'The Collected Stories of Maupassant' in English translation.
I took a trip up to Thetford in Norfolk, where I am thinking of moving, although it's all in the balance at the moment, and took some shots of the town while I was there.

----------


## Snowqueen

Here are few picture of recent floods in Pakistan and the devastations they have caused.

----------


## Olga4real

> Here are few picture of recent floods in Pakistan and the devastations they have caused.


would you try to post your pictures again?

----------


## Olga4real

Here are some pictures I took last Sunday I hope you like them and if you want to see more you can find them on my Pictures of pets thread.

----------


## Hurricane

Adorable.

This was supposed to be in all caps for emphasis. Apparently the forum doesn't allow this..?

----------


## prendrelemick

A few pictures of where I live


Thats Susan and Veronica (The cows)

Nelly, a highly trained sheepdog. (pity she forgot it all)

Early one morning

----------


## Olga4real

> A few pictures of where I live
> 
> 
> Thats Susan and Veronica (The cows)


Nice to meet Veronica - my daughter's name




> Nelly, a highly trained sheepdog. (pity she forgot it all)


I hope she didn't is she border collie - the world's smartest dog? 

Beautiful pictures Prendrelenmick! It's great you notice and appreciate the beauty around you - some people don't.

----------


## Basil

LOVE those pics, thank you for sharing them with us.  :Smile:

----------


## prendrelemick

> Oh yeas we do, we do!
> 
> We went to the Lake District for our summer holiday this year. We stayed in the village of Near Sawrey a couple of miles from Hawkeshead (where Wordsworth went to school) and Lake Windermere .
> 
> The cottage we stayed in (Anvil Cottage)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...



We are going there in the next few hours!

There is no doubt the Western Lakes are the most beautiful and serene places anywhere. Thanks for those pics, I cant wait to get there.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> A few pictures of where I live
> ...
> Thats Susan and Veronica (The cows)
> ...
> Nelly, a highly trained sheepdog. (pity she forgot it all)
> ...
> Early one morning


Speaking of paintings Prendrelemick !
Beautiful landscape.
"Susan" is what my missus goes by. hehe


Gilliatt

----------


## miss tenderness

Beautiful pictures everyone .






> Miss Tenderness, those are no real people, jumping down that waterfall on the left side? -- Very nice pictures


No , they are no real people .

----------


## MaryH

Hi Snowqueen ! Your pictures are really moving. I am touched by these sights. Don't know how much more people have become homeless becuase of these floods. 
It was a very good effort. Keep up the good work !

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

While away on business in Rockford Illinois, I had spotted a brochure several weeks ago promoting WW II days at Midway Village museum. Being one that is interested in WW II history, I pocketed the flyer and marked the date; September 25 and 26th.

http://www.examiner.com/day-trips-in...kford-illinois

Arriving on Sunday, I was overwhelmed at the magnitude and attention to authenticity of the rein actors and their WW II memorabilia including everything from uniforms, small arms weapons, campsites in the woods, field artillery to an operational Sherman tank! The day concludes with the main event, a mock battle that takes place in a field with scattered trees and underbrush. 
Attendance was somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,000

Enough. Here are a few photos:

We begin with the war correspondent and I cant think of anyone more celebrated than Ernie Pyle:



I was away from the front lines for a while this spring, living with other troops, and considerable fighting took place while I was gone. When I got ready to return to my old friends at the front I wondered if I would sense any change in them.  Ernie Pyle





Sherman Tank taking a short cut through the British camps:





Camp Life:

If you go long enough without a bath, even the fleas will leave you alone.  Ernie Pyle

American Camp:







American Camp:




German Camp:




A French distraction:




Provost officer and his wine:




But to the fighting soldier that phase of the war is behind. It was left behind after his first battle. His blood is up. He is fighting for his life, and killing now for him is as much a profession as writing is for me.  Ernie Pyle


German advance:




Missing leg:




War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth.


Link to the entire photo album including some of the above in color:
http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/a...rd%20Illinois/


.

----------


## Olga4real

Here are some pictures I took last week in Budapest. 






Chain bridge





Parliament

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Oh, some great photos there. The Lake District is the most beautiful place in the UK surely, perhaps only Cornwall can come close to it? (I've never seen Wordsworth's grave, but I wonder why it is marked as 1883? Must be the date of the stone as Wordsworth died in 1850 of course.) Great pictures though; would be more than happy to sit there doing nothing for a week, given half the chance I'd jump at it a mile - all of this work business is highly wrong you know, I'm serious.

I also love the shots of Budapest; it looks highly romantic, perhaps Mrs Neely could take me there as a treat? Yeah, right!

Those soldier people reminds me of a thing we go to every year where there are several groups of people from different ages all in costume and doing mock battles and so on - they all seem very dedicated individuals. It is fascinating to see Roman soldiers, medieval knights and German soldiers walking around together as the odd tank rolls by in the distance - me, I'm usually in the beer tent!

----------


## Virgil

I haven't been in this thread for a long time. Wow, what great pictures by all. No point in mentioning names, I loved them all!

----------


## Niamh

Wow! Some really fantastic photos!  :Eek: 

I got back from Canada on Friday. Had my first thanksgiving dinner with Kilted Exiles family and got to see how wonderful canada is in Autumn.

----------


## Snowqueen

Great pictures Niamh, but here are the pictures from last Spring.  :Smilewinkgrin:

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures both of you - Niamh and Snowqueen.

Niamh, that last silohuette is awesome! That green/red of the warning light makes the photo so interesting.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Very nice photos Niamh and Snowqueen.
The color and clarity is brilliant.

Thanks for sharing


Gilliatt

----------


## Emil Miller

There have been a lot of interesting pictures here since I last posted. As we have had some unusually good weather I decided to take a day's walking in the country. Here are some photos taken along the way:






Path near Thornycroft Manor





In the pen.







The Road to West Humble







Ruined Chapel







A bridleway.







Leslie Road in the village of Pixham.







Where I would live if I could afford to.







Schoolhouse at Pixham.







Rural Scene at the Surrey Hills







Fishing in the river Mole.







A much needed seat at the top of Box Hill.







The view from the top.







Box Hill village.







View through a gate.







The Broadwood folly - Box Hill.







View of Juniper Hall.







Mickleham Village.







Mickleham church.







A very welcome sight.






Home again.

----------


## Themis

@Brian Bean: Great pictures. I absolutely love the first one!

Some (Or rather, most) of the pictures I took in Dublin:





 
(Christchurch Cathedral)


(Guinness Storehouse)

----------


## Virgil

Nice pictures Brian and Themis.

And Themis, Christchurch Cathedral looks awesome.

----------


## AdoreroDio

Here is a recent picture I took when my roommate threw a log in the lake so I could take cool splash photos...

----------


## DANSBIRD



----------


## Emil Miller

These are very professional pictures but you haven't said where they were taken.

----------


## DANSBIRD

Oops. They were all in Florida. 

The 1st was in Port St. Lucy, FL

2nd was around Daytona Beach, FL 

3rd, 4th, 5th, was at the Islamorada restaurant in the Florida Keys


And all were taken w/ a Sony Cybershot P200.

Here are two more...

My dog, Walle: Taken at my parents' house in Mississippi w/ a Nikon D5000


Memphis, TN w/ the Mississippi River in the background... Taken w/ a Sony Cybershot P200

----------


## Emil Miller

Thanks for the information. Interesting that you have a Nikon D5000 because my pictures were taken with a Nikon D3000 but they were on automatic because I haven't got around to sorting out the manual capabilities of the camera yet.

----------


## Revolte

You ever seen one of these things? They are _amazing_!

No joke, this guy was posing for the camera.

----------


## Paulclem

> Here are two more...
> 
> My dog, Walle: Taken at my parents' house in Mississippi w/ a Nikon D5000
> 
> 
> Memphis, TN w/ the Mississippi River in the background... Taken w/ a Sony Cybershot P200


He's a nice little chap. We've got a Jack Russel too. 





Good house dog. Assertive though...

Yours seems very friendly.

It's nice to drop by this thread. There are some really nice pictures from you all.

----------


## Snowqueen

*Virgil, Gilliatt* thanks I'm glad you like the pictures.
Hey Virgil why don't you post some pictures of Matthew? I'm sure he will be growing fast.

Great photos *DANSBIRD* and welcome to Litnet.  :Smile:

----------


## DANSBIRD

> Thanks for the information. Interesting that you have a Nikon D5000 because my pictures were taken with a Nikon D3000 but they were on automatic because I haven't got around to sorting out the manual capabilities of the camera yet.


I completely lucked out w/ the picture using the Nikon. I'm still quite a newb w/ the thing and don't know a whole lot about it.




> He's a nice little chap. We've got a Jack Russel too. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good house dog. Assertive though...
> 
> Yours seems very friendly.
> ...



He's an awesome dog. There are some really nice pictures in here... I hope I don't ruin the thread by post whoring a few more pictures of my dog, but if I do, I apologize.  :Smile:  
















> *Virgil, Gilliatt* thanks I'm glad you like the pictures.
> Hey Virgil why don't you post some pictures of Matthew? I'm sure he will be growing fast.
> 
> Great photos *DANSBIRD* and welcome to Litnet.


Thank you, mam.

----------


## Virgil

> Hey Virgil why don't you post some pictures of Matthew? I'm sure he will be growing fast.


Snowqueen, I post so many in my blogs I don't post them in this thread. Check my blogs. I have possibly up to fifteen on Matthew since I first met him in Kazakhstan. Thank you for asking.  :Smile: 

Great pictures Dansbird. I love dogs. And welcome!  :Smile:

----------


## stephofthenight

In Austin Tx taken with my phone, but still pretty

----------


## JuniperWoolf

That's a pretty high quality picture for being taken with a phone. Must be a nice phone.

These are my pumpkins:

Dave carved the scary one and I carved the scared one.

----------


## DANSBIRD

HAHA! That's pretty good

----------


## Virgil

Nice Steph.

That is excellent Juniper. Are those real candles inside?

----------


## Maryd.

> HAHA! That's pretty good


Oh dear, your dog is gorgeous. Fantastic photos. My favourite is the one sitting near the book. I love that face of - "Aren't I cute" look, they put on.

----------


## stephofthenight

Juniper it's the Iphone3gs not sure what kind of mpx they have but its a decent phone. serves its purpose. Thanks everyone for the kind words. I thought it was pretty.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

> That is excellent Juniper. Are those real candles inside?


Yep, just a couple of tea lights.

----------


## Maximilianus

Very nice pictures everyone. If this were a picture contest, I wouldn't know which one to choose.

@ Steph: I think the iPhone 3GS has a 3-megapixel camera.

----------


## billl

The scared pumpkin is fantastic. It kind of ties Halloween in a knot.

----------


## DANSBIRD

> Oh dear, your dog is gorgeous. Fantastic photos. My favourite is the one sitting near the book. I love that face of - "Aren't I cute" look, they put on.


 :Smile:   :Smile:   :Smile:  Thanks!

----------


## clguerra

I took this photo about four years ago

----------


## Veho

> The scared pumpkin is fantastic. It kind of ties Halloween in a knot.


I loved the scared pumpkin too!

----------


## Madhuri

It was Diwali yesterday and I made a Rangoli:

----------


## Olga4real

*Niamh*
Your photos are so bright and clear! I love colourful autumn pictures and your sunset!
*Snowqueen*
Your flowers with a butterfly bring smell of spring when I look at them!
*Brian*,
Thanks for sharing they brought back the memories of England, I love all of them especially the path in a park. And Milly a beautiful princess! 
*Themis*
I would love to visit Dublin one day, very nice pictures!
*AdoreroDio*
Nice shot, I love it! Can you enlarge the picture?
*DANSBIRD*
What a nice night pictures, remind me on the time I spent in Cyprus! And your dog is a very nice creature, I would say he is adorable this word is already taken. 
*Revolte*,
Are these things lamas? Yes they look as if they were posing for the camera. 
*stephofthenight*
What a colours! Nice reflection!
*JuniperWoolf*
I like the lights in your pictures.
*clguerra*
I love those birds on the wires they look like a music sheet, and what sunset colour! I love your picture!
*Madhuri*
Can you tell me what Divali means?
Your rangoli design is just beautiful!

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

A few photos of the strange statues on the cascade at Chatsworth from a couple of weeks ago. Weird things. Click on the image to make it bigger, I couldn't upload it fully because it was massive? 




Slide show if it:

http://img839.imageshack.us/slidesho...418044b3z.smil

My wonderful bread. 





Or, if you prefer, the video/slideshow:

http://img72.imageshack.us/slideshow...4183140co.smil

Amazing.  :Smile:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I took this photo about four years ago


Great photo. Reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock's - "The Birds"
They look like Grackels




> A few photos of the strange statues on the cascade at Chatsworth from a couple of weeks ago. Weird things. Click on the image to make it bigger, I couldn't upload it fully because it was massive? 
> 
> My wonderful bread. 
> 
> 
> 
> Amazing.


The sculptures are unusual, but the bread had me drooling this morning. 
Please describe the bread in the photo I reposted above.
Is that cheese on top?


Gilliatt

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> The sculptures are unusual, but the bread had me drooling this morning. 
> Please describe the bread in the photo I reposted above.
> Is that cheese on top?


Ha, ha, excellent Gilliatt, thanks for the positives on my bread, I'm like a proud parent. Yes the bread rolls have cheese on the top and a little cheese and onion inside - I thought I would make half a dozen of those. They tasted really good, especially warm fresh from the oven. I took one to work and they still tasted great the next day (my daughter had one for lunch too, with a little salad). When I got back they others had been eaten. I'm going to make some more at the weekend I think, maybe add a bit more cheese and perhaps have a few chives in there as well, we'll see.

I made some plain breadcakes (bread rolls, we call them breadcakes up north!) and they went down a treat as well, so yummy, slightly crisp on the outside, but nice fluffy on the inside, and fresh, so fresh. 

My small loaves have been coming out beautifully as you can see, so rustic and perfect. However, I can't seem to crack the wholemeal at the moment, it is a lot heavier and harder to rise, but the white bread is so simple to do with the recipe I am using - why not have a go this weekend and have perfect bread? Only 10 minutes relaxing kneading required. I think I ranted about it and posted a link to it the other day, but here it is again:

http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes...ecipe_p_1.html

Think I'm going to watch my bread video again before I go to bed. Just one more time...

----------


## JuniperWoolf

It finally snowed today.

----------


## weltanschauung

"ohai"

----------


## Niamh

> Niamh, that last silohuette is awesome! That green/red of the warning light makes the photo so interesting.


Thanks Virgil.  :Smile:  That was my second photo of that shot. Love it.  :Smile: 




> Here is a recent picture I took when my roommate threw a log in the lake so I could take cool splash photos...


Thats an amazing shot.

----------


## Paulclem

It seems a little late now, but I took some pictures as I was walking around of the Autumn colours. It snowed last night as well. 













This is a view of Coventry from the West. You can just make out the Cathedral Spire. If I go to work on the bus, then this is my view. It's so flat in the distance it reminds me of the seaside.

----------


## Madhuri

> *Madhuri*
> Can you tell me what Divali means?
> Your rangoli design is just beautiful!


Diwali, is a festival of lights. It's a five day festival, where on the last day we burst crackers in the evening, prepare delicacies, make rangolis, light diya, etc. This rangoli is made using flowers and colours.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Paulclem,

Wonderful colors. I suppose the trees are now covered in snow from the recent storm (?)
Is that your dog?

Thanks for sharing.

Gilliatt

----------


## Paulclem

> Paulclem,
> 
> Wonderful colors. I suppose the trees are now covered in snow from the recent storm (?)
> Is that your dog?
> 
> Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Gilliatt


Hi Gilliatt and thanks. 

Yes it's a bit snowy at the moment. That is my dog. I wrote a short piece about him here.

http://www.online-literature.com/for...og.php?b=10221

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks *Olga* it's so nice of you. 

Great pictures *Paulclem*. 

Here are few photos I took last year.

----------


## Paulclem

Nice pictures Snowqueen. Your one with the birds on a branch is very good. It's the kind of pic I'd like to draw or paint - though I don't draw or paint at the moment. (One day I might go to a class).

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Nice ones, Snowqueen. I've never seen colors like that in the sky.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Nice ones, Snowqueen. I've never seen colors like that in the sky.


Thank you so much for admiring the pictures. I like to capture the different colours of sky. :Smile: 





> Nice pictures Snowqueen. Your one with the birds on a branch is very good. It's the kind of pic I'd like to draw or paint - though I don't draw or paint at the moment. (One day I might go to a class).


Thanks for posting such a lovely comment. Why don't you draw it? Let it be your first drawing lesson.  :Smilewinkgrin:

----------


## Paulclem

> Thanks for posting such a lovely comment. Why don't you draw it? Let it be your first drawing lesson.


I have no skills - alas - and no time yet to go and develop any. I will though - in time. 

I have taken a few photos of uthe recent foggy, and freezing fog conditions. The tree I took today outside one of our centres where we were congregating for a meeting. The ones in the dark were taken over the last couple of nights. I used my phone to take them - it's great having a camera always on hand to capture interesting stuff. The frost was covering the trees, and has stayed all day today. Looks great.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Paul,

You must have shifted or otherwise altered your images. All I see is the following ("This image or video has been moved or deleted"):




> ...I have taken a few photos of uthe recent foggy, and freezing fog conditions. The tree I took today outside one of our centres where we were congregating for a meeting. The ones in the dark were taken over the last couple of nights. I used my phone to take them - it's great having a camera always on hand to capture interesting stuff. The frost was covering the trees, and has stayed all day today. Looks great.

----------


## weltanschauung

"beijo" <3

----------


## Paulclem

> Paul,
> 
> You must have shifted or otherwise altered your images. All I see is the following ("This image or video has been moved or deleted"):


I don't know why it's done that.  :Shocked: 

I'll try again.

----------


## Paulclem

I took this one at night. It was frosty.

----------


## Paulclem

It was foggy on this day.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> 


The high contrast is interesting. Looks like late afternoon or early morning.
Do you know what type of flower that is? Looks similar to "Rose of Sharon".

----------------




> It was foggy on this day.




That's better !
"Foggy on this day" is fantastic, particulary the view down the road.


.

----------


## Paulclem

Thanks Gilliat.

----------


## papayahed

I took this a few days ago on my way to work. 

It was much better in person.

----------


## Paulclem

> I took this a few days ago on my way to work. 
> 
> It was much better in person.


I know what you mean - I use my phone, but it makes everything that much further away. I've never got into photography with cameras, but the phone's always there.

----------


## weltanschauung

> The high contrast is interesting. Looks like late afternoon or early morning.
> Do you know what type of flower that is? Looks similar to "Rose of Sharon".
> .


its called "beijo" (kiss)

----------


## Paulclem

Nice picture Weltan.

----------


## weltanschauung

thanks mang, check this one out







it was right after a dust storm, dont ask how, i have no idea.

----------


## Paulclem

Great colours

----------


## weltanschauung

the colours are always in the eyes of the observers  :Smile:

----------


## Paulclem

How do you know? :Biggrin: 

Preference might be in the eye of the observer - can we say colours though?

----------


## weltanschauung

youre right, i dont know. in any ways, nice colors.
 :Smile:

----------


## Paulclem

Agreed!

----------


## Snowqueen

Ladybird and a berry. 



I took it with my father's camera.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Ladybird and a berry. 
> 
> I took it with my father's camera.


That's a great picture, could you say what type of camera it is?

----------


## faithosaurus

That picture is super cool!


Here's a picture of the sun setting on Lake Michigan:

----------


## BienvenuJDC

Wow...the pinks and blues are blended so perfectly....

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Some fall pictures of the Canadian Rockies. Better late than never, right? I kind of alltogether missed Summer. Ah, well.






I don't know what that rock structure is supposed to be, some witchy folk from town must've made it. Maybe our descendants will discover it in a thousand years and it'll be the future's stonehenge.


Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger...

----------


## Madhuri

Some pictures I took last weekend on a trip to Pondicherry

A chandelier in a church:



A statue:


An elephant outside Ganesha temple:


Cute kittens:




A fisherman with his catch - a snake:


Sea shells:


A house on the beach:








People on bullock-carts:


In the sea:


Gandhi beach:

----------


## weltanschauung

i've been playing again with photoshop:

 

and an old fav:

it comes with a caption:
'He cried in a whisper at some image, at some visionhe cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath"The horror! The horror!" ' 

still:

----------


## prendrelemick

great stuff weltanschauung.

----------


## sithkittie

I remember the first time I got to see the sun set over the water at Lake Michigan. It was beautiful! I love all of the pictures here.

I went to Miyajima Island this week and managed to snap a picture of the sunset over the islands, so I thought I'd contribute to this thread.  :Smile:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Ok, I have been off this thread for long enough (Things have been a bit hectic). Anyway... This batch is a bit different from what I usually post: It is from a Rock Band Competition (!) among the companies in town. Each participating company sets up a band from among its staff and... Well, it usually amounts to a great party. Some people have been seen holding their heads afterwards, but still grinning:




Getting started. This bloke happens to be from the head office.


Dramatic pose... (He even got up afterwards).  :Biggrin: 


The crowd goes wild....


Some get wilder than most...


More, more....


Final effort...


Done....


After the gig...


Waiting for the judges decision... and look who has lost his wig.


Ooopsss! The paparazzo of the evening caught with his own camera...  :Biggrin: 

/Claes

----------


## weltanschauung

^^^^ superb!

----------


## Maximilianus

This thread is quite inspiring, in many pictorial ways  :Nod:

----------


## Snowqueen

> Ooopsss! The paparazzo of the evening caught with his own camera... 
> 
> /Claes



Haha ......It seems you had a great time. And did you guys win the competition?

----------


## Hyacinthine

Here are a few, some I took on my cell camera and used some apps to edit, and some I took on my DSLR. The one of the child is my daughter.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Haha ......It seems you had a great time. And did you guys win the competition?


Yep, we did have a good time, and even though some were holding their heads next day, they were still grinning  :Biggrin: 

No we did not win, but 2nd is not half bad, is it?

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Here are a few, some I took on my cell camera and used some apps to edit, and some I took on my DSLR. The one of the child is my daughter.


Very nice and your daughter is a gem.




> Yep, we did have a good time, and even though some were holding their heads next day, they were still grinning 
> 
> No we did not win, but 2nd is not half bad, is it?
> 
> /Claes


You are a brave man!
But what else can you do when you are snowed in for better part of a year!

.

----------


## qimissung

Love your pictures, Faith, Madhuri, Juniper, Snowqueen, Claes and Hyacinthine. You are all observant and have a good eye.

----------


## Snowqueen

> No we did not win, but 2nd is not half bad, is it?


Oh! It's not bad at all Claes.  :Thumbsup: 

Thanks *Qimi* , and here are some other pictures.

----------


## Tallon

At my friend's house in New Zealand, my camera sucks and doesn't really capture how amazing it really is there.

----------


## qimissung

How beautiful and eerie, Snowqueen! You're right, Tallon, gorgeous!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Great photos Snowqueen. The sequence of photos seems to match your signiture; the woods and a lake.

Talon, that is beautiful. Looks like your camera is just fine and the shot is composed well.

Thanks for sharing

----------


## Snowqueen

> How beautiful and eerie, Snowqueen! You're right, Tallon, gorgeous!


Oh! Thanks for your lovely comments *Qimi.* 





> Great photos Snowqueen. The sequence of photos seems to match your signiture; the woods and a lake.
> Thanks for sharing


Thank you *Gilliatt*, I didn't notice it until you pointed it out to me. I must say you are a good observer.
I'm glad I shared it with you guys. 

Great picture *Tallon*! New Zealand seems to be a wonderful country.

----------


## Tallon

Thanks guys, it's a shame that i lived in NZ for two years and didn't take many pictures because i had a terrible camera which tended to run out of batteries after every photo taken. Heres a few more from around Christchurch, which get wonderful and strange sunsets which seem to turn the whole air orange.

----------


## Paulclem

There's always brilliant pictures to look at here. 

Here are a few I took over the christmas holidays with my phone.

----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem

This is my neighbour Barry - he's a very nice chap.

----------


## Paulclem

The red of the letter box seems to add a hint of danger.

----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Paul,
Nice shots and kind of eerie.

"Nice chap" ? I'll take your word for it, but I would honestly feel a bit uneasy if I were to see him coming down that sidewalk.

.

----------


## Paulclem

> Paul,
> Nice shots and kind of eerie.
> 
> "Nice chap" ? I'll take your word for it, but I would honestly feel a bit uneasy if I were to see him coming down that sidewalk.
> 
> .


Yes eery. but he was out walking his very riendly black labrador dog which can't be seen. His hat doesn't help.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

> This is my neighbour Barry - he's a very nice chap.


He _looks_ like a nice chap.

...wait, did I say "nice chap?" I meant "serial killer."  :Tongue:

----------


## Paulclem

> He _looks_ like a nice chap.
> 
> ...wait, did I say "nice chap?" I meant "serial killer."


Ha ha. He really is a nice chap. A more unserial killery type of bloke you couldn't wish to meet. He is called Barry after all. He often goes and stays in his caravan with his wife and their dog Lucy in Skegness. 

I don't think they get many murders over that way in Lincolnshire because it's fairly empty....unless of course they've yet to find the bodies...........

----------


## MystyrMystyry

This is a picture of a Grand Piano I took in Miami

----------


## Olga4real

I see that wonderful pictures were posted here since my last visit. I love them all!

Now I would like to share some pictures taken in Sarajevo during my last vacation.
Latin bridge:

daytime


and at night.

----------


## Olga4real

Some pictures of Bosna springs:

----------


## Olga4real

One more:

----------


## farnoosh

Olga I loved the last one, makes me feel relaxed somehow..where is the location exactly? is it your hometown or did you take a vacation there?....this place is definitly going in my must-go-to list! :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

> Olga I loved the last one, makes me feel relaxed somehow..where is the location exactly? is it your hometown or did you take a vacation there?....this place is definitly going in my must-go-to list!


Farnoosh, all the pictures I posted today were taken in Bosnia close to Sarajevo, where 1984 Winter Olympic games were taken. Although I spent only 4 days there, I have unforgettable memories of the city. I think if you go there you will like it also. The mixture of religions and cultures (Islamic and Christian) makes the city exotic, plus history. Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 took place close to Latin bridge, you can see in one of the pictures.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

.
Nice photos Olga. I particularly enjoy the one looking up through the canopy of the trees.
Since we are on a winterscape theme, I have a few here from Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford Illinois:

The "Ancient Scholar" -



Tea House Rhythm -



Entry Gate - 



Lantern near entry gate -




.

----------


## Olga4real

> .
> Nice photos Olga. I particularly enjoy the one looking up through the canopy of the trees.


*Gilliatt* it's my favourite too! 

I love your beautiful delightful shuts! Especially the entrance of the garden with your shadow (is it?)

----------


## Snowqueen

*Olga* and *Gilliatt*, I loved your pictures (being a Snowqueen). 

Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Snowqueen

Some recent pictures of my nieces, when they were having good time at our place.

----------


## Janine

Ahhhh...adorable. I want to give them both a hug. They are both so pretty. I love the ones around the tree but the individual ones are such good portraits; and kids are not easy to take. Wow, your new camera shoots a beautiful clear photo. What kind of camera is it? Bushy sure has the long eye-lashes and big eyes and Shinu has such sparkly eyes. They are both so pretty in their own individual way. I love the last one with Bushy and Frosty. Brooke has a Frosty, too. I love to hear her say the word 'Frosty' - sounds so cute.

----------


## Janine

Fantastic photos, everyone! I love the snow photos....if it would be sunny here for once instead of straight drear I might be able to get some decent snow photos this week.

I wanted to post these two videos of my granddaughter, Brooke, reading to herself....and me, of course....I was on the phone to my mother when I caught her curled up on the sofa reading her own books. I thought that was pretty good since she's only 2 1/2; but very imaginative.

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_0613.mp4

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_0614.mp4

I love listening to little kids voices. Here interpretation of the stories are quite unique. I think we have a reader here and future member of Litnet! haha....

----------


## qimissung

Olga, all your pictures are beautiful, but I think I like the one with the tree with the red-what-flowers, buds, berries? on it best. I would like to try to paint that someday, if I could. It's probably beyond me at the moment. I also like the one with the swans. So pretty. 

Your little nieces are adorable, Snowqueen. Still little, with that sweet insouciance that only little kids can pull off. Loved the movie of Brooke, Janine! I adore small children. That was fun!

----------


## Olga4real

> Olga, all your pictures are beautiful, but I think I like the one with the tree with the red-what-flowers, buds, berries? on it best. I would like to try to paint that someday, if I could. It's probably beyond me at the moment. I also like the one with the swans. So pretty. 
> 
> Your little nieces are adorable, Snowqueen. Still little, with that sweet insouciance that only little kids can pull off. Loved the movie of Brooke, Janine! I adore small children. That was fun!



*Qimissung*  thank you, that picture is one of my favourite as well, I am learning to paint also :-) I've had some experiences with water colour but now I am learning acrylic painting and the techniques is not so complicated. 

I agree with you that *Snowqueen*'s nieces are sweet and beautiful! 

Watched the video also and enjoyed it so much! Thank you *Jannie*!

----------


## Snowqueen

Oh thanks for the lovely comments *Olga*! I'm gald you liked my nieces. 

Thank you *Qimi*! It always gives me pleasure to share my pictures with friends like you. 

Hey Janine I loved the videos. Brooke started the story saying " ever ever after".  :FRlol:  It seems you really had a wonderful time with her.

----------


## Janine

> Oh thanks for the lovely comments *Olga*! I'm gald you liked my nieces. 
> 
> Thank you *Qimi*! It always gives me pleasure to share my pictures with friends like you. 
> 
> Hey Janine I loved the videos. Brooke started the story saying " ever ever after".  It seems you really had a wonderful time with her.


Thanks for watching, *Snowqueen,* I know it takes patience and those two were long but I could not cut them very well without losing something. I liked her version of the stories....haha...ever ever after...and at the beginning...you are right...how funny! When I first noticed her reading she was running her fingers down the lines starting at the bottom...hey, maybe she is Chinese....but actually don't the Chinese read from right to left, not bottom to top.

Thank you all for you comments. I love sharing, like SQ said, with such good friends.

Did someone make Frosty for Bushy? It is so cute.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Thanks for watching, *Snowqueen,* I know it takes patience and those two were long but I could not cut them very well without losing something. I liked her version of the stories....haha...ever ever after...and at the beginning...you are right...how funny! When I first noticed her reading she was running her fingers down the lines starting at the bottom...hey, maybe she is Chinese....but actually don't the Chinese read from right to left, not bottom to top.
> 
> Thank you all for you comments. I love sharing, like SQ said, with such good friends.
> 
> Did someone make Frosty for Bushy? It is so cute.



Oh yes it's funny indeed, and so I loved it. I also enjoyed Brooke's dance. She is a charming entertainer isn't she?

This little Frosty is a gift from her aunt. And thanks for all the compliments *Janine*.

----------


## Basil

Purty day out here in Californy.

----------


## Snowqueen

These are pretty amazing views Basil. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Olga4real

I love your pictures Basil! The water is my element, as I am a scorpion. But water of the sea or ocean makes my heart beat faster. I just couldn't resist temptation to post my painting here. I painted it after a picture I took somewhere in Malta. 
Here it is:

----------


## YesNo

Nice painting, Olga4real. I liked the darkness in the sky and the sharpness of the colors. It made it look like rough weather.

----------


## Olga4real

> Nice painting, Olga4real. I liked the darkness in the sky and the sharpness of the colors. It made it look like rough weather.


Thank you, Yes, (I prefer to call you Yes, if you don't mind) for nice words. It's too kind of you. This are my first steps in painting acrylic paint, I had tried watercolour, but never tried acrylic or oil paint. I posted it here just because the first picture of Basil seem to reflect the same mood.

----------


## qimissung

Olga, that is just beautiful! I paint a little, too. If I can ever figure out how to post them, I would love to share them. Basil, those pictures are sublimely beautiful. I love the ocean, though I live inland.

----------


## Olga4real

> Olga, that is just beautiful! I paint a little, too. If I can ever figure out how to post them, I would love to share them. Basil, those pictures are sublimely beautiful. I love the ocean, though I live inland.


Qimmi, it's simple I just scanned it, since the size of the picture allowed it. What kind of paints do you use? Watercolour, acrylic, oil? Honestly, I am better at graphics.

----------


## qimissung

I do watercolors, Olga. Mostly flowers. You are more advanced than I am. I'd like to take a few lessons. Maybe this summer.

----------


## faithosaurus

I took this while at work. Thought it looked pretty cool.

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Interesting image faithosaurus

I like the way you've framed it, with a lot of dark foreground to really set the sky on fire - it looks sort of science fiction too: those lights have a quality like a landing site or secret research laboratory

I like it  :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

> I do watercolors, Olga. Mostly flowers. You are more advanced than I am. I'd like to take a few lessons. Maybe this summer.


Quimi until you find a teacher in Summer I suggest you to watch some videos you can find on the net. Here is some of them I found for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-P21p0cp2Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTklWetOt7k

I just love watching them, better than a movie. I hope you like them as well.

----------


## qimissung

Thank you, Olga. I've watched the first one already. Actually I have done that, and I have a rally good book, too, that I found. 

Here is a favorite painting of mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhoFI-bRrrI&feature=fvsr

and a watercolor scene. I've gotten paint from this guy's online catalog. They're pretty good. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTyXv..._order&list=UL

There's also the matter of talent, Olga. It's entirely possible that you are more talented.  :Biggrin:  Today I painted a scene, very simple of a brick wall, a fence and some trees. I put two pictures together. It turned out pretty well. I'm pleased anyway.

----------


## qimissung

That is a pretty picture, faithosaurus. Did you take that with a camera?

----------


## faithosaurus

I took it with my phone, haha. I was being naughty and took it on the job.

----------


## Basil



----------


## JuniperWoolf

Well, _I'm_ jealous.

----------


## Olga4real

Faithosaurus your picture is very impressive and picture of Basil is just monumental, both are beautiful. 
Thank you Quimmi! I watched both of links you sent and loved the lessons of Cheap Joe. Inspired I already painted some pictures, I mean practised. Can't wait for you to post some of your pictures. I found two artist I liked very much Joseph Zbukovic and Dusan Djukaric. I am curious if you like them also.

----------


## Themis

View of Vienna and the Danube from the Leopoldsberg (Leopold's Hill).

----------


## Paulclem

Nice pictures Themis. I liked Vienna.

----------


## Snowqueen

Beautiful pictures Themis.

Here are some signs of spring.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

That's so pretty. We're in melting season in Canada, it's disgusting and muddy.

----------


## Snowqueen

> That's so pretty. We're in melting season in Canada, it's disgusting and muddy.


_If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?_  :Smile: 

Thanks for noticing *JuniperWoolf*.  :Smile:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Beautiful pictures Themis.
> 
> Here are some signs of spring.
> ...


I can almost smell them through the lap top.
Beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.

Gg

----------


## Snowqueen

> I can almost smell them through the lap top.
> Beautiful.
> Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Gg


Oh really! Thanks *Gilliatt*. :Smile:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

A few pics from a recent cruise through the Western Carribean:

The Ellissa at the port of Galveston Texas taken while waiting to set sail. (No, we didn't sail on the Elissa though I wish we could have) :




Montego Bay, Jamaica:

(I made several attempts to reduce this one. Maybe it will be fine once posted)







Grand Cayman Islands:




Nobach Mul pyramid Coba Mayan site




One side of ball court at Coba Mayan site




Gilliatt

----------


## Paulclem

Superb pictures Gilliatt. The roses are great Snowqueen. 

I'm off to the allotment tomorrow. I should have some good pictures of... mud.

----------


## papayahed

Nice pictures at Coba. The last time I was there they had stopped excavating because they ran out of money. I remember they had started refurbishing the front side of one pyramid but the back side was left untouched. (I yanked a small piece of rock off the backside - it's one of my favorite possessions.)

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thanks for taking a look Paul.




> Nice pictures at Coba. The last time I was there they had stopped excavating because they ran out of money. I remember they had started refurbishing the front side of one pyramid but the back side was left untouched. (I yanked a small piece of rock off the backside - it's one of my favorite possessions.)


Thanks.
Based on your comments, I'd say no further progress has bee accomplished. Three sides of the Pyramid remain coverd with soil and vegetation and we passed a few mounds along the trail that have not been restored either. Still, there were quite a few structures that have been restored that made the trek well worth the effort.

.

----------


## qimissung

I'm glad you liked CheapJoe's lesson, Olga. And everyone's pictures are wonderful. Snowqueen, very Georgia O'Keefe of you. Themis, I would just love to visit Austria again. It is such a beautiful country. And Gilliatt, I guess your feelin' pretty good after getting out of Illinois, or wherever it was you were banished to for the winter. I am jealous. Montego Bay. Sigh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYYiaZcuEuk

----------


## Themis

@Snowqueen: Such beautiful roses!

@Gilliat Gurgle: Great pictures. Especially the one with the Mayan temple.

@quimissung: I hope you do. We have many treasures here.  :Wink:

----------


## MarkBastable



----------


## qimissung

Your daughters are beautiful! And what a fun picture.

----------


## Snowqueen

*Paulclem, Themis, qimi* thanks for the compliments. 

Great pictures *Gilliatt*, I wish I could visit those beautiful places.

*MarkBastable* you have cute daughters, are they twins?

----------


## Paulclem

Great picture Mark. Two cute kids you've got there.

----------


## Pensive

> 


Pretty girls!  :Smile:

----------


## The Comedian

totally bewitching, Mark.

----------


## MarkBastable

Thanks, all.

Snowqueen - no, they're very alike, but there's nearly two years between them.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

.

Haven't checked in for some time. Mark, your girls look wonderful !!

Let's call this "Scans Taken by You"
I'll borrow this thread to send out my 104 year old happy Easter message. Something from my stamp / postcard collection:

----------


## yuka

> 


O, so beautiful! if only I have a girl !

----------


## Emil Miller

Sitting in the garden, I noticed this cloud formation and thought it might make an unusual picture.

----------


## Kafka's Crow

Went to South Cornwall the previous week and stayed on Goonhilly Downs. Absoulutely beautiful place:













Max absolutely loved Hayle Beach. Godrevy Lighthose in the background (top left), inspiration for Virginia Wolfe's _To the Lighthouse_:


Searching for Daphne de Maurier's 'Frenchman's Creek'. These bluebells look lovely in the wild as Maxim explains in _Rebecca_:


Au revoir:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Sitting in the garden, I noticed this cloud formation and thought it might make an unusual picture.


Aha, so you do get sun. Unusual is right and interesting composition with the plants in the foreground.




> Went to South Cornwall the previous week and stayed on Goonhilly Downs. Absoulutely beautiful place:


It is beautiful based on what you have shared. Thanks

.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Aha, so you do get sun. Unusual is right and interesting composition with the plants in the foreground.


Thank's Gilliatt, I have been somewhat removed from the photography front recently, but now I've found some extra time to look at what my camera (actually it's really a computer with a lens attached) can do. Despite, or perhaps because of the wizardry, there is an element of charlatanry ( which is the curse of our age) that enables us to gerrymander our photos rather than rely on our individual skill to get acceptable results. So that taking pictures becomes secondary to getting a shot that can be altered according to requirements. The picture I have posted was taken with the camera set at Auto against some budding rose bushes, whereas in the past, I would have had to arrange the settings for myself.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...Despite, or perhaps because of the wizardry, there is an element of charlatanry ( which is the curse of our age) that enables us to gerrymander our photos rather than rely on our individual skill to get acceptable results. So that taking pictures becomes secondary to getting a shot that can be altered according to requirements...


You are preaching to the choir. I gain more satisfaction out of a photograph that was composed prior to snapping the shutter. I have toyed with the digital filters, but even then I feel some guilt to the point that I attach the old manual lenses so I can use the physical screw on filters.

.

----------


## yuka



----------


## Janine

> .
> 
> Haven't checked in for some time. Mark, your girls look wonderful !!
> 
> Let's call this "Scans Taken by You"
> I'll borrow this thread to send out my 104 year old happy Easter message. Something from my stamp / postcard collection:


Gilliatt, Love this postcard, too. I collect these types. I have some old ones from my grandmother's house. I should photograph some to show you sometime when I have the time. Right now I am too busy. Glad you showed the addressed side. It is so interesting.

----------


## Janine

> 


Mark, your daughters are the sweetest little witches I have ever seen. They are both beautiful girls. I love the photo. It is precious.

----------


## Emil Miller

Some digital pictures taken at random around the house and garden:

----------


## Paulclem

Nice pictures Emil. The cats are nice, and hasn't the blossom been great this year.

----------


## qimissung

The cats are nice. I recognize Milly. Is the fine looking tabby yours also?

----------


## Maryd.

Sorry messed up this reply

----------


## Maryd.

I keep messing up these replies...

Nice rose emil...  :Smile:

----------


## Psyche Zenobia

Breathtakingly beautiful! That water looks so serene

----------


## Emil Miller

> The cats are nice. I recognize Milly. Is the fine looking tabby yours also?


No qimissung, he belongs to a neighbour. He often comes into the garden, which upsets Milly but she's getting used to it





> I keep messing up these replies...
> 
> Nice rose emil...


Thank's Mary, they are just starting to come out now. Last year there was a spectacular display in the garden and I hope to take some more pictures of roses later as they are my favourite flower.





> Nice pictures Emil. The cats are nice, and hasn't the blossom been great this year.


I agree Paul, it's always a treat to see blossom but it's a pity that it lasts for such a short time before it's blown all over the place.

----------


## Maryd.

> Thank's Mary, they are just starting to come out now. Last year there was a spectacular display in the garden and I hope to take some more pictures of roses later as they are my favourite fllower



Oh do post some more photos when they blossom. Would love to see the array of colours. I am a grand lover of the rose. It's also my favourite flower.  :Smile:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Some digital pictures taken at random around the house and garden:
> .....


Nice photos Emil.
What type is the stunted, bonzai plant? Looks like a dwarf citrus of some kind.
I particularly enjoy the still life table arrangement.

.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Nice photos Emil.
> What type is the stunted, bonzai plant? Looks like a dwarf citrus of some kind.
> I particularly enjoy the still life table arrangement.


I've had the tree for a few years now and there hasn't been any sign of fruit but I don't know the actual variety. I usually sit out in the garden and read the paper and drink something when the weather's fine. Hence the 'still life.'

----------


## kittypaws

New to this thread...but glad I found it! Love photos....a way to capture a moment that will never happen again ~ priceless.



*the beginning of spring in my yard.*



*Any guesses what this is??*


*And one more...daffs in the moon light after an evening rain.*



kittypaws

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Kittypaws,

The first one looks like Hyacinth (?) and the second one looks like sprouts from a Chia Pet or something inside a terrium. Nice.

Speaking of spring, two of my cactus plants bloomed, so i thought I would share a few pictures:













.

----------


## Propter W.

What kind of cactus is the red one?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> What kind of cactus is the red one?


I had to do a little research beginning with a 1947 copy of Cacti for the Amateur by Scott E. Haselton, where I found the genus; Gymnocalycium and from the internet I found what I believe to be the species; Mihanovichii.


.

----------


## Propter W.

> I had to do a little research beginning with a 1947 copy of Cacti for the Amateur by Scott E. Haselton, where I found the genus; Gymnocalycium and from the internet I found what I believe to be the species; Mihanovichii.
> 
> 
> .


Thank you.

----------


## kittypaws

*Gilliatt Gurgle wrote.... The first one looks like Hyacinth (?) and the second one looks like sprouts from a Chia Pet or something inside a terrium.*

Yes! the first is a Hyacinth and the second...well you are close. It is moss grass growing wild along side the waterfall in my pond. 

Your Cati are great too!
My seasons here range from bitter cold to sultry hot and in the summer all of my Cati keep company out on the deck. This year when then needed to move in doors I found them a comfy home.






*Nothing like an empty fish tank along with a grow light to make everyone happy!*

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Fanatastic arrangement and what a novel idea using an aquarium with growing lamp. They appear to be thriving quite well. 

.

----------


## kittypaws

Thank You G.Gurgle.....

I love photography...enjoy writing too..but taking pictures seem to speak so much louder to me!

Visual moments to never be captured again....








these photos help me to write...but I can never come close to the awesome unbelievable feelings I have when I hold camera in hand and shoot.

My Dream....to be a photographer for National Geo.

sigh.....

----------


## Revolte

Oisauce got some new ones I could share.

----------


## Emil Miller

I took my camera out on a country walk for some random shots on a fine day.





Cottage at Pixham Mill








Vapour trails over Betchworth farmland








The Dolphin, a favourite country pub








The Old Forge at Betchworth








Footpath to Brockham








Scenic view









Another pretty country cottage en route to Brockham








Brockham Church and vicarage








Manor House at Brockham








And finally, Milly getting up to mischief.

----------


## kittypaws

Revolte ~ very cool! The last on is a great shot!

kittypaws

----------


## kittypaws

Emil ~ love the architecture....I felt like I was walking along with you. Nice crisp, clean shots....what are you shooting with? 

Thanks for the trip, I found it refreshing!

kittypaws

----------


## Emil Miller

> Emil ~ love the architecture....I felt like I was walking along with you. Nice crisp, clean shots....what are you shooting with? 
> 
> Thanks for the trip, I found it refreshing!
> 
> kittypaws


Glad you liked them, it's not often that we get nice clear weather in the UK although the camera seems capable of dealing with most light conditions. It's a Nikon D3000,

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I took my camera out on a country walk for some random shots on a fine day.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Footpath to Brockham
> 
> 
> ...


Absotuley stunning, especially the Brockham Church and vicarage with the unusual cloud pattern backdrop. The Nikon is working great.
Looks like it was a fine day indeed.

.

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Gee, so many good photos - good this isn't a competition...

Gilliat got to me about submitting some actual photos so here are a few practice shots

Helicopters:





Wasps:





And a twinkly star magnified 300 000 or 3 000 000 times (I can't remember):

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Actually if the star doesn't show up properly I've had a lot of trouble with the compression

----------


## Emil Miller

> Absotuley stunning, especially the Brockham Church and vicarage with the unusual cloud pattern backdrop. The Nikon is working great.
> Looks like it was a fine day indeed.
> 
> .


Thanks Gilliatte, 

They're not really my photos, as such, because the camera was on auto and I was able to use the tele-photo lens to line up each picture. As I've said before, having a miniature computer with a lens makes it so much easier. I haven't worked out how to use the manual override so for the moment it stays on auto.

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Does your camera automatically press the shutter button as well?

Got to get me one of those babies, Emil

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Gee, so many good photos - good this isn't a competition...
> 
> Gilliat got to me about submitting some actual photos so here are a few practice shots
> 
> Helicopters:...
> 
> Wasps:...
> 
> And a twinkly star magnified 300 000 or 3 000 000 times (I can't remember):


haha...In other words you had to force yourself to shed the white smock and stay out of that DreamWorks lab of yours!
Thanks for sharing. 
By the way what are you shooting with? I couldn't recall if you mentioned it in your digital photography thread.




> Actually if the star doesn't show up properly I've had a lot of trouble with the compression


Yes, it looks like something went awry. I happened to catch the star earlier this morning when it was in focus, or at least it had clear, well defined layerd edges. 




> Thanks Gilliatte, 
> 
> They're not really my photos, as such, because the camera was on auto and I was able to use the tele-photo lens to line up each picture. As I've said before, having a miniature computer with a lens makes it so much easier. I haven't worked out how to use the manual override so for the moment it stays on auto.


I have to take you to task. We have talked in the past about the initial digital let down for us old timers from the film generation, but I believe a great photo is much more (maybe 70%) about the composition and being cognizant of and capturing, those short lived anomolies that surround a subject, such as the unusaul pattern in the veiled clouds that shroud the Church and vicarage, the two people in the background that give a sense of scale, but small enough so as not to spoil a serene scene (with those nasty humans). The Church and vicarage are framed well and the horizon at a "classic" 1/3 up from the bottom.
The footpath too is well composed with the strong axis of the trail slightly off center. The vertical massing of the trees on the right side are balanced or offset by the gently rising hill to the left. 
The digital camera did not create the clouds or frame the photo or snap the shutter as Mystery says. 
Good Lord, where did all that come from? Anyhow, I understand what you are saying. Perhaps when you do start to experiment with the manual settings, you will discover that sense of mastery over the computer. 

.

----------


## MystyrMystyry

That's exactly what I meant Gilliatt - I remember an article in an old (though it was new then) photography magazine just before the digital age dawned - photo essays taken by professionals armed only with Kodak instamatics and development entirely local lab controlled - and what do you know: they were great (and some of the best were from those tiny 110 cartridges

Point being the only manual control was the shutter button (no zooms, no filters, nothing beyond the fixed focus lens it was supplied with. I don't know how much was crap but one said he always had an instamatic spare and often took entire shoots with that alone

My main camera - joy of my photographic life really (Nikon s8100) fully auto (that is multi-programmable) would choose the settings I would choose if it had manual override 99% of the time. For the other 1% I've learnt how to trick it into doing what I want.

My pics were through the 30-300 zoom, experimenting with it - the wasps using its marvelous macro, though because they had to be reduced and transfigured, they're not exactly as taken. I was trying to stick to an imaginary brief that they should be as seen, but I went back in time and discovered Weltanschaaung had submitted some manipulations, so it shouldn't matter* - but I'll post some experiments on the digi thread later


*I also noticed that Emil's been going on about learning to use the manual settings for at least the last six months!

----------


## Emil Miller

> *I also noticed that Emil's been going on about learning to use the manual settings for at least the last six months!


 :FRlol:  I bought the camera and took some trial shots before getting involved in other things, so it's only recently that I've thought to take it up again.
Interestingly, there isn't much by way of explanation in the manual.

----------


## MystyrMystyry

That's probably because they don't expect you to seriously want to use them - these modern 'computers with lenses' are the pinnacle in developments ever since the first autofocus attachment was built into a Leica slr (Konica produced a pocket camera in the seventies with AF and that spawned the whole 'camera with a bit more' race - I think it was Canon's shutter/aperture priority that then led to the 'AE Program' SLR, and computer photography had arrived and was here to stay!

(I haven't googled this, just using fallible memory - so I could be slightly wrong)
 
But if you think about it the history of the camera is one of certain 'desirable' standards like 24/28mm wide-angle, f22, built-in flash, Leica, Contax, and Nikkor lenses, rule of thirds (some had markings in the viewfinder to ensure you got them right), etc etc

The Canon s95 and G series are manual/program and to get the right results you really have to be prepared to use the manual controls because, considering their potential, the program modes are shoddily implemented

That's why I got this beast:



Anyway - happy clicking!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

.

Nice and compact as compared to either of my Pentax SLR's (film & digital)
Here are a couple of pictures of our cat, Lily. Taken with the K-7 and an old (late 70's to early 80's) Albinar 28 mm Macro lens. Manual settings of course, due to the lens:








.

----------


## Emil Miller

> That's probably because they don't expect you to seriously want to use them - these modern 'computers with lenses' are the pinnacle in developments ever since the first autofocus attachment was built into a Leica slr (Konica produced a pocket camera in the seventies with AF and that spawned the whole 'camera with a bit more' race - I think it was Canon's shutter/aperture priority that then led to the 'AE Program' SLR, and computer photography had arrived and was here to stay!
> 
> (I haven't googled this, just using fallible memory - so I could be slightly wrong)
> 
> But if you think about it the history of the camera is one of certain 'desirable' standards like 24/28mm wide-angle, f22, built-in flash, Leica, Contax, and Nikkor lenses, rule of thirds (some had markings in the viewfinder to ensure you got them right), etc etc
> 
> The Canon s95 and G series are manual/program and to get the right results you really have to be prepared to use the manual controls because, considering their potential, the program modes are shoddily implemented


I agree but my old Nikon EM 35mm SLR goes back a long way and I did at least get to set the focus, aperture, and speed. Also, the digital camera stops the shutter button from being fully depressed until it has worked out that all conditions are correct. This is disconcerting for someone who is used to simply pressing the button without resistance. 





> .
> 
> Nice and compact as compared to either of my Pentax SLR's (film & digital)
> Here are a couple of pictures of our cat, Lily. Taken with the K-7 and an old (late 70's to early 80's) Albinar 28 mm Macro lens. Manual settings of course, due to the lens:.



Not fair Gilliatte, you know that it's practically impossible not to to take good pictures of cats.  :Biggrin:

----------


## qimissung

Lily doesn't have a bad "side," does she? She and Milly-adorable.

Revolte, Emil, Mystr, your pictures on the previous page are great, too.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...Not fair Gilliatte, you know that it's practically impossible not to to take good pictures of cats.





> Lily doesn't have a bad "side," does she? She and Milly-adorable.


Cats are quite photogenic aren't they? Looks like that is one of Milly's preferred spots. Cats always seem to occupy the most inconvemnient spots...for us.

.

----------


## kittypaws

Emil....you are not alone in shooting your photos on auto and whether you believe it or not they are YOUR photos.




> They're not really my photos, as such, because the camera was on auto and I was able to use the tele-photo lens to line up each picture.


I studied photography in school and learned how to set the 'f' stops and all that yahoo and to be honest some of my best photos were shot that way...but now a days...it is made so easy.

I agree with Gilliatt...



> I believe a great photo is much more (maybe 70%) about the composition and being cognizant of and capturing, those short lived anomolies


shoot on!

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Psychedelic Birds









This is what they look like when there's too many of them on the same tree (watch to the end for some real action):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3GrN8bOHVo

And this is what they look like having breakfast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7c3RWHECXQ

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Wow, they are nice birds but they don't half make a row.

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## Snowqueen

Here are two little chicks. My cousin bought these few weeks ago.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Psychedelic Birds...
> 
> ....This is what they look like when there's too many of them on the same tree (watch to the end for some real action):
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3GrN8bOHVo
> 
> And this is what they look like having breakfast:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7c3RWHECXQ


Beautiful birds. I ventured into some of your other videos. "Bryce rendering entertainment"?...I'm really beginning to worry about you.




> Here are two little chicks. My cousin bought these few weeks ago....


Nice to see you back posting photos. 

.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Nice to see you back posting photos.


Thank you Gilliatt, and I loved your cute cat.

----------


## kittypaws

The closer I got the faster they moved!



**Snowqueen** the chics are sooooo adorable!




> *Gilliatt Gurgle* 
> Beautiful birds. I ventured into some of your other videos. "Bryce rendering entertainment"?...I'm really beginning to worry about you.


*MystyrMystyry* like the Psychedelic Birds! I too stole some peaks at your videos.....enjoyed your sense of humor!

kittypaws

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## qimissung

Loved ALL the birds, Mystyr, Snowqueen and kittypaws!

MystyMystyry, where did you film these birds? Do they live in a tree near your house or in a park nearby?

Snowqueen, the chicks are darling. What kind of birds are they?

Kittypaws, I can just picture you circling and trying to get a good picture and the geese outwitting you at every turn. Geese are like that, yeah, they are.  :Smile:

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## MystyrMystyry

They're usually quite rare, qimi. I'd been trying to get a good photograph of one or two in the backyard and various parks for months, but they kept being chased off by magpies and such

That day I came home and there they were feasting and fighting in the tree - that film is a one in a hundred year freak - an extremely lucky day and good timing. I posted as soon as the video was up because everyone just HAD to see it (the good news is the original's half an hour long in full HD - I just couldn't spare the bandwidth to put it all up [lousy contract])


Thanks Neely - the noisiest and squawkiest when they're in a group like that - but you should have heard them in reality: it actually hurt! (the original footage has them in cd quality, slowed down they sound like a bunch of drunk bikies). The thing is usually they're like love birds - no-one I know who's lived here their whole lives has ever seen them congregate and fight nor remotely behave like that


Thanks Gilliatt - I took about 500 photos (making up for all the missed opportunities, while also having to stand guard in case they paintballed the camera lens - ah the hazards!)

As for the Bryce thing - that head bears a remarkable resemblance to my landlord's (I'd post a comparison but I don't want to risk breaking the camera glass) and it feels just so good to squish - in fact I'm doing it now, and I'll do it tomorrow too


Nice Snowqueen - what sort of chicks are they?


Thanks Kitty - have you tried upping the ISO? At 200-400 the photos should come out crystal clear


Happy clicking!


Edit: They're back! The Psychedelic Birds have returned for another shoot!

----------


## faithosaurus

On my way to my car from work.

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## DocHeart

Taken on Saturday. First beach excursion of the year. Currently nursing sun-burned shoulders with hydrating cream (yoghurt is better, but I prefer eating it).

----------


## MystyrMystyry

> On my way to my car from work.


That's really nice faithosaurus. I like the dramatic sunset and divisional contrast between Earth and Sky - good composition

Would you mind if I tried something with the colour saturation? It's a new technique I've been working on? (if You don't like it I can easily take it down)

----------


## kittypaws

Mystry




> Would you mind if I tried something with the colour saturation? It's a new technique I've been working on?


nice touch. It brings more *life* into the photo.

kittypaws

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## kittypaws

I played around with color in this photo of mine.




Here is the original shot. It is interesting how the naked eye can not see the light absorption and how uneven it really is. 



Funny...just made me think of your Psychedelic Birds!

 :Smile:

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## qimissung

Interesting, Mystyry, and Kitty. You took perfectly nice pictures and upped the ante, so to speak.

----------


## DocHeart

My balcony affords a fine view to the clutter of my beloved city. 

Still, in the first one the moon promises a bright night. And in the second (a little bit later and a looking further south) beams projected by the Athenean "indignados" dance about the dark blue July sky.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

DocHeart,

Thanks for sharing a part of your world. The moon over Athens! 
By the way the moon will be full on the 15th. According the the Old Farmer's Almanac it is known as the "Strawberry moon".

.

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## kittypaws

Why is it called a Strawberry moon?

I would reckon it would be red?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Why is it called a Strawberry moon?
> 
> I would reckon it would be red?


"Strawberry" apparently comes from the Algonquain. Each full moon is known by many names by various cultures or regions of the world.

Here is a Wiki link that mioght help. You might also consider checking the Old Farmers Almanac.
Scroll down toward the bottom to see the full moon names.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon


Here is my attempt at photographing the moon last night.
Taken with a 200mm lens with the moon low on the horizon which creates the grainy appearence due to the layer of atmospheric "funk".




.

----------


## kittypaws

Gilliatt ~ what a great shot! I was hopeful to grab a few shots but we had cloud cover.

 :Sad:

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thanks.
That's too bad about the clouds, but there's always next month or the next....
The one I look forward to the most, is the full Harvest moon.

.

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## Greta Kin

The sun was relentless on the mountaintop:

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Nice Kitty

Beach feet is a great idea Doc - and all three pictures are making me homesick for Greece!

I had a lot of trouble with the Moon and clouds that night too Gilliatt - glad you got in before me - good shot (can you tell I'm jealous?)

I like the mountain Greta - it looks really high - the sunlight adds a lot to it, like you're above the clouds (are you?)


Because it's miserable weather here I could take a photo with flat lighting right inside the orange tree



This customer I found in raw concrete form and painted him

----------


## Greta Kin

> I like the mountain Greta - it looks really high - the sunlight adds a lot to it, like you're above the clouds (are you?)


It was really high. The view from the edge, especially, was fantastic. I don't think it was above the clouds, but I was.

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

> The sun was relentless on the mountaintop


Nice to see some new posters here. Wonderful view of the mountains




> Because it's miserable weather here I could take a photo with flat lighting right inside the orange tree...
> 
> ...This customer I found in raw concrete form and painted him


Very nice, especially the orange tree with the clarity maintained through full depth of field range.

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## kittypaws

Greta, 
I found your composition excellent.....whether by accident or not (which often makes for the best shots!) Everyone was just in the right spot.

What mountain were you atop of?
 
Mystry.....your oranges made me thirst....but your painted concrete form and the light you shot it in is awesome! Very creative.

kittypaws

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## MystyrMystyry

Well said Greta!

Thanks Gilliatt - I wasn't sure whether to hold an orange in front of the fuzzy foreground leaf, because it was just as fuzzy but more obvious (I was already holding branches out of the way with both legs and free arm, elbow and neck)

Thanks Kitty - it took a while to get that lighting, but two afternoons to paint all the scales  :Smile:

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## kittypaws

*Both of my orchids are blooming!*

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## MystyrMystyry

Good one Kitty!

A walk in the park

----------


## kittypaws

Mystry ~ luv the sun light's glow and the ones with a reflection...you caught it just right! Are those birch trees? 

Ahhhh... Z-dog and i would be in heaven if there. Him making a mess of things and me straighten it all back up!

kittypaws

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## Janine

Mystry, Interesting photos and effects. Love that first one best...looks like a fine arts painting - simply beautiful!

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## MystyrMystyry

Thanks Kitty - not birch trees, but fast growing gums. The island was built there and made difficult to reach to encourage wildfowl breeding (in fact the lake was built too - apparently ten years ago it was a vast dusty eyesore when someone with vision decided it could be made into a pleasant nature walk - pretty cool what humans can achieve when they bother, huh?). And breed! There's geese, there's strange preternaturally blue birds like little storks with bright red beaks and legs, there's seagulls, there's ducks, there's pelicans, there's magpies and all sorts, and they get along without a hint of racial tension (apart from the ducks of course, who are all completely daffy)

In the trees there's possums and koalas and things with really big eyes I've only ever seen at night - but they definitely aren't possums...



Thanks Janine. Yes, it does have that effect doesn't it? There's so many scenic shots in there like that (I've got thousands and they're all different).

----------


## kittypaws

Too cool, Mystyr!

Do you have any photos of the blue birds? I would like to see those!

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Sure thing Kitty

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Got this specimen on the windowsill





Danaus plexippus

----------


## YesNo

I like the brightness of the colors in your photos, MystyrMystyry.

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## kittypaws

Great shots! And you didn't even have to travel far from home!

kittypaws

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## MystyrMystyry

Thanks YesNo - I love colour! I find that if the lake's too brown, or the trees and sky are too grey, I'll just avoid taking the shot (missed a lot of otherwise good photos as a consequence though...)


Thankyou Kitty - yeah, some mornings you get lucky, and sometimes you just have to climb a tree or work your way through barbed wire with bulletholes in a No Trespassing sign - but only if it's worth the risk.

There's quite a few interesting insects around here that aren't butterflies actually. Stay tuned!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Bird





> Got this specimen on the windowsill


Very nice. Brilliant color. It appears you were able to get fairly close to the bird without spooking it.

Continuing the critter theme. (Come to think of it, I think I posted these in the past)
Oh well...

Monarch Butterfly taken while working in Illinois. I was hoping to get a shot with the wings open, but it wouldn't oblige me. The flower is a "Swamp Milkweed"



Garden spider at our home:



.

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Monarchs Gilliatt - they're everywhere except in my lens! That's what I've been hoping for: to capture one on green background (I suppose I could always fire up my Dreamworks again  :Wink:  ). Is that macro or tele?

Great bokeh! I'll guess it's your 1.8 50 mm pancake what did that - close?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Both shots were taken with the new auto lens I purchased with the K-7 body. The lens is Pentax-DA*, 1:2.8, 16-50mm zoom.

This morning I discovered another critter known as a Click Beetle. The name is derived from the clicking sound they make when they snap their head when disturbed or if they happen to find themselves on their back. The force of the snap is such that it can launch the beetle upwards roughly 8 to 10 cm.
Lens: Circa 1970's Albinar 1:2.8 Macro 28mm

On my copy of Peterson Field Guide to Insects:





Close up of head. Note the deceptive false eyes.




BTW, what you don't see are the mandibles capable of inflicting severe pain. 
I brushed a small stick against the mandibles and it instantly latched on, holding it under its own strength. 


Imagine what Ray Harryhausen could have done with one of these!


.

.

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## Niamh

I wish i had your camera Gill! They are amazing shots!

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ....


Hey hey, long time no speak. Nice to see you back.
Thanks for taking a look and please come back with some photos.

.

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## kittypaws

Following the trail of insects...this is not the best picture, but I did take it! And you have to admit it is one in a million shots!






kittypaws

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## Niamh

> Hey hey, long time no speak. Nice to see you back.
> Thanks for taking a look and please come back with some photos.
> 
> .


The real world did a serious catch up with me. Dont like being caught up by reality! lol! But i'm back... hopefully.  :Smile: 
I will see what I can rustle up! Was in Piza there recently, but my photos were taken in my Blackberry...

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Following the trail of insects...this is not the best picture, but I did take it! And you have to admit it is one in a million shots!...


Ha yes, sometimes nature doesn't give us much time. 
I'm also interested in the cone they are perched on. I'm assuming that is some type of conifer tree or perhaps a thistle?


.

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## tonywalt

Trying to post a photo, and having trouble.

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## tonywalt

OK, silly question how to I cut and paste or import the photo onto here?

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## kittypaws

Mr. Gilliatt ~ I think you might call it a thistle...it is a perennial plant know as an Echinacea. I grow the pink Cone Flower nestled along with Black-Eyed Susans in my wildflower beds. If I do not dead head them for seeds the stems will remain erect well into the winter and then the goldfinches will feed on the seeds. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that! But here is one from my garden a few days ago.

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## MystyrMystyry

Close crop on that beast's head Gilliat


Interesting selection Kitty - the grasshoppers especially  :Smile: 


My insects have unfortunately appeared to have abandon me so here's a picture of 60 lumens floating on my pond at night (why 60? because I bought two packets)



And here's a pirate's treasure chest I found in a cave

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## Emil Miller

> OK, silly question how to I cut and paste or import the photo onto here?


It's not a silly question, because everybody has to find out how to do it.

You cannot cut and paste photos directly but have to use an intermediary called a media hosting company to do it for you. I use Imageshack and the first thing is to google them and go through the boring signing in process. That done, you can call them up and click on Media Upload. This puts up a page with a 'Browse' tag or button. When you click on Browse, it will take you to the file (s) where you have uploaded your photos (usually PICTURES). Click on the one you want to post and click on the box marked Open. This takes you back to the page with the Browse button already mentioned where you will now see the name of your picture listed under the box marked File name. Click on the Blue Box marked Upload now and your picture will upload to the top left hand corner of the page.
Now move across the page and click on to My Images ( you might be asked to confirm your Email address and password) then you will see the image in thumbnail size with a series of buttons running down the right hand side of the image. Click on the top button marked 'i' and a display box will show the image. Go to the Right hand side of this box where you will see at the top two options. An [IMG] and a [URL] option. At this point, you can copy and paste the picture to the LitNet page where you want it to be shown by copying the [IMG] option. All of your pictures will be stored in My Images on Imageshack.

A word of advice: when copying the [IMG] option it is better to do so from the bottom up, otherwise you will have difficulty avoiding the [URL] option immediately below.

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

> OK, silly question how to I cut and paste or import the photo onto here?


Well...?
Have you had a chance to apply Emil's suggested method?
Look forward to seeing your photos.




> ...I grow the pink Cone Flower nestled along with Black-Eyed Susans in my wildflower beds. If I do not dead head them for seeds the stems will remain erect well into the winter and then the goldfinches will feed on the seeds. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that! But here is one from my garden a few days ago...


Impressive. I'm envious of of your wildflower garden the interest in attracting birds such as Goldfinches. Do you see other variaties of birds? I would imagine that Chicadees and Purple/ Red finches would be interetsed as well.
I recognize that flower. I've known it as a Purple Cone flower. We passed by a large meadow of Cone flowers blooming during a hike several years ago at the LBJ National Grasslands.





> My insects have unfortunately appeared to have abandon me so here's a picture of 60 lumens floating on my pond at night (why 60? because I bought two packets)
> 
> And here's a pirate's treasure chest I found in a cave


Quite creative. How about some details behind the shots?

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## MystyrMystyry

Fair enough Gilliatt

Well it's the rainy season where I'm living, and I've been looking to take pictures in my nice warm cozy little studio without having to brave the harsher elements - thusly a set up shot of a money box with coins on velvet.

The first one is of two packets of squat candles from a dollar shop at 2 bucks apiece per thirty - so I bought two packets and lit 'em, partly to test my camera's low light abilities, but also to see if I could do something entrancing with so many candles at my disposal.

Today I took some photos of ducks in the rain:

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## Snowqueen

Great pictures everyone! 

Here are the photos of my little cousin( my uncle's daughter). She is a doll and I often take her pictures whenever I get the chance.

----------


## Themis

@Snowqueen: My, she's so very cute!

I suppose people know by now how much I _love_ the woods.

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## Snowqueen

Thanks *Themis*! 
I like your pictures, and woods are wonderful.

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## kittypaws

_Here is a picture of my dog Zeus in the woods. We do a lot of hiking together._

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...





> ...





> ...





> ...


Wow, I have some catching up to do. 
All looking great. 

Snowqueen - Is she the one with the tear in the eye you posted a while back? She's adorable.

Themis - I can imagine any number of places to pitch a tent.


.

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## kittypaws

*Haha Gilliatt....been goofing off?*

*Zeus found these on one of our hikes.*

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## Snowqueen

> Snowqueen - Is she the one with the tear in the eye you posted a while back? She's adorable.


You are absolutely right Gilliat, and you have a good memory too. 

Great pictures *kittypaws*! Thanks for sharing.

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## Emil Miller

Here are a few pictures of roses taken in the garden this year.



[IMG]http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7318/dsc0726m.jpg[/IMG

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## qimissung

Great pics everybody! Love the grasshoppers, Mystyry- I love the ones you took of the lake and the island. If I feel the creative urge someday, could I have permission to paint it?

Snowqueen, your little cousin is beautiful. Gilliat, love the butterflys, and kittypaws, Zeus is magnificent. 

Your woods are beautiful, Themis. What a peaceful place to spend an afternoon.

Emil, I love your flowers, especially the pink roses. So much more attractive than some of the pictures I've seen you post elsewhere.  :Biggrin:  I saw the directions you thoughtfully posted. Maybe I'll try to post something soon, although they look rather complicated. So many steps, a-r-r-r-g-h.

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## farnoosh

Those photos are magnificent guys!!! 

Some of mine,taken in the late april in Shiraz:
( they are different locations)

----------


## Emil Miller

> Emil, I love your flowers, especially the pink roses. So much more attractive than some of the pictures I've seen you post elsewhere.  I saw the directions you thoughtfully posted. Maybe I'll try to post something soon, although they look rather complicated. So many steps, a-r-r-r-g-h.


Glad you like them. I know transferring photos seems difficult but if you work your way through it systematically you will find that after a few times it will be quite automatic. If you are in any doubt about it you could send me a PM and I will try to sort it out. I used to use photobucket but it's overloaded with all kinds of subsidiary functions and Imageshack, despite the corny name, is much more straightforward.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Snowqueen, your little cousin is beautiful.


Thanks for the comments Qimi!

Nice pictures *farnoosh*. Shiraz seems to be a beautiful city. Is it a shrine in the last photo?

----------


## Idril

I just got a new camera in preparation for my vacation to exotic Minneapolis, MN next week.  :Wink: 

I tried to get a picture of my dog, Dobby but he was being very uncooperative, this was the best I was able to manage.



Speaking of dogs, we lost out beloved beagle, Smeagol, last summer. We planted an apple tree on his grave in the backyard and this is the first apple from that tree.



Some cool plant thing in the backyard.



And a close up of said cool plant...actually not the exact same plant, same type, different actual plant.  :Tongue:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Here are a few pictures of roses taken in the garden this year.


Nice Emil. You have a green thumb!




> Those photos are magnificent guys!!! 
> 
> Some of mine,taken in the late april in Shiraz:
> ( they are different locations)


I feel like an idiot since I'm drawing a blank on Shiraz. I've heard of it, but can't place it.
Nice pics anyhow.




> I just got a new camera in preparation for my vacation to exotic Minneapolis, MN next week.
> 
> Some cool plant thing in the backyard.
> 
> And a close up of said cool plant...actually not the exact same plant, same type, different actual plant.


I agree; that is unusual. Any clue as to what it is?


.

----------


## Idril

> I agree; that is unusual. Any clue as to what it is?


Nothing more than a guess. That area of the yard is kind of wild so it's a naturally occurring plant, a weed if you will, nothing that was planted. I think it has a distinctive thistle look, not exactly like the thistles I am familiar with but close. The flower is similar but I've never seen them grow in a bush like that, the ones I've seen have stalk-like stems.

----------


## Idril

It's a weed called Common Burdock or Burweed, I asked my mom.  :Biggrin:

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## MystyrMystyry

Astounding efforts everyone *Clap! Clap! Clap!*

Yes you may qimi and Kitty  :Smile: 

These are some red apples under blue light - very difficult to capture the redness, like cocacola red (the actual liquid) under the sun.



And this is a shot over the roofs

----------


## farnoosh

SnowQueen,sorry for not answering sooner,got held up so i couldn't come to the net for a few days.The answer to your q would be no the last pic is not a shrine,it's actually a local bath (think that's how the translation goes) it was build i think over 600 years ago(if i'm correct) it's called Hammam-Vakil and i found this site if you wan't to learn more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiraz#Main_sights,i have more photos of that place if you're interested.And yes Shiraz is a beautifull place to visit especially in the late september.and by the way the city is very famous for it's wines :Biggrin:

----------


## Basil

I'm in Minneapolis, and I thought I would share some pictures of my stay in this lovely city.  :Smile: 

This is the panther located in the hotel lobby. He is our protector.



Here in the Sculpture Garden right by downtown there is, inexplicably, a giant spoon with a cherry perched on top.



Last night, we saw the rockin' Canadian band Mother Mother at the Fine Line Café. They put on an _incredible_ show.



And last but not least, here is an image of the ghostly, disembodied forms of me and my girlfriend. Her name is Idril.  :Smile:

----------


## Idril

And I'll add a few of my own.  :Wink: 

Sunflowers by the side of road on the way to the Sculpture Garden.



My personal favorite sculpture, I think I've posted a picture of this before but it's so awesome it bears a second posting.



And Basil's picture taken by the 6 year old son of my friend at the Walker Art Museum.

----------


## Riesa

:Banana:  yay Idril and Basil! great pictures! you guys are almost, but not quite, as darling as my dog Bula:  :Wink5:

----------


## Snowqueen

> SnowQueen,sorry for not answering sooner,got held up so i couldn't come to the net for a few days.The answer to your q would be no the last pic is not a shrine,it's actually a local bath (think that's how the translation goes) it was build i think over 600 years ago(if i'm correct) it's called Hammam-Vakil and i found this site if you wan't to learn more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiraz#Main_sights,i have more photos of that place if you're interested.And yes Shiraz is a beautifull place to visit especially in the late september.and by the way the city is very famous for it's wines


Thanks farnoosh! These are interesting detalis. My sister visited Isfahan once and she had a very good time there, she often says _Isfahan nisf Jahan_. I hope I have spelled it right.  :Smile: 


Yes great pictures Basil and Idril, and Bula is very cute indeed.  :FRlol:

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## kittypaws

*Riesa ~ what an adorable puppy!*
*Idril ~ luv the sunflowers! They are so cheerful.
*
This is a lily that has a stalk that shoots up within about 3/4 days and then each stalk has between 4 to 6 flowers. It is called the Surprise Lily, Magic Lily or Naked Lady and belongs to the amaryllis family. the foliage comes up in later winter without any flowers then dies away with the beginning of Spring. Come August they are a welcomed site! BTW they are native to southern Japan.

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## kittypaws

this is my favorite picture...well at least right now....

----------


## farnoosh

Isfahan is where I live,SnowQueen!!! yeah,your sister is right it is a great city.You spelled it right of course,but do you know what it means? They say Isfahan nisfe jahan=Isfahan is half of the world. They say it because it has so many beautifull places and so much art that they it's equal to the beauty of half the world! :Biggrin:

----------


## DocHeart

Sunset seen from Oia, Santorini. 

A truly inspirational place in every way, Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cyclades. It's a mere 6-hour ferry ride from Piraeus, so I can't but chastise myself that I've lived most of my life in Athens and never visited before. Regardless, I was there last week and felt deeply touched by the landscape (the island is what remains of a volcanic eruption that may have wiped out the entire Minoan civilization), the architecture and the history of the place. 

The pictured village of Oia has a permanent population of only 800, but I counted about 25 art galleries, the vast majority of them run by local painters and sculptors. When I first did the math it seemed absurd that this tiny earthquake offspring should produce so much art. But then I looked at this view again and thought to myself, how could anybody not be inspired here?

There is peace. It is an almost holy peace, respected by locals and visitors alike. The only loud sounds you hear are the laughter of excited children and church bells (with an active volcano a mile away, you have to be religious). The sand on the beaches is black, making your feet look as though you're wearing military boots, and if you want to swim in the splendidly crystaline sea, you will have to walk on sharp rocks first. But feet and everything else seem to hurt less on Santorini. Every time you open the eyes of your mind, life and love and time and everything are seen from a different perspective, one the wise visitor will take appropriate measures so that it is remembered for a long time.

Food: fresh fish and local vegetables. The volcanic activity has made the small expanses of arable land quite kinky -- seedless cherry tomatoes that taste as if you've covered them with sugar, intensely spicy chives the size of a walnut, fava legumes which become outrageously creamy when boiled and mashed.

Only a few decades ago moving about in Santorini meant you had to ride a donkey, so they've chosen it as its trademark souvenir stuffed toy. In true artist fashion, Santorinians don't take themselves too seriously.

Go there with a loved one. Make it a present.

Best,
DH

----------


## kittypaws

Doc Heart ~ the photo captures all you described...and you described it very well, enuf to make me start to pack my bags and book a holiday.

kittypaws

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

Doc Heart works for the Santorini Chamber of Commerce. ha
Very nice photo and write up!

.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> this is my favorite picture...well at least right now....


Wow, almost let that one slip by me.
Tell us about the cat and the flowers of course.

.

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## kittypaws

Gilliatt ~ you are too kind.  :Smile:  Thank you.

this was a once in a moment shot. The cat is Scooter, who always wants to be a part of what I am doing. The plant is an orchid, which kind I do not know....but it has been in bloom for over a month. I wanted to take a picture of it with the sunrise behind it and Scooter jumped up onto the sill....and there you have it. Nothing has been altered ... IMO the perfect shot!

kittypaws

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## Snowqueen

Wow.... great pictures kittypaws! You inspired me to take some close up shots, and here they are.

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## Olga4real

Kittypaws what an amazing matching a cat and orchids! 
Riesa your doggy is lovable, eventhough I am a cat lover I must admit that I love your dog!
Snowqueen your roses so beautiful just like all pictures posted by you previously.
I would like to share some pictures I took on Wednesday on the beach of lake Balaton.

----------


## Snowqueen

Your pictures are wonderful Olga, It seems you had a great time.

----------


## Olga4real

> Your pictures are wonderful Olga, It seems you had a great time.


Yes Snowqueen, I did. I love Balaton, here are some more pictures I took during my short holiday, nice sunset on the lake.

----------


## keilj

from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Sorry I couldn't upload a higher quality picture



ggd.jpg

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...I would like to share some pictures I took on Wednesday on the beach of lake Balaton.



Looks like a swell time on the lake. The weather appears to have cooperated.
Just curious; can yoiu idnentify the church on the hill? Any hisroric significance?




> from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Sorry I couldn't upload a higher quality pictureggd.jpg



Looks nice to me.
Wish I was there.

A few shots of tree bark, a section from a decaying branch and Cedar with berries:




Looking inside the bark with leaves caught in spider web:











.

----------


## Paulclem

Great pictures Gilliatt, Olga, Snowqueen and Kelji. It's always a pleasure to pop in here. 

Olga - I've been to Lake Balaton. It's a great place. We camped on one side and stayed in a hotel on the other. It's a place we would have liked to take the children when they were little - although we were unable.

----------


## Olga4real

> from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Sorry I couldn't upload a higher quality picture


What a beautiful view! It's amazing!





> Looks like a swell time on the lake. The weather appears to have cooperated.
> Just curious; can yoiu idnentify the church on the hill? Any hisroric significance?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks nice to me.
> Wish I was there.


Gilliatt, it is Tihany peninsula on the lake Balaton. The building is Benedictine abbey founded in 1055 by king Andrew Ist. His wife Anastasia of Kiev (1023  1074/1096), daughter of Grand Duke Yaroslav I of Kiev and his wife, Ingigerd of Sweden. Andrew (András) strengthened the position of Christianity in his kingdom. 
The words Balaton and Tihany both come from Slavic languages. (Tihany - silence, Balaton - bog). In the end of 5th century the area was inhabited by Slavic tribes.
I don't want to bore you with all this information.





> A few shots of tree bark, a section from a decaying branch and Cedar with berries:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking inside the bark with leaves caught in spider web:


Gilliatt, are you going to carve Pinocchio?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Gilliatt, it is Tihany peninsula on the lake Balaton. The building is Benedictine abbey founded in 1055 by king Andrew Ist. His wife Anastasia of Kiev (1023  1074/1096), daughter of Grand Duke Yaroslav I of Kiev and his wife, Ingigerd of Sweden. Andrew (András) strengthened the position of Christianity in his kingdom. 
> The words Balaton and Tihany both come from Slavic languages. (Tihany - silence, Balaton - bog). In the end of 5th century the area was inhabited by Slavic tribes.
> I don't want to bore you with all this information.
> 
> Gilliatt, are you going to carve Pinocchio?


Not boring at all, that's what I was fishing for. Thanks
No, not carving. The bark shell was an unusual find since it wasn't split and yet separated from the tree or branch.

Here are a few shots of a storm cloud that developed a couple of days ago:

----------


## papayahed

My Cotton Crop:

----------


## Snowqueen

> 


It seems the coulds are on fire, truly amazing pictures Gilliatt. Thanks for sharing. 




> Great pictures Gilliatt, Olga, Snowqueen and Kelji. It's always a pleasure to pop in here.


Thanks Paul!  :Smile:

----------


## MarkBastable

> 



What's that blue and red shrub in the foreground? Or is it two planted together?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> It seems the coulds are on fire, truly amazing pictures Gilliatt. Thanks for sharing. 
> Thanks Paul!


Thank you Snowqueen. I attempted to post the color version of the middle photo, but no luck, some glitch I couldn't figure out. Nevertheless, you get the idea. The storm clouds continued to grow and eventually developed into a major storm that fortunately drifted away from us. The lightning show was amazing to watch throughout the evening.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Thank you Snowqueen. I attempted to post the color version of the middle photo, but no luck, some glitch I couldn't figure out. Nevertheless, you get the idea. The storm clouds continued to grow and eventually developed into a major storm that fortunately drifted away from us. The lightning show was amazing to watch throughout the evening.


It sounds a bit scary too but the view is definitely wonderful. I also liked the other coloured picture, thanks. 

Here are some pictures of Blackbucks taken by my father.

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## Kyriakos

Wonderful pictures, and Hungary is so beautiful, i remember being to Budapest when i was 14. I was impressed by the dark tones and the gothic buildings  :Smile: 

A pic i have taken myself? Just one _of_ myself i'm afraid, but it is one with a very expressionless face  :Smile:

----------


## Olga4real

> Wonderful pictures, and Hungary is so beautiful, i remember being to Budapest when i was 14. I was impressed by the dark tones and the gothic buildings 
> 
> A pic i have taken myself? Just one _of_ myself i'm afraid, but it is one with a very expressionless face


What a great idea to post your self-portrait! 
I might post mine too :-)

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> It sounds a bit scary too but the view is definitely wonderful. I also liked the other coloured picture, thanks. 
> 
> Here are some pictures of Blackbucks taken by my father.


Fascinating animals, particularly the "cork screw" horns. I take it that they are indigenous to your country or region? The second photo, quoted above, is quite unusual how the depth of field is perceived as if it has been compressed as shown by the scale of the trees compared to the animals. Probably just the Canadian Club playing tricks with my mind.
Thanks for sharing

.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Fascinating animals, particularly the "cork screw" horns. I take it that they are indigenous to your country or region? The second photo, quoted above, is quite unusual how the depth of field is perceived as if it has been compressed as shown by the scale of the trees compared to the animals. Probably just the Canadian Club playing tricks with my mind.
> Thanks for sharing
> 
> .


Yes the blackbucks are native to subcontinent. My father recently visited Lal Suhanra National Park and found a large population of these beautiful animals.

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## Olga4real

It's me again... I would like to share some pictures taken this week, I hope you like them.

New bridge in Szolnok:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Wonderful Olga, especially the last one.
I suppose the photos of the water were taken from the bridge?
Nice.

I attended a wedding in Ft. Worth recently. I left early so I could swing by Tadao Ando's Modern Art Museum.
Here are a few shots from the museum visit:

"Ladder for Booker T. Washington" - Martin Puryear-








"Vortex" by Richard Serra -

----------


## Snowqueen

*Olga* and *Gilliatt* your pictures are great as always.

''Ladder for Booker T. Washington" is very unique and it seems taller than it really is.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ''Ladder for Booker T. Washington" is very unique and it seems taller than it really is.


Thanks Snowqueen.
The ladder gently tapers as it rises creating the illusion that it is taller than it really is. Infinite in length.

I just realized I forgot to tag the building photo. The reflecting pool and the building elements to the left of the photo are part Tadao Ando's (architect) Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadao_Ando


Here is a photo (not mine) showing the overall view of the Vortex sculpture with the Modern Art Museum in the background: 



The sculpture is constructed of thick weathering steel commonly referred to as "Cor-ten". After the initial layer of rust develops, the corrosion stabilizes therefore eliiminating continued corrsion and unsightly rust stains on adjacent surfaces.


.

----------


## Madhuri

It was Diwali today (Festival of lights) and I took some pictures:

----------


## Themis

Very nice pictures, Madhuri!

----------


## expressionism



----------


## Abookinthebath

Little or no artistic merit in this pic, but look what happens when you hit someone at 60 MPH!



Ouch!

----------


## Themis

@Expressionism: Beautiful pictures. Where were they taken?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> It was Diwali today (Festival of lights) and I took some pictures:


My wife mentioned they had celebrated Diwali at the office. I wasn't familiar with it until then. Your photos have a relaxing aura about them.




> a day of wondering the woods


Looks like you're a new member...welcome.
Thanks for the fall colors. We had such a dry, hot summer, I doubt we will get much color this year.




> Little or no artistic merit in this pic, but look what happens when you hit someone at 60 MPH!
> 
> Ouch!


Hope you walked away unscathed.


.

----------


## expressionism

i live in germany's southeast, in an area called the Ore Mountains. thats where the pictures were taken.

----------


## Sancho

Nice pix expressionism, and everybody else too.

Last month I was running on a forest service road behind Mount Scott in southern Oklahoma when I met this lil feller:



He said he wasnt going to step aside for anybody, especially some dude in gym shorts with a cell phone, so I sneaked off to the side, got behind a rock, and let him saunter on by.

----------


## JuniperWoolf

Woah! I've never seen a buffalo in real life, they're my favorite ungulate.

----------


## Sancho

Now see, thats one of the things I like about this website: _Ungulate_ is a word Idve probably lived my whole life and never known had it not been for Juniper floating it out here with such understated glory. 

And that buffalo was a glorious creature. When I came around the bend and saw him standing there, I quickly grabbed the cellphone out of my Camelbak so that I could snap his picture before he spooked. But I dont think that animal was spookable; he simply lowered his head and began shaking it from side to side, pawed at the earth a few times, snorted, and then came towards me, slowly and purposefully. I, meanwhile, reversed course. 

Speaking of ungulates, a little farther down the trail I saw this magnificent artiodactyl. He didn't like me either.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...Last month I was running on a forest service road behind Mount Scott in southern Oklahoma when I met this lil feller:...
> 
> ...He said he wasnt going to step aside for anybody, especially some dude in gym shorts with a cell phone, so I sneaked off to the side, got behind a rock, and let him saunter on by...


haha.
I know that place, been there three times.
During one hike, a few bison crossed in front of us.
The Prarie Dog village is amusing too.

Thanks for posting.

.

----------


## Sancho

How-d-do, Gill?

Yep, I was in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful little swath of land in south-central Oklahoma, a place too rocky to drag a plow through, which explains why it became a wildlife refuge and not a farm. 

http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges...chitamountains

Im not a superstitious person, but it was a magical moment. When I came around the bend and faced _El Cid_ there (the American Buffalo, Bison, Ungulate, Artiodactyl, Tatonka, or better yet  1000 pounds of ornery) _Malagueña_ had just cued up on my iPod. And I knew that that moment would somehow be perfect if I had been carrying a red cape and had a long-stemmed rose clenched between my teeth.

This place is not too far from Quanah Parkers house, and since this is The Literature Network, Ill make a book recommendation: _Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History_, by S.C. Gwynne. I read it last spring and all I have to say is,_ freaking awesome!_

----------


## Scheherazade

> Last month I was running on a forest service road behind Mount Scott in southern Oklahoma when I met this lil feller:


Was that run your fastest time ever?

I truly admire everyone's dedication to photography. I think I am missing the photo-gene. Hardly ever occurs to me to take photos.

----------


## Sancho

> Was that run your fastest time ever?


Well, not exactly. Ive found, with critters, its generally best to hold your ground and try to look as big as possible. Running away usually triggers chase mechanism. Theyre like cops: if you run  they will chase you. Its instinctual. This guy, however, wasnt buying it. He started towards me, building momentum, and in that moment, like a lightning bolt burnt across my brain, I knew exactly what he was thinking: _You suck. Im going to stick you, Spandex-boy._ So I zigged and zagged back up the road, frequently checking six and snapping photos until I found a big-ole, buffalo-proof rock to hide behind.

These are from a different day, but in the same general vicinity. The ladies (as is the case with most species) were much more even tempered than their male counterparts, and they let me get a lot closer. 

 

Should I touch her?



Also I was operating the zoom function on cell-phone camera  from inside my rent-a-car, which had full insurance coverage. I love rent-a-cars. No curb too high.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

A few images from this morning's hike:













.

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## Olga4real

Beautiful colours, Gilliatt!
No wonder that Pushkin loved this season so much!

'A melancholy time! So charming to the eye!
Your beauty in its parting pleases me -
I love the lavish withering of nature...'

----------


## Sancho

Sweet pix, Gill.

You must be in East Texas.

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## papayahed

I grew this from seed:



 :Cheers2: 
 :Hurray:  I've been waiting for forever for this thing to bloom and it bloomed while I was gone.  :Tongue:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Beautiful colours, Gilliatt!
> No wonder that Pushkin loved this season so much!
> 
> 'A melancholy time! So charming to the eye!
> Your beauty in its parting pleases me -
> I love the lavish withering of nature...'


Thanks for taking time to look.




> Sweet pix, Gill.
> 
> You must be in East Texas.


Thanks, but not quite East Texas, I live in what is referred to as North Central Texas. (I'm north of Dallas / Ft. Worth near Denton)
The trail is known as the Pilot Knoll trail that runs along Hickory Creek feeding Lake Lewisville.




> I grew this from seed:
> 
> ...'ve been waiting for forever for this thing to bloom and it bloomed while I was gone.


Congratutaions!, A few hundred more and you can make a tee shirt.

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## Sancho

This was a splendid day last month in the Pacific Northwest.

Towards Mount Eleanor more-or-less from the lower trailhead


Lake Cushman from Mount Eleanor


Mount Washington from Mount Eleanor


Towards Mount Rose from Mount Eleanor (they were sisters, you know)


Yes, well, so anyway, there I wasit was a gorgeous day in October and Im out for a hike in the Olympic National Forest/Park. Theres a sign-in log and map at the lower trailhead  pretty much standard for a Forest Service Trail. Theyll also usually have any pertinent safety information, such as forest fire prevalence, and in this case  wild animal threats. They had a bunch of pictures of mountain goats tacked up at the trailhead with a warning notice that the goats, while normally placid and unaggressive, had lately been attacking hikers, causing much distress and hiker intestinal spillage on the trail  so, be forewarned.

Off I go, and what a great day it was in the Northwest. They dont have too many sun-shiny days like that in the fall up there, so lots of folks were out hiking, and while I like solitude in nature, I also like chatting it up with my fellow hikers  come what may. Mount Eleanor isnt exactly a nature-hike, its relatively steep, but none-the-less its a walk-up. Its only 5 or 6 thousand feet in elevation. So I get to the top and there are already a few people up there and theyre all looking off towards Mount Rose, to the West. 

Im not shy. I said, Whatre yous looking at? 

A guy hands me his binos and says, Look in the clearing down there, a freaking huge grizz snorting around. 

Sure enough. Ive gotta tell ya, I get a jolt of energy whenever I see a wild animal out there, a survivor, a king of his tiny wild-space. What a rush.

So Im pumped, Im floating all the way back down the trail, grinning from ear to ear. Im almost back to my car when I meet a couple of hikers heading up. Shes a nice-looking lady  60ish  and hes clearly her husband. Shes dressed to the nines in her Abercrombie and Finch hiking apparel and Im starting to feel conscientious about my hiking gear: a pair of Army boots (I dont know, they just fit me well), some BDU trousers (woodland camo army pants) that Id cleverly modified into shorts years ago by cutting off the legs just below the cargo pockets with my pocket knife, a T-shirt with a picture of Shemp Howard and the inscription _Legalize Shemp_, a threadbare fleece jacket (also compliments of Uncle Sam), and a boonie hat. 

Im still working on my nature high and I say, What a great day for a hike, eh? 

The woman comes at me with this: Have you been to the top? 

I said, Well, yeah. It aint too bad. Itll take you a couple of hours.

She said, Did you see any mountain goats?

I said, No, I didnt get to see any. I think theres too many people up there. They probably scared em all away.

She said, Well good.

It was then that I realized she probably doesnt travel too far from her Seattle penthouse apartment often.

She said, Well, what should we do if we see one?

I said, I donno, just try to look like a badass, I guess.

Her husband broke in, Sweetheart, I know just what to do.

I said, Yeah, he knows what to do. Dont worry about it. Its a great day. Have fun.

She said, Well, okay, but you swear, you didnt see any mountain goats up there, right?

I said, Right.

And so, we parted ways. I went down the trail, towards my car, and they went up the trail, towards the

And then, over my shoulder, I said, You know what, though? There _is_ a big ole grizzly bear up there. 

I never really knew what was meant by the expression, _eyes bugged out_, until that moment. She said, Whatre we supposed to do when we see the bear?

I said, Ah, you know, sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you.

The husband was bent over, grabbing his knees, squirting tears, and shaking with laughter.

I, meanwhile, headed on down the trail. 

Aint I a stinkah?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> This was a splendid day last month in the Pacific Northwest.
> 
> ...I said, Ah, you know, sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you.
> 
> The husband was bent over, grabbing his knees, squirting tears, and shaking with laughter.
> 
> I, meanwhile, headed on down the trail. 
> 
> Aint I a stinkah?


You seem to cover a lot of ground my friend; Atlanta to WMWR Oklahoma to the Pacific Northwest. 
Magnificent vistas and accopanying story! Thanks for the laugh.

----------


## kittypaws

Sancho ~ great photos! Envy you and being there.

sigh..............

kittypaws

----------


## kittypaws

> A few images from this morning's hike:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*Absolutely gorgeous! Looks very much like my weather here....the last shot of the yellow maple ?? and the crisp blue sky is IT! I also really like the second one....a trail to follow...it makes me think of one of Robert Frost's poems....You have to appreciate Mother Nature....great photos Gillatt

Kudos!

kittypaws*

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## Emil Miller

Here are some pictures taken a few days ago of Autumn in England; including Polesden Lacey, a much visited Regency house in Surrey and its dog cemetery in the grounds.

----------


## Vonny

Oh how pretty all of these are! Now I feel like I'm having autumn. Autumn seemed to completely bypass me, and last night we got a half foot of snow.

I want to be buried in the dog cemetery some day!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Absolutely gorgeous! Looks very much like my weather here....the last shot of the yellow maple ?? and the crisp blue sky is IT! I also really like the second one....a trail to follow...it makes me think of one of Robert Frost's poems....You have to appreciate Mother Nature....great photos Gillatt
> 
> Kudos!
> 
> kittypaws


Thank you Kittypaws,
I'm certain the tree with the yellow leaves is not a Maple, since they are not native to this region of Texas, they have been planted successfully. On the other hand I didn't bother to get close enough to identify it. It is possibly Hickory, Oak or Ash. Most of the trees in the first shot are Cedar Elm and and at least one Cedar/ Juniper. The second includes Cedar Elm, Oak, I see some Cedar/ Juniper mixed in. The close up of the leaves is most definately Oak (Shumard?).

You're right about Frost, all that's lacking is the snow.

Another tree that I pass on this trail is known as "Overcup Oak". You can't miss this tree since the trunk diameter is roughly 36 inches. Anyhow, this type of Oak produces very large acorns:




The cap is like a small espresso cup, hence the name. 




> Here are some pictures taken a few days ago of Autumn in England; including Polesden Lacey, a much visited Regency house in Surrey and its dog cemetery in the grounds.


Magnificent countryside Emil. The long shadows of Auumn are evident not to mention the colors. Looks like a rare(?) sunny day.

.

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## Emil Miller

> Magnificent countryside Emil. The long shadows of Auumn are evident not to mention the colors. Looks like a rare(?) sunny day.
> 
> .


Thanks Gilliatt, Autumn varies quite a lot here as far as the colours go. I don't know what conditions it but a couple of years ago the colours were brilliant to the point of being garish, unfortunately there is quite a small time frame in which to catch them at their best as the weather is variable at this time and a couple of days of rain and strong winds knocks off much of the foliage. This year the weather has been all at sea temperature wise with cold days interspersed with unseasonably warm periods and it has left the wildlife confused. There are still a couple of roses growing in the garden and some perennials that would normally be dormant are beginning to sprout. Of course, when the winter does set in, they will probably be killed off.
The countryside shown is just a short train journey from London and very accessible. I intend doing some winter walking there this year, like I used to do when I was a lot younger, as part of a get fit regime that has been in place for a couple of months now.
Well that's the intention anyway.

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## Sancho

Sweet pix, Emil. You could frame those and hang them up somewhere. I think the difference between you guys pictures and mine can best be described as the difference between a photograph and a snapshot. Mine are always a little out of focus and usually have part of my thumb somewhere down in the corner of the shot.




> You seem to cover a lot of ground my friend; Atlanta to WMWR Oklahoma to the Pacific Northwest. 
> Magnificent vistas and accopanying story! Thanks for the laugh.


And thank you, Gill. (also Kittypaws)

I, more or less, travel for a living. Im happiest when Im on the move, living out of a suitcase, going new places, seeing new things, annoying other peoples. Back home I have responsibilities  Ptooey!  the cars making a funny noise, and so is the furnace, the roof needs fixing, and Im pretty sure the house is sliding off its foundation. 

Anyhow, heres one from last weekend:



Me and La Roja (Missus Sancho) were just up the coast from Monterey, California. Red is behind me, down on the dock, trying to get herself attacked by the sea lions. But I prefer birds. I dont know why. So I was easing my way down the pier with my i-pad, trying to get close to the pelican. Meanwhile he (or she, Im not sure which) keeps sidestepping away from me, down the railing, and giving me the hairy eyeball. Finally, I get too close and the bird blasts off  click.

I had to show Red right away. I said, Hey Hon, Look at this. I got the pelican taking off.

Red said, Yeah, thats a nice picture, Sanch, you really captured well all the bird poop on the pier.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Sweet pix, Emil. You could frame those and hang them up somewhere. I think the difference between you guys’ pictures and mine can best be described as the difference between a photograph and a snapshot. Mine are always a little out of focus and usually have part of my thumb somewhere down in the corner of the shot.
> 
> 
> 
> And thank you, Gill. (also Kittypaws)
> 
> I, more or less, travel for a living. I’m happiest when I’m on the move, living out of a suitcase, going new places, seeing new things, annoying other peoples. Back home I have responsibilities – P’tooey! – the car’s making a funny noise, and so is the furnace, the roof needs fixing, and I’m pretty sure the house is sliding off its foundation. 
> 
> Anyhow, here’s one from last weekend:
> ...


Now that's the kind of picture I'd love to take if only there were some pelicans flying around where I live.

----------


## Snowqueen

Wow! Great pictures everyone thanks for sharing.

Here are few images taken last month when I was in Murree.







Now some pictures from Ayubia National Park. A beautiful place that I visited for the very first time.

----------


## Emil Miller

Well-taken shots that uses the terrain to good advantage. That's a nice picture with the monkeys, we get nothing more exotic than squirrels in England.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Murree looks like a wonderful place to "get away". Some of the photos exhibit a terrain very similar in appearence to that we see in the western Rocky Mountain States.
I had similar thought as Emil regarding the Monkeys. I suppose they are as common place as squirrels or raccoons, opossums as we have here.

.

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## Snowqueen

Thanks Emil and Gilliatt! Murree is a wonderful place to visit. Its a mountainous area forming part of outer Himalayas. Rhesus monkeys, foxes and flying squirrels are common animals of Murree. 

Two more pictures.

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## Emil Miller

> Thanks Emil and Gilliatt! Murree is a wonderful place to visit. Its a mountainous area forming part of outer Himalayas. Rhesus monkeys, foxes and flying squirrels are common animals of Murree.


Nice pictures of our distant (?) cousins. The one with the baby is very touching and also amusing.

----------


## Pensive

Love the photos, *Snowqueen*, especially the last two!  :Smile:

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## Snowqueen

Thank you Emil and Pensive! It's unfortunate Emil I can't see your photostream.

----------


## Basil

Idril *




Basil **





_Photo Credits_
* Basil
** Idril

----------


## Idril

We each claimed our own little bit of the beach. I feel I must point out that my area was bigger.  :Wink:

----------


## Basil

It's true: I am just the master of a piddling little rock, while you are Queen of the Beaver Dam.  :Tongue:

----------


## JuniperWoolf

> 


...Is that house sinking into the earth?

----------


## Emil Miller

> ...Is that house sinking into the earth?


It looks like it but in fact it's set in a hollow where the ground level is at variance with the pathway in the picture and it's also built at an angle to the horizon, which make it difficult to avoid giving a sloping look from a distance. Even a picture taken somewhat closer, gives the same impression but moving to the rear of the house in close-up shows that it is in fact perpendicular.

----------


## kensington

> We each claimed our own little bit of the beach. I feel I must point out that my area was bigger.





> It's true: I am just the master of a piddling little rock, while you are Queen of the Beaver Dam.



Idril, the men here may disagree with me, but let Basil have the whole beach and I promise you won't regret it.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> We each claimed our own little bit of the beach. I feel I must point out that my area was bigger.





> It's true: I am just the master of a piddling little rock, while you are Queen of the Beaver Dam.


Considering the resources available to each of you, I would say Idril has the advantage. Basil has only rocks with which to survive. Idril has wood for fuel, shelter, a defense wall and could be fashioned into crude spears.

.

----------


## Basil

Not to mention the fact that Idril can send out her army of large, semi-aquatic rodent minions to do her bidding.

----------


## Idril

Plus, I know the area like the back of my hand, you are a newcomer. I have the upper hand on many levels.  :Wink:

----------


## kensington

> Not to mention the fact that Idril can send out her army of large, semi-aquatic rodent minions to do her bidding.





> Plus, I know the area like the back of my hand, you are a newcomer. I have the upper hand on many levels.


What I've seen happen (not this relationship, but some I've seen) is that after a couple of years, it's the same, except the wink is gone.





> Not to mention the fact that Idril can send out her army of large, semi-aquatic rodent minions to do her bidding.





> Plus, I know the area like the back of my hand, you are a newcomer. I have the upper hand on many levels.


In some relationships I've seen, it becomes like this. But I know it won't happen to you two.

----------


## Basil

Anything's likely to happen when there's beavers involved.

----------


## Madhuri

Pictures from my recent weekend picnic:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Madhuri,

Thanks for sharing a part of your world. 
Do you fell comfortable sharing some details regarding the photos? - (where, subjects, etc.)

.

----------


## Madhuri

The place is called Devrayandurga. It's about 60 kms from Bangalore and has some temples that are popular with the locals. We visited those temples, and one was on a hill with a very pretty view. The first three, fifth and the sixth pictures were taken from the temple on the hill.

Another view from the hill top:



Then we went to a nearby deer park.

A picture of a deer:



In the park there is this area called Namchilum. Nam - I am not sure if you have seen it, but it's a mark/sandalwood paste/vermillion that many Hindus apply on their forehead and chilum is fountain in Kannada (the local language). It is said that when Lord Rama was in exile he was staying at this place and wanted to apply Nam but as there was no water around he created this fountain using his arrow.

The picture of the fountain and in the picture you'll also see what people think are Lord Rama's footprints:



It doesn't look like a fountain, though.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> The place is called Devrayandurga. It's about 60 kms from Bangalore and has some temples that are popular with the locals. We visited those temples, and one was on a hill with a very pretty view. The first three, fifth and the sixth pictures were taken from the temple on the hill.
> 
> ....
> 
> ....In the park there is this area called Namchilum. Nam - I am not sure if you have seen it, but it's a mark/sandalwood paste/vermillion that many Hindus apply on their forehead and chilum is fountain in Kannada (the local language). It is said that when Lord Rama was in exile he was staying at this place and wanted to apply Nam but as there was no water around he created this fountain using his arrow.
> 
> The picture of the fountain and in the picture you'll also see what people think are Lord Rama's footprints:
> 
> ....
> ...


Thanks for sharing that.
RE: Namchilium; no I haven't seen it. I have not travelled to that part of the world, one day perhaps. Not a fountain in the sense that water is sent airborne under pressure, It appears to be a "spring" created by the piercing of the arrow.

----------


## Madhuri

I was referring to Nam - I am not sure if you have seen the sandalwood paste mark. Even I wasn't aware of this place until I was told that this was our picnic spot.  :Smile:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Ah, I see and you did make the distinction, but here too, I can't say that what I have seen it applied, or if I did, I did not realize the what it was or the purpose. 
We are forever learning.

.

----------


## Madhuri

It is usually applied on the forehead and some other parts of the body. It has religious importance, you will find the priests or Brahmins with this paste applied. The sandalwood paste has a cooling effect, so when a person is praying or meditating or chanting mantras there is some about of energy that body generates, and so that the body does not overheat, people smear this paste. The style of the mark and the type of paste applied varies depending on the community one belongs to.

----------


## Themis

Dartmoor

----------


## JuniperWoolf

It makes me feel even more pale and sickly than I already am to see a place with sunlight.

----------


## Themis

@JuniperWoolf: Maybe this better suits your taste.  :Wink5:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Well... It *is* Christmas after all...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



/Claes

----------


## kensington

Wow, Claes, your pictures are so cool that I can hardly believe they're real. That's your wife, right? She's beautiful, she looks sooo Swedish.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Magnificent Claes!
Creative use of the ornament and cat's eye reflection.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> That's your wife, right? She's beautiful, she looks sooo Swedish.


She is indeed very Swedish, but she is in fact my daughter.  :Angel: 




> Magnificent Claes!
> Creative use of the ornament and cat's eye reflection.


Thank's. The mog looks a little fierce in this shot, but is in reality a regular pussycat (pun intended): He really is everybodys friend.  :Smilewinkgrin: 

/Claes

----------


## kensington

> She is indeed very Swedish, but she is in fact my daughter. 
> 
> /Claes


Oh yeah, she's beautiful! She's all grown up!

----------


## Revolte

The one of my dog is with my old camera after editing, the other ones are with my new camera without editing.

----------


## Revolte

Also for those who may be interested, my photography page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rustic...60287500743797

----------


## Snowqueen

> 


All the pictures are amazing Claes and your daughter is looking very pretty here.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> The one of my dog is with my old camera after editing, the other ones are with my new camera without editing.
> .....


Thanks for sharing Revolte. 
My favorite is the pic of your dog in a sea of grass, I bet he/she enjoys wandering through it.


I recently had numerous slide photos, taken in 1988, converted to digital. Most of the photos are architectural in nature which I plan to share piece meal on Emil's architecture thread, for other subjects, I thought I would share a few here:


The "Rickmer Rickmers" in Hamburg Germany at the port on the Elbe river- 1988:







The devil in the form of a lion devouring a drunk, at the front of St. Peter cathedral in Bremen Germany - 1988
Note the can of beer in his hand

From the Bible; 2 Peter Chapter 5 Part 8 "Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."







The devil nabs a schoolboy. Carving on a water well at St. Lorenz church in Nuremberg Germany - 1988:







A bridge over canal in Hamburg Germany 1988:

----------


## Emil Miller

> Thanks for sharing Revolte. 
> My favorite is the pic of your dog in a sea of grass, I bet he/she enjoys wandering through it.
> 
> 
> I recently had numerous slide photos, taken in 1988, converted to digital. Most of the photos are architectural in nature which I plan to share piece meal on Emil's architecture thread, for other subjects, I thought I would share a few here:
> 
> 
> ]



Interesting photos Gilliatt, that lion looks uncannily like Vincent Price and the guy is looking rather unhappy. Perhaps the ring-pull broke off before he could open the can.

----------


## Revolte

There are so many amazing photos in here it's amazing.

Here is some of my recent work, I can't wait to share my upcoming photo shoots, I have a graveyard/apocalyptic theme I'm going to be doing with one of my models.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Interesting photos Gilliatt, that lion looks uncannily like Vincent Price and the guy is looking rather unhappy. Perhaps the ring-pull broke off before he could open the can.


Ha! You're right, there is a resemblance....






(The Vincent Price image is a publicity photo I found for the movie "Tales of Terror" and of course, the head he is holding is the wonderful Peter Lorre) 






> There are so many amazing photos in here it's amazing.
> 
> Here is some of my recent work, I can't wait to share my upcoming photo shoots, I have a graveyard/apocalyptic theme I'm going to be doing with one of my models. 
> 
> ...



Looks like you're having fun with that new camera. Nice clarity in that first shot.


.

----------


## Revolte

Some new shots taken earlier today.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

2011, it was nice knowing you, but its now time for you to fulfill your obligation. 
Are you comfortable? 
I tied you off to T Post this year and gave you a fresh noggin.
Sorry about the wood being a little damp. It may take some time to combust. 
You, on the other hand, were the straw man for 2011dry as a whistle.







Whats that? Oh yes, you certainly were a charmer on Halloween







Oh and remember that Harold Camping character? 
You really got a rise out of some folks with that one. 
What else do you remember from the past year? 
Lets see if a mortar round to the head will jog your memory











Is that smoke in your eye or a tear from pepper spray?
You hesitate in responding. Perhaps that was a question that cant be answered. 
I dont know? is that the best you can do?  dont answer that one.











So long futile religious quarrels, your spirit is now free, no longer bound by the Mods locks









_The Brain That Wouldnt Die._ You certainly are a hard headed son of b8888. 
Its time to let go!










From the ashes of 2011, a Phoenix takes flight heading into the New Year.







.

----------


## Sancho

Ha!

Gill, you guys have a lot of fun at your house, eh?

----------


## Snowqueen

The pictures are marvelous Gilliatt. It seems your son had a great time on new year's eve. And the last photo is superb.

----------


## Revolte

That was too cool, life is not complete without pumpkin men on fire!





Catching Souls

----------


## Revolte

Here are some photos from my first shoot Dead End 2012. There are about 13 in the entire set, but these are a couple of my personal favorites.

----------


## Darcy88

I can't figure out how to post pictures here or in my profile. Tricky things these computers.

----------


## Emil Miller

> I can't figure out how to post pictures here or in my profile. Tricky things these computers.


You can't do it on your own because you need an image hosting company to carry the picture from your computer to wherever you want to post it. Just Google 'Imageshack' and follow the instructions. There are others but that's the one I use and they have been pretty good so far.

----------


## Darcy88

> You can't do it on your own because you need an image hosting company to carry the picture from your computer to wherever you want to post it. Just Google 'Imageshack' and follow the instructions. There are others but that's the one I use and they have been pretty good so far.


Okay, thanks Emil.

----------


## Maximilianus

> I can't figure out how to post pictures here or in my profile. Tricky things these computers.


Photobucket is another nifty image hosting site that has never failed me. First upload your picture there, then copy the text under "IMG Code" on the right of the page (under the "Links" pane), and finally paste it here when you are writing/editing your post.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Ha!
> 
> Gill, you guys have a lot of fun at your house, eh?





> ...It seems your son had a great time on new year's eve...b.


Thanks for looking and the comments.
We do get a little crazy at the New Year's gathering...bonfires, shooting at cans, pumkins, paper targets, fireworks, adult beverages, group singing.

Thanks Snowqueen. I was experimenting with photographing the aerial fireworks with a slow shutter speed. It was really a matter of luck capturing the explosion when the shutter is open.

Here is another one. The mortar produced red sparks which saturated the field of view with red. This one looks ominous to me.









> Here are some photos from my first shoot Dead End 2012. There are about 13 in the entire set, but these are a couple of my personal favorites.
> 
> ...



I think your first one has more to tell. Is he trapped at the dead end wanting to get out and head toward the light? nice alignment of the tree row under the arm with the light at the end.





> I can't figure out how to post pictures here or in my profile. Tricky things these computers.


Any luck ??

.

----------


## Revolte

Here are a couple from my recent shoot, progression of bullying and talent-put-downs is making me angrily thrilled to do better, weather or not it's happening I neither know nor care, as of now I will succeed or die in the process... Notes from a manic mind.

----------


## Snowqueen

> 


I loved this experiment of yours. Now it seems a scene from a horror movie.  :Smilewinkgrin: 

Hi *Revolte* your pictures are wonderful and thanks for sharing.

----------


## Varenne Rodin

The Pacific ocean, from the southwest coast of California.

----------


## Darcy88

> The Pacific ocean, from the southwest coast of California.


Beautiful. You got that pink there in the sky though it doesn't look like dawn or dusk. Light looks lovely over the water. Don't you just love living on the coast? I sure do.

----------


## Varenne Rodin

> Beautiful. You got that pink there in the sky though it doesn't look like dawn or dusk. Light looks lovely over the water. Don't you just love living on the coast? I sure do.


Very much so. I don't think I would want to live too far from the ocean. Here are some more from the other day...

Ocean Beach, CA.



The moon above.

----------


## Darcy88

> Very much so. I don't think I would want to live too far from the ocean. Here are some more from the other day...
> 
> Ocean Beach, CA.
> 
> 
> 
> The moon above.


The blues in that second pic have such mesmerizing depth. I want to drink up that sky. Great pictures. Great composition.

----------


## Varenne Rodin

> The blues in that second pic have such mesmerizing depth. I want to drink up that sky. Great pictures. Great composition.


Thank you, Darcy. It was a perfect day. Ocean beach is like magic. There's so much to see and everything is huge. The sea and the sky seem to go on forever. Happy place.  :Smile:

----------


## MystyrMystyry

Nice V. I especially like the second to last one with the crashing waves. What's the vignetting - a favorite technique or just how they came out?

I have an entire SD card to download (one day - I'm still filling the latest one), and I'll put some up (I think there may even be a couple of me with my personal prize fishes)

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thanks for sharing your photos Varenne.
I was curious about the "tunnel vision" effect as well. The border characteristics look similar to those produced by a polarizing filter.
The pastel colors remind me of older postcards that were hand painted.

.

----------


## Varenne Rodin

Thank you, Mystyry and Gilliatt. The colors of the day were real. I did have a filter on that darkened the edges. I forgot about it as I was snapping away, so they all have it. Not that I mind. I'm pleased with the way they turned out. It probably is my favorite filter, although I do love red washes.

Those waves got huge as the day went on. In the evening and for the next day they closed the beach and pier because the water was hitting the roof of that cafe in picture 4. People were surfing right up to the last. 20-40 foot faces on those waves at their biggest. I wish I had pictures of those. Maybe next time. In the next year I'll be getting an under water camera. Very very excited about that.  :Biggrin:

----------


## tonywalt

,,,,,,,

----------


## tonywalt

This is a white winged dove common in the Caribbean.

----------


## tonywalt

Caribbean white winged dove.

----------


## tonywalt

This is a Cayman Blue Iguana. I used a nikon d 90. i should have used my filter, but didn't.

----------


## Snowqueen

Wow! This lizard is huge and scary. Great close up shots Tony, thanks for sharing.

Its my turn now I guess, here are few pictures of my nieces.

Bushy in good mood.





Shinu playing with her tiger.

----------


## tonywalt

Cute nieces. I like the shot sitting on tiger, nicely done.

Yea, that's the Cayman Blue Iguana, it's about 3 feet long, but I crawled really close to him, and he was none to happy.

----------


## Varenne Rodin

Excellent pictures, Tony and Snow. Those animals are lovely, Tony. Your niece is adorable, Snow.

----------


## tonywalt

They were lovely - and delicious too! Kidding :Smile5:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> This is a Cayman Blue Iguana. I used a nikon d 90. i should have used my filter, but didn't.


Thanks for sharing some wildlife from your part of the world. The D 90 does a fine job




> Wow! This lizard is huge and scary. Great close up shots Tony, thanks for sharing.
> 
> Its my turn now I guess, here are few pictures of my nieces.
> 
> Bushy in good mood.
> 
> ....
> 
> Shinu playing with her tiger. 
> ...


Absolutely gorgeous! It has been gray and rainy here the past few days. Bushy and Shinu have certainly brightened up my day! 
It is a treat to watch them grow by way of your photos. It wasn't that long ago when we saw the tear from a much younger Shinu (?).

Thanks

----------


## Snowqueen

> Cute nieces. I like the shot sitting on tiger, nicely done.


Thanks Tony its my favorite too. Shinu once broke her tigers tooth while playing. We call it now toothless tiger




> Excellent pictures, Tony and Snow. Those animals are lovely, Tony. Your niece is adorable, Snow.


Thanks Varenne Im glad you liked the pictures.





> Absolutely gorgeous! It has been gray and rainy here the past few days. Bushy and Shinu have certainly brightened up my day! 
> It is a treat to watch them grow by way of your photos. It wasn't that long ago when we saw the tear from a much younger Shinu (?).
> 
> Thanks


Thank you, Gilliatt! It was my cousin in that picture you are referring to. You can see Shinus photos in my album. Ive also replied to your previous comments there.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

It's been a while, so I guess it's time for a new batch:


Sleepy Cat


Unconscious Cat


Close up Cat


Even closer Cat


Downright nosey Cat


Wanna talk to the claw?


My daughter *6...


I replaced a loo at home and chucked the old one out: 
Perhaps I can use it as the guest throne?

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

It seems this cat is very fond of you, or may be it likes your house. What do you call it, just _Cat_? 

Thanks for sharing these amazing pictures.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Great shots of the neighbor's (? right) cat. I had to chuckle at the expression. The first shot eyes open "who's there?..oh it's just you and that camera again" eyes closed back to sleep.
That throne will sober you up pretty quick.

I've been continuing the conversation elsewhere on the masculine attributes of stone work and thought I would share a few pics from my first trip to Chaco Canyon National Historic Site in early 1990's. Digital from slides:

Remnants of stone walls at left and Fajada Butte in the distance. A solar "calander" was discovered at the top of the butte.




Window with wood lintels. The dry climate preserves the wood whicjh is roughly one thousand years old. 








A corner window. This portion originally ahd two to three floors, but the wood structure had since collapsed or wood was looted by later generations for other purposes:

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> It seems this cat is very fond of you, or may be it likes your house. What do you call it, just _Cat_?


 Yes, he is a very friendly mog, and regards our house as his territory (and its inhabitants as his serfs). The name is Julius.




> Great shots of the neighbor's (? right) cat. I had to chuckle at the expression. The first shot eyes open "who's there?..oh it's just you and that camera again" eyes closed back to sleep.


Yes, it is the neighbor's cat, and your narrative describes the chain of events perfectly. 




> That throne will sober you up pretty quick.


Yes, at least this time of year. We have also had rather a lot of snow since I snapped that picture.  :Cold: 

As for yourself you keep posting interesting and good quality picures. Well done.

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

Your pictures are breathtaking Gilliatt. The first photo looks like a painting. It must be a wonderful experience to visit this place. 

Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...Yes, at least this time of year. We have also had rather a lot of snow since I snapped that picture. 
> 
> As for yourself you keep posting interesting and good quality picures. Well done.
> 
> /Claes


Thanks.
I'd want to make sure the throne is absulutely dry before I plant myself on it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RgCb...eature=related




> ...It must be a wonderful experience to visit this place. 
> 
> Thanks for sharing.


Thanks, it is wonderful and full of mystery. The first things that strikes you is the absolute silence of the place.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

Here comes another picture.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> I'd want to make sure the throne is absulutely dry before I plant myself on it...


No fear. It will be perfectly dry until it thaws.  :FRlol: 




> Here comes another picture.


Great shot. It's amusing to see how their attention is focused in three different ways.

/Claes

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Here comes another picture.





> ...Great shot. It's amusing to see how their attention is focused in three different ways.
> 
> /Claes


That is a great shot of daily life. I too noticed the various directions each is focused on. The other amusing aspect, assuming these are perhaps brothers, is the look of disdain on the older boy's face, having to haul the two younger ones around, while they gleefully enjoy the surroundings.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks guys for your comments. These boys were passing by and I took their picture.

----------


## Pensive

> Here comes another picture.


That's so genuine, SnowQueen! Great job!  :CoolgleamA:

----------


## Snowqueen

Hey! Thank you *Pensive*. I'm glad you liked it, and when are you going to share your photos?

----------


## Snowqueen

We had an excellent weekend and here are few latest pictures.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Is that the same body of water you posted in the past? Looks like you were near a spillway(?) in the third photo given the turbulence in the water. 
Where's your fishin pole? hehe

----------


## Basil

I once told Idril that I must be in love with her since I was willing to move to North Dakota to be with her; she responded that she must be in love with me since she was willing to entertain the possibility of _visiting_ the state of Georgia.

Well, she must love me because it happened: last week Idril flew down to the state once described by H.L. Mencken as having never produced a single idea. And with no rattlesnake roundups going on, and the Virgin Mary no longer making her regularly scheduled appearances to the housewives of Conyers, I had to scramble to come up with a suitable itinerary. We headed down to St. Simons Island, where I grew up. On the way, we stopped at Andalusia, Flannery O'Connor's home for most of her adult life.



The Golden Isles of Georgia are known for their expansive live oaks and the long wispy Spanish moss that hangs from their branches. Most people find this to be quite beautiful; Idril wondered aloud, "What's all that crap hanging from the trees?"



St. Simons is home to one of only five lighthouses found in the state; it's fully functional as well. The original lighthouse was blown up during the Civil War by the Confederates to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Union troops.



The view from above:



Christ Church, at the north end of the island, was built in 1808. After the invading Union troops took possession of the island in 1862, they stabled their horses inside the church. It was rebuilt in 1889.



The graveyard at the church contains graves dating back to the early 1800's, as well as many soldiers from the Civil War.



A pretty sunset. We keep the cannons around just in case the Spaniards should ever forget the lesson we taught them in 1742.



And last but not least, the happy couple.

----------


## Idril

> I once told Idril that I must be in love with her since I was willing to move to North Dakota to be with her; she responded that she must be in love with me since she was willing to entertain the possibility of _visiting_ the state of Georgia.


You aren't supposed to repeat things like that. It's cute when it's just you and I talking because you know I'm not completely serious, only partly.  :Prrr: 

I did admit that I enjoyed the state of Georgia very much, even with their ridiculous "Speed Hump" signs. 





> The Golden Isles of Georgia are known for their expansive live oaks and the long wispy Spanish moss that hangs from their branches. Most people find this to be quite beautiful; Idril wondered aloud, "What's all that crap hanging from the trees?"


In my defense, we were in the car at the time travelling down the highway at about 70 mph and the trees were a distance away. From that perspective, and to someone who has never seen Spanish moss, it looked a little like webbing, possibly from a tent worm or something similar. 



Once I was able to see it up close and personal and reassure myself it was not a sign of disease, I too found it beautiful as evidenced by the 60+ pictures I took of it. 






> And last but not least, the happy couple.


Happy, indeed.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Snowqueen

> Is that the same body of water you posted in the past? Looks like you were near a spillway(?) in the third photo given the turbulence in the water. 
> Where's your fishin pole? hehe


Yes, its the same lake but Ive taken the third picture from a different angle. It is a dam but fishing wasnt allowed there.
Guess what Gilliatt! Ive also taken photos of some kids this time and they will soon be heading towards your inbox. So be ready.  :Smilewinkgrin:

----------


## Revolte

I started focusing on taking shots with wide angle, here are some recent works:

----------


## PoeticPassions

I love the one of the flowers and the B&W of the trees.. beautiful.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I started focusing on taking shots with wide angle, here are some recent works:
> ...


I like the lens flare bathing the flowers in that first shot. Whether intentional or not, they are positioned well.

ahhh...I nearly missed yours Basil/ Idril. 
My introduction to Spanish Moss was during a trip out to Charleston. The architecture of the Church is unique in the location of the entrance and steeple.
Looks like you had good weather.

----------


## Revolte

> I like the lens flare bathing the flowers in that first shot. Whether intentional or not, they are positioned well.


Thank you, I have a love for lens flair. It ticks off the professionals, but so does everything in most cases if it's not what they would do.

----------


## Pensive

> And last but not least, the happy couple.


 :Iagree: 
Pensive, the Match-Maker always knew it! Never had her magical crystal ball been so thrilled about a match before!  :Biggrin:  Must have predicted it somewhere in my match-making thread!!!!  :Tongue: 




> Yes, it’s the same lake but I’ve taken the third picture from a different angle. It is a dam but fishing wasn’t allowed there.
> Guess what Gilliatt! I’ve also taken photos of some kids this time and they will soon be heading towards your inbox. So be ready.


Mine too! Mine too!  :Tongue:

----------


## Snowqueen

> Mine too! Mine too!


Ha ha! I would love to share it with you *Pesny*.

----------


## Idril

> Pensive, the Match-Maker always knew it! Never had her magical crystal ball been so thrilled about a match before!  Must have predicted it somewhere in my match-making thread!!!!


That's very sweet, Pensive. We think we're a pretty awesome couple but it's always nice to hear other people do as well.  :Wink:

----------


## Basil

Pensive rocks. I've been saying that for years.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

A few more the summer of '88

Taking the load off at Piazza Navona Rome:






An entrance along Via Gregoriana Rome. Further up the road and to the left are the Scala di Spagna:






Safety Dance formerly West Berlin. At the base of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_...emorial_Church







View of Salzburg and the Salzach river (Austria) as seen from Festung Hohensalzburg:

----------


## Snowqueen

These are great pictures Gilliatt. I loved the way you have captured the movement of that dancing woman in the third photo. The first picture is equally amazing. I think this Dalmatian wants to sit on the bench to enjoy the view.  :FRlol:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> These are great pictures Gilliatt. I loved the way you have captured the movement of that dancing woman in the third photo. The first picture is equally amazing. I think this Dalmatian wants to sit on the bench to enjoy the view.



Thanks. The incident with the woman was amusing. I recall her casually walking by, pausing to set her purse down (in the photo), commenced to do a few jigs, picked up the purse and continued on her way.

The dog was feeling a bit verklempt after touring what was once the site of Domitians stadium, feasting its eyes on such wonders as Gian Lorenzo Berninis Fountain of the Four Rivers and Sant'Agnese in Agone church. 

A couple of shots of Berninis fountain:


Overall image showing three of the four figures representing a river. From left to right; the Danube, the Ganges and the Nile. The Rio della Plata river is not visible here. A portion of Sant'Agnese can be seen beyond:






Detail of the Danube and horse. Danube's right arm is reaching up to touch the Papal Coat of Arms.

----------


## Paulclem

> [IMG]
> [IMG]
> View of Salzburg and the Salzach river (Austria) as seen from Festung Hohensalzburg:


We've been to Salzburg three times: once in summer and twice just before Christmas. That view is great. It reminds me of when I went up to the Hohenzollern Castle which hosts a great military museum with the lad. We had a great time, and the views from up there were amazing. My wife also bought me a watercolour with those green domes on when we were there.

----------


## Paulclem

> Happy, indeed.


It's nice to see good news. All the best. Great photos by the way.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> We've been to Salzburg three times: once in summer and twice just before Christmas. That view is great. It reminds me of when I went up to the Hohenzollern Castle which hosts a great military museum with the lad. We had a great time, and the views from up there were amazing. My wife also bought me a watercolour with those green domes on when we were there.


Thanks Paul, I remember you had recently mentioned a trip to Salzburg. I have a few more pics of Salzburg and Innsbrucke I'll share with you at some point. 
I'll take a break here to avoid hogging the thread. 
Perhaps you have some photos of your Salzburg trip?

----------


## Idril

> It's nice to see good news. All the best. Great photos by the way.


Thank you, Paul.  :Smile: 

I was looking through some old pictures and ran across a couple from Christmas at the cabin I thought I would share. 

As always, I took a lot of pictures of the frozen lake:







A picture of my parents' dog, Freya. She looks so ashamed, poor thing.  :Wink: 



And this is the church my parents go to. I love that it's just in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't even have running water, just an outhouse which makes it even more fabulous...not so much in the winter though.  :Tongue:

----------


## Paulclem

> Thanks Paul, I remember you had recently mentioned a trip to Salzburg. I have a few more pics of Salzburg and Innsbrucke I'll share with you at some point. 
> I'll take a break here to avoid hogging the thread. 
> Perhaps you have some photos of your Salzburg trip?


I took quite a bit of video on that trip, but not many photos. My wife took them instead and printed them out for an album. Now I'm not sure where the digital versions are. I must have a root round for them sometime.

----------


## Snowqueen

*Gilliatt*, the pictures are really wonderful I dont remember seeing them on your Photobucket account.

*Idril*, I liked your photos Freya is cute dog. Thanks for sharing.

*Paul*, looking forward to see your pictures.

----------


## PoeticPassions

> A few more the summer of '88
> 
> Taking the load off at Piazza Navona Rome:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Strangely, these photos make me nostalgic... Great shots, Gilliat.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

I'll bump this thread by adding a couple of photos from the Gulf of Mexico:

Sunset on the Gulf.






A flying fish:
(not the best shot. The fish is in the midst of the dissipating foam. They were few and far between and difficult to catch in their brief flight)




.

----------


## blithe spirit

Awesome photos! I'd forgotten all about flying fish...are they endangered?

----------


## RicMisc

Something is not working here. Uploading is not going so well xD.

----------


## RicMisc

Never mind, uploading is not working for me right now.. Then I'll just comment on Gilliat Gurgle's picture. I love those and they make me want to go back to Italy so bad!

----------


## Snowqueen

The pictures are wonderful Gilliatt! The fins of flying fish are clearly visible in second photo. And I loved the breathtaking view of sunset. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Some more pictures of the neighbours nosey cat  :Smilewinkgrin: 


Cozy cat. 


Curious cat.


Cat learning tricks.


Hungry cat.


Dreaming cat.

And now over to something *completely* different:


A frozen lake.... Some people making a hole in the ice...


Ok, done...


Enter... What?


Going in....


Monster in the lake?

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

Claes, the pictures are wonderful and your cat is getting ready to jump isnt she?
Who took the first two photos by the way? 





> /Claes


Your friend must be freezing down there.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> Claes, the pictures are wonderful and your cat is getting ready to jump isnt she?


Yes, he was for a while, but then he decided to stay there.




> Who took the first two photos by the way?


My daughter did.




> Your friend must be freezing down there.


Well... Now that you mention it, he *was* in a bit of a hurry back into the sauna.  :Cold: 

/Claes

----------


## hawthorns

I'm rather fond of this pic I took in the Frari (Venice) of Titian's Ascension of the Virgin:



...and these of Rome:

----------


## Sancho

Whoa. Nice Pix. 
Also, cool siggy!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Awesome photos! I'd forgotten all about flying fish...are they endangered?


Thanks and from what I read, they are not endangered or certainly not the species found in the Gulf of Mexico. The one you see was among a group of twenty or so that took flight when the school was disturbed. The challenge is trying to lock in on one and keep it in focus.




> Never mind, uploading is not working for me right now.. Then I'll just comment on Gilliat Gurgle's picture. I love those and they make me want to go back to Italy so bad!


Thanks RicMisc. Will you continue to make attempts at posting?




> The pictures are wonderful Gilliatt! The fins of flying fish are clearly visible in second photo. And I loved the breathtaking view of sunset. Thanks for sharing.


Thank you Snowqueen.



I'm guessing this is part of the pre chill warm up routine. Crazy ! Thanks for sharing...





> ...
> Enter... What?
> 
> ...


.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I'm rather fond of this pic I took in the Frari (Venice) of Titian's Ascension of the Virgin:
> 
> [IMG]
> 
> ...and these of Rome:
> 
> [IMG]
> 
> [IMG]


Titian bathed in sun rays, St. Peters, the Tiber and Trevi Fountain...magnificent.

Thanks for sharing.

----------


## hawthorns

One of me doing something _very_ stupid:



An 'illegal' pic of San Marco, Venice:

----------


## Paulclem

Always amazing pictures on here.

Here's one of the river at Royal Leamington Spa. (We just usually call it Leamington).

----------


## Paulclem

Ford's Hospital in Coventry with the plaque underneath.

----------


## Paulclem

It's a lovely building, but it's buried in the back streets and surrounded by concrete monsters.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Wonderful Paul.
The first one is quite serene with the Willow drooping towards the calm water, the Church rising above the village.
What church btw?

1509 !! The Spanish were just beginning to set foot over here discovering the comparitively crude stone structures of the native inhabitants; "Anasazi", in the southwest.

Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Snowqueen

Your pictures are amazing Paul, thanks for sharing. 

Here are few recent photos of my nieces.

----------


## RicMisc

I'm just going to try to upload my pictures again, hope this'll work out. 





Both were shot in Italy last summer.

Edit: Since uploading is still not working for me I'll post links to the pictures

http://ricardomisc.deviantart.com/#/d4ru2jm

http://ricardomisc.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4r8q0j

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ..Here are few recent photos of my nieces.


My favorite. Suits the beautiful Spring day we're enjoying this morning.




> I'm just going to try to upload my pictures again, hope this'll work out. 
> 
> Both were shot in Italy last summer.
> 
> Edit: Since uploading is still not working for me I'll post links to the pictures
> 
> http://ricardomisc.deviantart.com/#/d4ru2jm
> 
> http://ricardomisc.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4r8q0j


I'm checking out air fares and Euro conversion rate. Amazing! 
Where in Italy were these taken, if you don't mind sharing?

Nice.

----------


## Paulclem

> Wonderful Paul.
> The first one is quite serene with the Willow drooping towards the calm water, the Church rising above the village.
> What church btw?
> 
> 1509 !! The Spanish were just beginning to set foot over here discovering the comparitively crude stone structures of the native inhabitants; "Anasazi", in the southwest.
> 
> Thanks for sharing.


The church in Leamington is All saints Leamington Priors


We're very lucky in Coventry - which is a relatively small city - that we're surrounded by history in the City Centre. Unfortunately it was developed as an industrial city, and so you get these wonderful buildings scattered through the centre and swamped in modern ones. Ford's hospital is on a backstreet with nothing of interest around it. 

Here's another gem which sits isolated by the ring road. 



This is Cook Street Gate built in 1385. It sits at the top of a small garden, but is virtually unused. I often ride through it as it leads to a path to a bridge I cross on my bike. The whole city was walled until after the Restoration of the Monarchy when the King ordered it pulled down so as not to oppose royal power in future. Coventry was Parliamentarian during the civil war.

The crenellations atop were added later.

----------


## Paulclem



----------


## Snowqueen

> My favorite. Suits the beautiful Spring day we're enjoying this morning.


Thanks Gilliatt it's my favourite too.

Here are few pictures from my recent visit to Murree.







Kids playing cricket.





We encountered wild boars in the nearby forest; they followed us to the house and then walked straight to the children’s park.

----------


## Sophia21

Wow ! These are quite lovely pictures and the dull sunlight is indicating cold weather, am I right ? . I hope you had a great time there and it seems it was an adventurous trip as you encountered wild animals.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Wow ! These are quite lovely pictures and the dull sunlight is indicating cold weather, am I right ? . I hope you had a great time there and it seems it was an adventurous trip as you encountered wild animals.


Yes, it was very cold there and we had an adventurous trip. Many locals have seen a couple of leopards in those woods. I wanted to try my luck too and go further into the deep woods but my uncle forbade me. He said _dont try to become Jim Corbett around here_. hehe 
Thanks for the comments by the way.  :Smile:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Yes, it was very cold there and we had an adventurous trip. Many locals have seen a couple of leopards in those woods. I wanted to try my luck too and go further into the deep woods but my uncle forbade me. He said _dont try to become Jim Corbett around here_. hehe


Thanks again for more images of Muree. Seeing the boars reminds me of the feral hogs and javalinas found in Texas. I can almost smell the scent of the pine trees.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Thanks again for more images of Muree. Seeing the boars reminds me of the feral hogs and javalinas found in Texas. I can almost smell the scent of the pine trees.
> 
> .


Thanks for the comments Gilliatt! Well, feral hogs seem more dangerous than the wild boars.

----------


## Sophia21

> Yes, it was very cold there and we had an adventurous trip. Many locals have seen a couple of leopards in those woods. I wanted to try my luck too and go further into the deep woods but my uncle forbade me. He said _dont try to become Jim Corbett around here_. hehe 
> Thanks for the comments by the way.


Ha ha ! well......he was right of course. It is quite dangerous though I would really have loved to see your picture with a leopard of Murree.  :Smile:

----------


## Snowqueen

> Ha ha ! well......he was right of course. It is quite dangerous though I would really have loved to see your picture with a leopard of Murree.


Pictures of leopards? Yes, I thought so; in fact we were in the woods when one of my cousins heard a growling sound of some animal nearby. You should have seen me running away from that spot.  :FRlol:

----------


## Sophia21

> Pictures of leopards? Yes, I thought so; in fact we were in the woods when one of my cousins heard a growling sound of some animal nearby. You should have seen me running away from that spot.


ohhhhhhh really ! It actually was an adventurous trip, I must say once again. Just by visualizing this scene, I could feel a chill running down my spine. So, it means there were more than one Jim Corbett, you and your cousin and perhaps the leopard itself was scared to see two of them and tried to frighten them away by growling.  :Smilewinkgrin:

----------


## Sophia21

Here comes a picture I shot on the beach.

----------


## Snowqueen

It's an amazing picture, where did you take it?

----------


## Pensive

*Snowqueen*, your photos are brilliant! With your photography you always manage to capture beauty of living perfectly (these trees appear to be as alive as the children playing cricket!)  :Smile:  It makes me want to take the bus to Murree straight away!  :Tongue:

----------


## Sophia21

> It's an amazing picture, where did you take it?


I took it on Jumeirah Beach, Dubai.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I took it on Jumeirah Beach, Dubai.


Nice to see another contributor here.
The water looks inviting.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

> *Snowqueen*, your photos are brilliant! With your photography you always manage to capture beauty of living perfectly (these trees appear to be as alive as the children playing cricket!)  It makes me want to take the bus to Murree straight away!


Hi *Pensy*! Thanks for noticing and for the compliments. Next time well go together, it will be great fun. 




> I took it on Jumeirah Beach, Dubai.


Oh! Never heard of _Jumeirah Beach_ before but it looks like a nice palce to visit.

----------


## Sophia21

> Nice to see another contributor here.
> The water looks inviting.
> 
> .


Thanks for your comment Gilliatt. You guessed right and many people were enjoying playing in the water.

----------


## Emil Miller

Some pictures taken in the garden to show that spring is here, although they might have been better if my camera hadn't been damaged.













And finally an earlier one of my cat in studious pose.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

Excellent. I think spring is here too because it has not rained for two whole days!! I have been fishing and have gone a bit pink and everything. I like the tulips (my favourite flower). I had tulips last year but have not got any this year, apart from bought stems... Your cat looks in a mood.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Excellent. I think spring is here too because it has not rained for two whole days!! I have been fishing and have gone a bit pink and everything. I like the tulips (my favourite flower). I had tulips last year but have not got any this year, apart from bought stems... Your cat looks in a mood.


I had an ambivalent feeling towards the rain because of the drought affecting the country, but after the downpour that suddenly materialised and went on for about three weeks, I was also glad of a few days sunshine.
Taking breakfast in a sunny garden is one of life's delights and I'm hoping to do more of it when the weather settles down.

The cat looks more alert than usual, this is is how she normally looks.

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> I had an ambivalent feeling towards the rain because of the drought affecting the country, but after the downpour that suddenly materialised and went on for about three weeks, I was also glad of a few days sunshine.
> Taking breakfast in a sunny garden is one of life's delights and I'm hoping to do more of it when the weather settles down.
> 
> The cat looks more alert than usual, this is is how she normally looks.


Oh the rain has done nothing but wreck my plans and put me in bad moods. I thought we might be over it but today's heavy hailstones and snow in places didn't go down well for the middle of May. This is especially so considering Mrs N has informed me that we should expect such downpours until the middle of June, when 'some bloke' on daytime TV (according to her) promises a 'sizzling summer.' What I think of this prediction is unwritable but we can hope - really I just want it dryish so as not to spoil outdoor plans where constant rain can put a downer on things.

Yes I imagine that it is one of life's delights. At the moment I don't have breakfast or have the pleasure to sit in the garden AM during the week, but I intend to do both at the weekend (weather permitting of course!) and during my week off shortly. I also expect to make it a regular occurrence as soon as is humanly possible for me. For fun I threatened Mrs Neely with the prospect of selling the house and living in a caravan for good; anything which means not having to work and therefore living in relative peace and quiet! I was only half serious but I think I would take it if given the option all the same. 

Yes in my experience cats usually look like that. They have it about right I think, best way to go about life; a little snooze here and there followed by lunch etc - can't be bad. If only humans could live like cats!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Some pictures taken in the garden to show that spring is here, although they might have been better if my camera hadn't been damaged.
> 
> ....
> 
> And finally an earlier one of my cat in studious pose. 
> 
> ...


Nice to see you back on the photos thread Emil. Your flowers and Mily look wonderful. We have numerous Iris's and Tiger Lily's that are lush and healthy, but no blooms this year. I was trying to recall when they typically bloom, but I would have bet by mid May. 

Neely, I agree, cats have it on easy street and to top it off they expect us to clean out their chamber pot.

.

----------


## Emil Miller

> Oh the rain has done nothing but wreck my plans and put me in bad moods. I thought we might be over it but today's heavy hailstones and snow in places didn't go down well for the middle of May. This is especially so considering Mrs N has informed me that we should expect such downpours until the middle of June, when 'some bloke' on daytime TV (according to her) promises a 'sizzling summer.' What I think of this prediction is unwritable but we can hope - really I just want it dryish so as not to spoil outdoor plans where constant rain can put a downer on things.
> 
> Yes I imagine that it is one of life's delights. At the moment I don't have breakfast or have the pleasure to sit in the garden AM during the week, but I intend to do both at the weekend (weather permitting of course!) and during my week off shortly. I also expect to make it a regular occurrence as soon as is humanly possible for me. For fun I threatened Mrs Neely with the prospect of selling the house and living in a caravan for good; anything which means not having to work and therefore living in relative peace and quiet! I was only half serious but I think I would take it if given the option all the same. 
> 
> Yes in my experience cats usually look like that. They have it about right I think, best way to go about life; a little snooze here and there followed by lunch etc - can't be bad. If only humans could live like cats!


Yesterday wasn't bad down here, I have found a pub that miraculously hasn't had all the bars knocked into one noisy mass but it's largely on account of the shape of the building so that, although I can hear the distant caterwauling of pop music from the big bar, it's too faint to be an insult to the intelligence. I have to make a train journey of about 30 minutes to get there but I will go a long way in search of civilisation. There is also a Witherspoons within a ten minute walk from there that is a very nice pub with a spacious bar that is only marginally marred by beer bellies and baseball caps and I usually end up there as its near the station and ideal for a large brandy and coke before wending my way home.





> Nice to see you back on the photos thread Emil. Your flowers and Mily look wonderful. We have numerous Iris's and Tiger Lily's that are lush and healthy, but no blooms this year. I was trying to recall when they typically bloom, but I would have bet by mid May. 
> 
> Neely, I agree, cats have it on easy street and to top it off they expect us to clean out their chamber pot.
> 
> .


Well I haven't been taking many pictures recently Gilliatt as my camera was damaged when it hit the floor of my kitchen as I was leaving for a walk in the country and was dropped as I was in a hurry to leave. It still works but doesn't focus very well and I have to manually tune the focusing because the barrel lens won't turn beyond 24. I am thinking of getting a compact which is easier to handle and less likely to get damaged. The one I fancy is discounted to £255. It is a Panasonic Lumix DML-LX5. It has a Leica lens so it should be pretty good.
It has had sterling reviews and while it is another all singing and dancing item in excess of what I require, it still resembles a camera in the old sense of the word.

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

> The cat looks more alert than usual, this is is how she normally looks.


It also looks like she is well prepared for a Cat scan.  :Smilewinkgrin: 

Some pictures from todays Roll Out (Airshow) at Hässlö Airport, Sweden:


P51D Mustang, old Crow


A checklist I intend to apply in my car...


Four veteran SAAB Safir trainers


Prancing parachutists.


Wingwalking


The only remaining airworthy SAAB 37 Viggen


Pitts Python


Three old DH Vampire jet fighters


Follow me... Slowly.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

The Mustang and Viggen look great Claes. You might be interested in the WW II aircraft discussion the Cold Ale Blokes stumbled into a few days ago. Flip back a few pages.
Thanks for sharing.


Emil,
Nearly missed your last posting. I meant to ask how you damaged your camera, but now I read.
The Lumix looks fine and with a Leica lens you need not worry about the quality.
I look forward to seeing the results if you do go through with the purchase.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

The Iris and Tiger Lily's did not bloom this year, but my Silverado Sage pulled through.
The fragrance rivals the color...

----------


## ClaesGefvenberg

Brilliant, Gilliat.  :Nod: 

/Claes

----------


## Snowqueen

> 


Great pictures Gilliatt! I loved the close shots specially this one with cute little moth (I think it's a moth).

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thanks Claes and Snowqueen, I'm proud of my three Sages. They began as small plants about half a meter high and now they have grown to roughly two meters high.

The moth is a male "Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)"

.

----------


## Pensive

....
(If only I could exceed the file limit for attachments!)

----------


## Snowqueen

> ....
> (If only I could exceed the file limit for attachments!)



Wow it must be delicious! Can you tell us more about these dishes? One of them looks a bit like _kitchery_ to me.

----------


## Snowqueen

I took some pictures when I visited Lahore Museum. 





Portrait of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.



Portrait of Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal.




Indus Valley Seals taken from Harappa (it’s an archaeological site in Punjab). 



Terra cotta heads.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Wonderful Snowqueen, thanks for sharing.
After a quick Wiki read up on Lahore Museum, I discovered a Kipling connection. Apparently Rudyard's father was a curator and Rudyard wrote a book titled "Kim" set in the vicinity of the museum.

Your photo of the Indus seals reminded me that the Dead Sea Scrolls are currently exhibited in Fort Worth Texas. I plan to pay a visit.
Do you recall some of the facts on the seals?

Thanks again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Museum

----------


## Snowqueen

> Wonderful Snowqueen, thanks for sharing.
> After a quick Wiki read up on Lahore Museum, I discovered a Kipling connection. Apparently Rudyard's father was a curator and Rudyard wrote a book titled "Kim" set in the vicinity of the museum.
> 
> Your photo of the Indus seals reminded me that the Dead Sea Scrolls are currently exhibited in Fort Worth Texas. I plan to pay a visit.
> Do you recall some of the facts on the seals?
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore_Museum


These seals are about 3000 years old and they were discovered in the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Seals are usually square to rectangular, about 2-3 centimeters on a side, although there are larger and smaller ones. While meanings of these symbols carved on the seals are still unknown.

Thanks for the comments Gilliatt, I'm glad you liked the images. 

There were a few strange figures that drew my attention. I forgot to post the pictures earlier.






These figures are considered as an important part of Harappan culture (also known as Indus valley civilization).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilization

----------


## Pensive

Thanks for sharing these photos Snowqueen! 
I am not very keen on visiting museums generally (they bore me!  :Tongue: ) but the seals make me want to take a bus to Lahore straight away. Your photography always manages to provoke me so!  :Smile: 




> Wow it must be delicious! Can you tell us more about these dishes? One of them looks a bit like _kitchery_ to me.


Well these are some Chinese dishes which I had in a Chinese Halaal Restaurant. I am not sure if I really liked the taste though. It was very different from the Chinese dishes in Pakistani restaurants. 

One consisted of boiled rice with round bread (their _rotti_) and the other was a mixture of some traditional vegetables and chicken.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Well these are some Chinese dishes which I had in a Chinese Halaal Restaurant. I am not sure if I really liked the taste though. It was very different from the Chinese dishes in Pakistani restaurants.


Yes, they look different too. 




> Thanks for sharing these photos Snowqueen! 
> I am not very keen on visiting museums generally (they bore me! ) but the seals make me want to take a bus to Lahore straight away. Your photography always manages to provoke me so!


Well, I found it very interesting. Thanks for the comments by the way.  :Smile:

----------


## Madhuri

Pictures from my trip to Andaman Islands.

Havelock Island beach.



Mud volcano: It is nothing like what we know about the volcanoes; only sand comes out of the tiny pits.



A house near limestone cave in Bartang Island



A woman going towards her rice paddy field.



View of one of the islands from the aircraft.



Peahen at Ross Island.



Ruins at Ross Island. Notice how the walls are now covered big roots.

----------


## Snowqueen

Amazing pictures *Madhuri*! You must be having fun on that island. Im fascinated by this picture. what kind of roots are these? 





>

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks, Queen. We had great fun there  :Smile:  There were a variety of trees on the island but I don't remember the name of this tree.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Thanks, Queen. We had great fun there  There were a variety of trees on the island but I don't remember the name of this tree.


Looks like a wonderful place based on your photos.
I couldn't help but notice the bottle (one of my vices)...there may have been a message inside, treasure map?
Thanks for sharing and for resuscitating the thread.

.

----------


## Madhuri

I missed seeing the bottle! There could have been a treasure waiting for me to find it!

Well, I'll have to wait until my next trip.

Enjoy some more pics:

Sunrise:



Shell creatures (not sure what these are called):



Spotted an Octopus just a few feet from the shore!



Bird:



These crabs were all over the place:



Tsunami hit area:



Cellular jail - a colonial prison mainly for political prisoners during the pre-independence era.

----------


## Idril

Those are so striking, Madhuri, each so evocative in their own way.

----------


## Pensive

Madhuri are you a professional photographer or what? Because seriously it's all just beautifully captured!

----------


## Emil Miller

Some pictures taken randomly at various places such as my garden, Kew horticultural garedns, a favourite pub and a London underground train.

----------


## Sancho

Gooood Kitty.

What is that? An MG? (the convertible in front of the pub) Is it yours, Emil?
Also, I dont remember the underground trains in London being so clean.

I snapped this a couple of days ago near Tillamook, Oregon:

----------


## Emil Miller

> Gooood Kitty.
> 
> What is that? An MG? (the convertible in front of the pub) Is it yours, Emil?
> Also, I dont remember the underground trains in London being so clean.


Yes it's an MG but not mine because drinking and driving is an absolute no no unless you are drinking non alcoholic beverages.
The reason that the train looks so clean is because the rubbish had just been removed while the train was at the end station waiting to depart.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Some pictures taken randomly at various places such as my garden, Kew horticultural garedns, a favourite pub and a London underground train.


So, how long did Mily put up with the neighbors(?) cat eating her food?

The gardens and pub are inviting.
Thanks for sharing




> ...I snapped this a couple of days ago near Tillamook, Oregon:


You do get around. I recall some recent photos from Boston.
did you hike or drive up to that vantage point?

----------


## Emil Miller

[QUOTE=Gilliatt Gurgle;1170034]So, how long did Mily put up with the neighbors(?) cat eating her food?

The gardens and pub are inviting.
Thanks for sharing

[QUOTE]
I've managed to get Milly to accept our neighbour's cat but she does it grudgingly and occasionally takes a swipe at him when she passes by.

You probably noticed that the photos are slightly out of focus but that's because I am still using the damaged Nikon.

----------


## Sancho

Howdy, Gill. I snapped that photo from a turnout on US101. La Roja (wife) and I had done a couple of Mt. Hood hikes earlier in the week, but on that particular day wed been bombing around the Willamette Valley in our rent-a-car, sampling as much free wine as we could find at the local vineyards. It was a splendid day. Sorry, Emil, I've always enjoyed drinking and driving (in moderation, of course).

As for kitties, this one showed up at my house last winter  pregnant and sans tail. We call her Bob-Cat. She's turned out to be a great barn cat. All the various assorted varmints have moved next door.

Gooood kitty:

----------


## Emil Miller

> Howdy, Gill. I snapped that photo from a turnout on US101. La Roja (wife) and I had done a couple of Mt. Hood hikes earlier in the week, but on that particular day we’d been bombing around the Willamette Valley in our rent-a-car, sampling as much free wine as we could find at the local vineyards. It was a splendid day. Sorry, Emil, I've always enjoyed drinking and driving (in moderation, of course).
> 
> As for kitties, this one showed up at my house last winter – pregnant and sans tail. We call her Bob-Cat. She's turned out to be a great barn cat. All the various assorted varmints have moved next door.
> 
> Gooood kitty:


They usually manage to find a home if they have gone astray and females make the best mousers. My own has cleared the garden of mice but even she isn't fast enough to catch the pigeons that congregate below the bird feeders hanging above.

----------


## Sancho

I built a ladder for Bob-Cat out of scrap lumber and carpet remnants. And this year, for the first time in a long while, the barn swallows have decided to nest in someone else’s rafters.

Gooood kitty.

----------


## Snowqueen

Yes, good kitty and what a moustache!

Here are a few picture I've taken last week. 

















My little friend smiling at me.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Haven't seen you around in a while Snowqueen.
Where are the photos taken? 
Your little friend is a charm.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Haven't seen you around in a while Snowqueen.
> Where are the photos taken? 
> Your little friend is a charm.
> 
> .


Thanks for the comments, I've been to Islamabad and taken some pictures there. The second last photo is from Saidpur village.

----------


## tonywalt



----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

WOW! 

The legs on that ...uh...boiler(?) look hot.
Seriously- it is an interesting composition in B/W and what is that piece of equipment?
Looks like someone spent some time with a cutting torch.

You got anymore to share?

.

----------


## Madhuri

At Ross Island, which was first captured by the British and then by Japanese.

A grave dated 1864:



Water treatment plant:



A very famous bakery:

----------


## tonywalt

> WOW! 
> 
> The legs on that ...uh...boiler(?) look hot.
> Seriously- it is an interesting composition in B/W and what is that piece of equipment?
> Looks like someone spent some time with a cutting torch.
> 
> You got anymore to share?
> 
> .


I will pass that compliment to her!

I took the photos in a industrial dump and do not know what on what
she is sitting. I have a series of photos of people in that industrial dump, but haven't posted the rest of them.

----------


## qimissung

Maddie, Snowqueen, Tony, thank you for your amazing pictures! And Emil and Sancho, your cats are so dear (yes, Sancho, even that little outlaw you call Bob-Cat).

Snowqueen, is that child your niece?

----------


## Snowqueen

Madhuri and Tony your pictures are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. 





> Maddie, Snowqueen, Tony, thank you for your amazing pictures! And Emil and Sancho, your cats are so dear (yes, Sancho, even that little outlaw you call Bob-Cat).
> 
> Snowqueen, is that child your niece?


Thanks for your comments Qimi. You are looking at a boy (my uncle's grandson).

----------


## Sydneysider

Self portrait.

----------


## qimissung

lol, sydneysider. O-h-h-h, Snowqueen. I apologize, and thanks for clearing that up.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> Maddie, Snowqueen, Tony, thank you for your amazing pictures! And Emil and Sancho, your cats are so dear (yes, Sancho, even that little outlaw you call Bob-Cat).
> 
> Snowqueen, is that child your niece?


Thanks very much!




> Madhuri and Tony your pictures are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. 
> 
> Thanks Snowqueen. I loved your photos, so vivid!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your comments Qimi. You are looking at a boy (my uncle's grandson).


Thanks Snowqueen. I loved your photos, so vivid!

----------


## Themis

@Madhuri: What a nice bakery!
@Sydneysider: My, what a cute bear you are!

On Tuesday I went for a walk in my beloved Vienna Woods and I took a few pictures.

----------


## Pensive

Some photos I took during my brief stay in Helsinki!  :Smile: 
(last one is of my university town though)

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...On Tuesday I went for a walk in my beloved Vienna Woods and I took a few pictures.


Vienna woods look wonderful.
I missed the birds the first time I looked. 
I recognize the Nuthatch (bird to the right inside feeder) but not sure what the left perching bird is with the black collar. 
Oh and now I see one flying up to the feeder - fantastic!




> Some photos I took during my brief stay in Helsinki! 
> (last one is of my university town though)


What is that in the second photo? a steel groom "panhandler"?
Thanks for sharing.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

Your pictures are amazing Pensy; I loved the last two. Can you share more details?

----------


## tonywalt

Themis! Pensive! Excellent photos - brilliant ambient light in your Themis, very cool!

----------


## Themis

> Vienna woods look wonderful.
> I missed the birds the first time I looked. 
> I recognize the Nuthatch (bird to the right inside feeder) but not sure what the left perching bird is with the black collar. 
> Oh and now I see one flying up to the feeder - fantastic!


Actually, I thought all three of them were nuthatchs. (And to be honest, I missed the one flying up myself.)

@tonywalt: Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

> Actually, I thought all three of them were nuthatchs. (And to be honest, I missed the one flying up myself.)
> 
> @tonywalt: Thanks!


Yea, I love Austria. So clean and rustic - love the homes on the side of the mountains. Are they generally made of Austrian Pine?

----------


## Themis

> Yea, I love Austria. So clean and rustic - love the homes on the side of the mountains. Are they generally made of Austrian Pine?


I really have no idea, I live on the other side of those mountains. But I suppose they could be, at least partially. Houses made up entirely of wood are rare.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

I haven't posted here in a while.
Speaking of Austria - a few from 1988 digital conversion from slides.
Themis might recognize these.


*Innsbrucke*











*Salzburg*













Mozart



.

----------


## Snowqueen

Its good to see some pictures from you again. They dont seem that old to be honest. The view in the first picture is breathtaking.

----------


## RicMisc

> Its good to see some pictures from you again. They dont seem that old to be honest. The view in the first picture is breathtaking.


You can see that they're quite old by looking at the people in the last picture. And the pictures have that sort of vintage grainy feel to them.

I thought I'd share some of the pictures I took last summer in Sicily.

----------


## Themis

> I haven't posted here in a while.
> Speaking of Austria - a few from 1988 digital conversion from slides.
> Themis might recognize these.


They're beautiful. (Thanks for alerting me to this.  :Smile:  )

@RicMisc: May I just say "Oh, my god, it's so lovely!" regarding your second picture!

----------


## tonywalt

[QUOTE=Gilliatt Gurgle;1174732]I haven't posted here in a while.
Speaking of Austria - a few from 1988 digital conversion from slides.
Themis might recognize these.

Gorgeous photos.

----------


## Snowqueen

> You can see that they're quite old by looking at the people in the last picture. And the pictures have that sort of vintage grainy feel to them.


Yes, but Ive seen older pictures with more faded colours than those. 




> I thought I'd share some of the pictures I took last summer in Sicily.


I loved your first picture, I hope you didn't crush that flower.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> You can see that they're quite old by looking at the people in the last picture. And the pictures have that sort of vintage grainy feel to them.
> 
> I thought I'd share some of the pictures I took last summer in Sicily.


I nearly overlooked your photos RicMisc!
Never made it to Sicily. Beuatiful. Nice composition in that second photo.
Clearly a Greek temple by virtue of the doric columns, but I wasn't familiar with where. After a brief search is that in Agrigento?

Thanks all for taking a look at Austria.
btw that's the Olympic ski jump used in 1964 and 1976(?)
here's a more recent look from wikipedia

----------


## SkyCetacean

My screwin' around with my new camera.

Piano

----------


## RicMisc

> I loved your first picture, I hope you didn't crush that flower.


Don't worry, I didn't crush the flower. I actually didn't do anything to the flower. It was already laying there on a little wall and I just thought I'd take a picture  :Wink: 




> I nearly overlooked your photos RicMisc!
> Never made it to Sicily. Beuatiful. Nice composition in that second photo.
> Clearly a Greek temple by virtue of the doric columns, but I wasn't familiar with where. After a brief search is that in Agrigento?


Sicily is absolutely gorgeous, the pictures don't even do it justice. Plus the people are amazingly nice and helpful. It was really one of the best holidays if not the best so far. And yes, the temple is in Agrigento. Very beautiful temples and after Acropolis probably the most interesting architectural site I've been, as far as temples go at least.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Part of my birthday celebration included a visit to the Alliance air show in Fort Worth Texas.
The aishow is held annually about this time of year. My son and I decided to go this year and to my surprise, a P-38 Lightning in all its glory was sitting on the tarmak. My father flew the Lightning in WW II, so there's a special bond with that plane. Many of the planes are brought in for static displaty only, but forthunately they flew the P-38 including a part in what is referred to as the Heritage Flight. When they started piping bag pipe music through the PA system as the formation flew by, I couldn't hold back a few tears of pride.

The firsrt three below are the Lighning:










Heritage Flight
F-4 Phantom
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
F-86 Super Sabre





P-51 Mustang




North American F-86 Super Sabre
Korean war era jets

----------


## Snowqueen

Wonderful pictures Gilliatt! I don't know much about planes, but It seems you had a great time on your birthday. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Themis

@GilliattGurgle: Great pictures! Particularly love the one with the F-4 phantom and am pretty sure I used to have a poster of one stuck to my door when I was a teenager.

----------


## Madhuri

A butterfly in a park near my office:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Wonderful pictures Gilliatt! I don't know much about planes, but It seems you had a great time on your birthday. Thanks for sharing.





> @GilliattGurgle: Great pictures! Particularly love the one with the F-4 phantom and am pretty sure I used to have a poster of one stuck to my door when I was a teenager.


Thanks for taking a look.
The aerial shots aren't quite as "crisp" since I switched to a circa 1970's 200 mm lens in which I had to manually focus while the planes were quickly moving. I've been out of practice.




> A butterfly in a park near my office:


Beautiful. Looks relatively large.

.

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks, GG  :Smile:  It was a big butterfly and there were several. It was a pleasant sight  :Smile:  I don't know why in my dream last night I was trying to catch bigger butterflies.  :Confused5:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Continuing with insects.
Here's a large "Walking Stick" we discovered, making its way up a Hickory tree.
Note the missing leg.
The bottle is for scale.

----------


## Snowqueen

Wow! This insect looks a bit like praying mantis, which is quite common around here but Ive never seen anything like walking stick before. Its fascinating.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...This insect looks a bit like praying mantis...


They do. 
I read through the Peterson's guide and see that they both fall in the same order; "Orthoptera" - along with roaches. grasshoppers, crickets and katydids.

----------


## Pensive

View from my room, on a morning after a snowy evening!
view from win.jpg

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> View from my room, on a morning after a snowy evening!
> view from win.jpg


Autumn and winter are my favorite seasons. I particularly like the blanket of gray that hangs over the city in your photo.
It is amazing how a dusting of snow transforms the enviornment, it softens the urban harshness.
Very nice.

----------


## Madhuri

From my trip to Mumbai for Diwali:

Applying Mehandi:



Gateway of India and Taj hotel



View of the city from the hanging garden



Flower in the garden

----------


## Snowqueen

> View from my room, on a morning after a snowy evening!
> Attachment 8452


Being a Snowqueen myself I loved this snowy view. 


Great pictures Madhuri, I like your traditional henna (Mehndi) decoration. We usually do this on Eid and wedding celebrations.

----------


## Madhuri

Thanks, Queen. We too do it for all festivals and weddings. There is a Mehandi and sangeet night prior to the wedding day and all women get this done.  :Smile:

----------


## Calidore

How long does it take to get a pattern like that?

----------


## Madhuri

Making the design doesn't take long, maybe 10-15 mins for a hand, but if it is the bridal mehandi then it may take a few hrs as those are very detailed designs and done on full hands and feet/legs. Also, getting the desired colour after you wash the mehandi depends on how long have you kept the mehandi. Some people keep it overnight, some wash it off after a couple of hours, and some apply clove oil before applying mehandi, some even apply lemon and sugar mix so that the mehandi doesn't fall off after drying. There are various techniques to get the desired colour. It is said that, for a bride-to-be the darker the mehandi colour the more the love of her husband and in some parts it is the love of the mom-in-law.  :Smile:

----------


## Snowqueen

> Thanks, Queen. We too do it for all festivals and weddings. There is a Mehandi and sangeet night prior to the wedding day and all women get this done.





> How long does it take to get a pattern like that?




I did it on Eid, and it almost took five minutes though the design is not as detailed as it is on your hand, Madhuri.

----------


## manuscript

for some reason i always assumed paisley to be an english thing and i have just realised how silly that was.

----------


## Madhuri

Queen, such designs are called Arabic designs here.

----------


## tonywalt

por1.jpg


photo

----------


## kittypaws

I still don't have down the new means of posting an image directly to here...I'll keep working on in...but in the mean time here are a few shots of fall on the eastern cost of the USA


2507314060045835107.jpg
2132662980045835107.jpg
2474350490045835107.jpg
2484338760045835107.jpg

hope you can view and enjoy them!

kittypaws

----------


## tonywalt

> I still don't have down the new means of posting an image directly to here...I'll keep working on in...but in the mean time here are a few shots of fall on the eastern cost of the USA
> 
> 
> 2507314060045835107.jpg
> 2132662980045835107.jpg
> 2474350490045835107.jpg
> 2484338760045835107.jpg
> 
> hope you can view and enjoy them!
> ...


Beautiful shots!

----------


## kittypaws

> Beautiful shots!



Thanks Tony and here is one wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

PB230122.jpg

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I still don't have down the new means of posting an image directly to here...I'll keep working on in...but in the mean time here are a few shots of fall on the eastern cost of the USA
> 
> 
> 2507314060045835107.jpg
> 2132662980045835107.jpg
> 2474350490045835107.jpg
> 2484338760045835107.jpg
> 
> hope you can view and enjoy them!
> ...


Thanks for sharing.
Looks like you're trees are offering some nice colors.
There's a couple of Ash trees in my yard that are displaying some nice color.
Happy Thanksgiving

----------


## Snowqueen

Tony and Kittypaws your photos are truly amazing. Thanks for sharing! 

I took this picture early this year during my visit to a nearby town. When I asked his name he replied Im puperman he actually wanted to say Superman. Cute kid!

----------


## Pensive

snoow.jpg22.jpg

Some burnt food which I actually managed to eat (thanks to some quince preserve) and snow.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ...I took this picture early this year during my visit to a nearby town. When I asked his name he replied Im puperman he actually wanted to say Superman. Cute kid!...


He is cute owing to his bad hair day.




> ...and snow.


I wish you could send some snow my way.
Right now (Sunday morning) it is a balmy 60 deg F, although there is a strong cold front on the way tonight.

----------


## kittypaws

> I wish you could send some snow my way.
> Right now (Sunday morning) it is a balmy 60 deg F, although there is a strong cold front on the way tonight.


_Be careful what you wish for....you may just get it!_

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> _Be careful what you wish for....you may just get it!_


Ha! thanks and it looks like we just might get some on Chrsitmas if the forecast holds up, though it will likely be a dusting only.

After having the niece and nephew watch Forbidden Planet, Uncle Gilliatt had them work on drawing and painting skills during their weekend visit....

Niece working on a Screetch Owl using the Audubon Society field guide as a reference:





Both busy with the watercolors.
I had to cringe a few times when I caught them using a scrubbing motion with the sable hair brushes:

----------


## kittypaws

It is always nice to have family around at this time of year.....isn't that what it is all about?

Keep prodding them as they seem like they enjoy being artist. 

Here is to a very Merry, Peaceful Christmas Gilliatt!

2757229470045835107.jpg

kittypaws

----------


## Calidore

Good choice--Forbidden Planet is one of those movies that even kids who don't think they'll like old movies like.

I have to say, that warping effect you used to hide their faces in the picture is kind of creepy, because it looks exactly like what happens in photographs of people who've been cursed in _The Ring._

----------


## Snowqueen

> Ha! thanks and it looks like we just might get some on Chrsitmas if the forecast holds up, though it will likely be a dusting only.
> 
> After having the niece and nephew watch Forbidden Planet, Uncle Gilliatt had them work on drawing and painting skills during their weekend visit....
> 
> Niece working on a Screetch Owl using the Audubon Society field guide as a reference:
> 
> Both busy with the watercolors.
> I had to cringe a few times when I caught them using a scrubbing motion with the sable hair brushes:


It's good to see the kids are getting some training from their genius uncle. 
My elder niece is a little artist. she is only 5 years old but very fond of making cards. She had sent me this a few months ago and I scanned it immediately.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> It is always nice to have family around at this time of year.....isn't that what it is all about?
> 
> Keep prodding them as they seem like they enjoy being artist. 
> 
> Here is to a very Merry, Peaceful Christmas Gilliatt!
> 
> 2757229470045835107.jpg
> 
> kittypaws


Thanks so much and I wish the same for you.
Looks like the Shepherd enjoys the snow, I see some on the muzzle.
I'm still keeping the fingers crossed for some rain and snow.





> ...I have to say, that warping effect you used to hide their faces in the picture is kind of creepy, because it looks exactly like what happens in photographs of people who've been cursed in _The Ring._


Agreed, that turned out kind of weird. Their mom and dad probably wouldn't mind their faces being shown given their involvemnet with that infernal facebook and tweeter business, but since I didn't ask, I took decided to warp.





> ...My elder niece is a little artist. she is only 5 years old but very fond of making cards. She had sent me this a few months ago and I scanned it immediately.


Wonderful! I like he dresses on the hangers too.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

A few pics of our second White Christmas in three years taken the day after.

The 2012 Halloween "Mozartgeist" waiting for New Year's celebration.
His original Halloween pumpkin head has deflated down to a rotted blob no longer visible.
The second head is waiting to be installed just prior to the New Years eve auto de fe.





A shot down the creek






Icicle on the green house gutter

----------


## OrphanPip

I think I'd prefer a far less white Christmas at the moment.

----------


## Snowqueen

*Gilliatt, OrphanPip* great pictures, keep them coming.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I think I'd prefer a far less white Christmas at the moment.


Hehe, puts my paltry couple of inches to shame. "Damn Texans, look at 'em get'n all excited about a little snow"

----------


## Snowqueen

A few close up shots taken last week.

----------


## Sancho

Nice!

----------


## Snowqueen

> Nice!


Thanks for this *nice* little comment.

----------


## qimissung

We have a mutual love of flowers, Snowqueen, but you get to be around them more. Your pics are beautiful, as usual, and I love your little niece's drawing! Such a bee-yu-ti-ful dress!

Great pics, kittypaws and Gilliatt! I envy your wilderness abode, Gilliatt. I may live only a few miles down the road, but it's miles and miles of roads and cement in every direction.

----------


## Snowqueen

> We have a mutual love of flowers, Snowqueen, but you get to be around them more. Your pics are beautiful, as usual, and I love your little niece's drawing! Such a bee-yu-ti-ful dress!
> .


Thanks for appreciating *Qimi*. I think I should have learnt some drawing skills from my niece.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Beautiful!
I like the water drops theme.
The clarity of the rose is stunning, I want to reach through the screen and shove my nose in it!
Thanks

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks *Gilliatt*, I took these photos on a rainy day. We have been experiencing cold and wet weather for the past couple of weeks or so. I’m glad you like them.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

The Gurgles said goodbye to 2012 this past weekend in the usual fashion.
Usual fashion translates to guns, beer, explosives, vodka and fire, culminating in Mozartgeists auto de fe.

So long 2012, youre gonna burn


Arthur Brown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOErZuzZpS8






















*Exploding pumpkin*











Click on thumbnails:

----------


## qimissung

It looks like a good time was had by all.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Snowqueen

Great pictures Gilliatt! Seems like you have been shooting, I hope the cows and chickens didn't get into your way.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> It looks like a good time was had by all.





> Great pictures Gilliatt! Seems like you have been shooting, I hope the cows and chickens didn't get into your way.


We had a great time and..well, admittedly not quite as wild as the picture I may have painted with my words. I didn't stray beyond beer. My brother enjoys the Vodka.
No worries about the livestock getting in the line of fire, we always post a spotter next to the person shooting keeping an eye out for safety.

.

----------


## Snowqueen

Some pictures of the native birds that Ive taken in the past on different locations.




Andaman Drongo. I found it wandering outside our house.



Little dove. Its a daily visitor.




Egret and I think the other bird is great cormorant, but Im not so sure.



This bird is called _Chakor_ and it is quite common around here. It belongs to the family of partridge.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Wonderful images Snowqueen.
The Dove looks very much like our Mouning Doves.
My favorite is the Chakor. How were you able to get so close?
and of course the noisy Peacock haha...is this the one that loiters around your home?

----------


## Snowqueen

I think its called Laughing dove. lol

Here is the link. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughing_Dove

Yes, you are right its the same old noisy peacock. 
Chakor is extremely shy bird, but somehow I did manage to take that shot. Thanks.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

I found this recent picture of the missus among the Bigfoot conference photos .
She is standing in front of Richard Serra's steel sculpture titled "Vortex".
It is a permanent feature in the landscape outside the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth Texas.

The acoustics inside the sculpture are amazing.






A video of a little boy and a ball inside the sculpture.
Listen for the echoes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpBr1AkGn_Y


.

----------


## faithosaurus

image.jpg

Green River in Chicago 😊

----------


## Snowqueen

Great picture, Gilliatt. Do say hi to your missus for me. 
I cant seem to follow your link as I have no access to youtube. 




> image.jpg
> 
> Green River in Chicago 


Nice photo, faithosaurus. 



Some recent pics taken with my new camera. It is a birthday gift from my parents.

----------


## Calidore

> image.jpg
> 
> Green River in Chicago


I loved Tommy Lee Jones' line in _The Fugitive_: "If they can dye it green for St. Patrick's Day, why can't they dye it blue the rest of the year?" So true. I do love the green, though.

----------


## faithosaurus

So, I am really loving Instagram lately.

j.jpg

l.jpg

n.jpg

nd.jpg

----------


## Shaman_Raman

Snow, leaves, the beach, and diamond rings. You'll meet your husband between fall and winter at Lake Michigan.  :Yesnod:

----------


## Calidore

> Snow, leaves, the beach, and diamond rings. You'll meet your husband between fall and winter at Lake Michigan.


Bad luck; no way I'll be in beach shape by this fall.

----------


## faithosaurus

> Snow, leaves, the beach, and diamond rings. You'll meet your husband between fall and winter at Lake Michigan.


Haha, sounds like a plan!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Some recent pics taken with my new camera. It is a birthday gift from my parents.


Stunning brilliance! beautiful.
A great gift to receive.




> So, I am really loving Instagram lately.


Doh!, I was about to say great photo of the ocean. 
Based on the clues, I'd say that is Lake Michigan. anyhow, nice composition.
I like the proportions of each layer; sand- water -sky.

----------


## Calidore

Just found a batch of pictures from a San Diego vacation several years ago. Here's a few from the train ride there and back. This is why I always take Amtrak. 

All of these were taken through the train window.

----------


## cafolini

Nice, very nice. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## Snowqueen

> Just found a batch of pictures from a San Diego vacation several years ago. Here's a few from the train ride there and back. This is why I always take Amtrak. 
> 
> All of these were taken through the train window.


I like variety of landscapes that youve captured in your pictures. I always take the photos whenever Im travelling. Thanks for sharing, Calidore.





> Stunning brilliance! beautiful.
> A great gift to receive.


Gee! Thanks!

----------


## Adolescent09

Editedddddddd

----------


## Madhuri

Sunrise:



Flower in the garden:



Onion flower:



Cave drawings:



A house in the field:



Fossils in the Fossil park:



Mango:



Dew:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Just found a batch of pictures from a San Diego vacation several years ago. Here's a few from the train ride there and back. This is why I always take Amtrak. 
> 
> All of these were taken through the train window.
> ....


Nice sequence shots showing the varied landscape. ^This one looks like the region around the "Four Corners" near "Shiprock" 





> Editedddddddd


??? interesting. Playing poker with a cigar?


*quote Madhuri*

...
Cave drawings:



[/QUOTE]


Nice photos Madhuri. The home isolated in the field would make a nice, peaceful escape.
^ the cave paintings remind me of the petroglyps / pictographs common through the U.S. Southwest.



Here are two examples I took at Chaco Canyon National Historic Park in New Mexico:

Petroglyph:




A Pictograph:

----------


## qimissung

> Snow, leaves, the beach, and diamond rings. You'll meet your husband between fall and winter at Lake Michigan.


Very poetical, Shaman_Raman; and Faith, your pictures are _gorgeous_!

As are yours, Calidore, Gilliatt, Maddie and Snowqueen. I see you are making good use of your birthday present, Snowqueen.  :Smile:

----------


## Adolescent09

> ??? interesting. Playing poker with a cigar?


Nope, it's the first photo I've taken with my phone besides self-pics. I know I'm a narcissist  :Tongue: . Tis a difficult habit to break for us young people.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

.

A few shots of a Green Anole on our fence:



Cropped from the pic above

----------


## YesNo

The dilated pupil on the second picture of the Green Anole made me wonder if that meant something similar to what it might mean in humans. It certainly knew you were watching it. Nice pictures.

http://www.spring.org.uk/2011/12/wha...ending-you.php

----------


## Adolescent09

Some beginner level photomanips of mine. I'm having a really difficult time with lighting but I guess I shouldn't expect much from an iPhone  :Tongue:

----------


## Adolescent09

I literally added over 22 filters to the Bentley one

----------


## Snowqueen

> Mango:
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]


Our mango trees havent borne fruit yet; their branches are filled with blossoms though. Hopefully they will turn into tiny mangos by the end of this month. We have mostly grown _Chaunca_ mango trees. 




> Very poetical, Shaman_Raman; and Faith, your pictures are _gorgeous_!
> 
> As are yours, Calidore, Gilliatt, Maddie and Snowqueen. I see you are making good use of your birthday present, Snowqueen.



Thanks for noticing, Qimi. I forced my parents to hand over the presents long before my birthday, just like a spoilt child.  :Biggrin: 

Nice close up shots, Gilliatt. I never mustered up the courage to take photos of lizards and other crawling creatures that I often see around my house during summer. lol

----------


## faithosaurus

> Very poetical, Shaman_Raman; and Faith, your pictures are _gorgeous_!
> 
> As are yours, Calidore, Gilliatt, Maddie and Snowqueen. I see you are making good use of your birthday present, Snowqueen.


Thank you  :Biggrin: 

The animals are coming out

u.jpg

un.jpg

----------


## LitNetIsGreat

> .
> 
> A few shots of a Green Anole on our fence:
> 
> 
> 
> Cropped from the pic above


Jesus, what's with the green dinosaur thing on the back garden? Scary looking. Looks like it bites. I wouldn't be staying around to find out. 

What's with the wench avatar?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> The dilated pupil on the second picture of the Green Anole made me wonder if that meant something similar to what it might mean in humans. It certainly knew you were watching it. Nice pictures...


Thanks. It wasn't until I cropped in closer on the head that I noticed the pupil staring at me. 




> Jesus, what's with the green dinosaur thing on the back garden? Scary looking. Looks like it bites. I wouldn't be staying around to find out. 
> 
> What's with the wench avatar?


He's not so big, but they will bite if you place your finger near their mouth. To give you a sense of his size, the fence picket is about 3 1/2 inches wide.

The wench is what awaits me in the afterlife according to Eben Alexander and the power of the "Orbs". Sophia Loren will be my "pretty girl in a peasant dress"
Look...just play along and read through the Texas BFcon thread starting about post 17. Ever since I laid eyes on her, I needed to have her close at hand hence the avatar.

----------


## qimissung

God, that anole looks just like the ones you get in the pet store, too. 

Forgot to mention, Gilliatt, nice pic of your wife. Is she on board with the whole Sophia thing?  :Biggrin:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> God, that anole looks just like the ones you get in the pet store, too. 
> 
> Forgot to mention, Gilliatt, nice pic of your wife. Is she on board with the whole Sophia thing?


Thanks.
She's not aware of Sophia yet. I'm waiting for the right time to explain the whole bit about peasants and orbs.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

How about something to take our minds off of recent tragic news or otherwise Monday blues.
This has to be about the cutest darn thing I've seen in a long time.
It brought a lump to my throat when I spotted the little fella.
There is a rabbit den in the backyard that I've been monitoring and protecting to the best of my ability, primarily against our dog.
Today they finally began to venture out beyond the fenced enclosure I placed around the den. So far we have spotted three.

Eastern Cottontail - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_cottontail

----------


## Snowqueen

Here are a couple of images that I have taken of Red Vented Bulbul. 





Yesterday I captured some pictures of a girl who lives in our neighborhood.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Hello Snowqueen. 
Wow, those eyes, she is a doll!

----------


## Snowqueen

Hi there!  :Seeya: 

Yes, her eyes beautiful. Thanks for noticing. By the way, I read in the newspaper about violent storms in Taxes. I hope you and the rest of your family members are safe.

----------


## ACm Stha

Amazing pic .!!! LOVED IT

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks ACm Stha and welcome to Litnet.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> ... I read in the newspaper about violent storms in Taxes. I hope you and the rest of your family members are safe.


"Taxes"!, careful with that word, there's a lot of Tea Party loyalists lurking about -hehe
Thanks for asking, there were several isolated but severe storm cells that passed through. Fortunately our area fell in a gap between storms. Sadly, there was severe damage and death to the south of Fort Worth.

----------


## kittypaws



----------


## Idril

Ah, a very welcome sign of spring, kittypaws.  :Smile:

----------


## Snowqueen

It's a nice close up shot, Kittypaws. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## qimissung

Oh, Gilliatt, the baby bunny! So adorable. Thank you for guarding them from your dog, who would, I'm sure, have a lot of, um, fun with them. 

Snowqueen, your pictures are beautiful, as is that child!

That is a beautiful spring flower, kittypaws. Thank you all for enlivening our pages with such beautiful images.

----------


## Snowqueen

Thanks for taking a look at the pictures, Qimi.  :Smile:

----------


## kittypaws

> Ah, a very welcome sign of spring, kittypaws.


thank you Idril!

----------


## kittypaws

> It's a nice close up shot, Kittypaws. Thanks for sharing.



thank you for noticing Snowqueen. It was taken along a path thur the woods where Zeus and I walk. It was out of place on the path and I wondered how it got there...one lonely crocus spouting. So I figured it was worthy of a photo to capture it.  :Smile:

----------


## kittypaws

I would like to share some photos of adorable creatures that comfort our lives in more ways then one. Those of you who have not visited my blog on the Dog Park may not know that I work there as a part-time attendant. I see and live many wonderful and some times not so wonderful moments. I just recently began to carry my camera along. 



3 month old Great Dane...Wladimir.



Chloe... a 4 month old French Bull Mastiff.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I would like to share some photos of adorable creatures that comfort our lives in more ways then one. Those of you who have not visited my blog on the Dog Park may not know that I work there as a part-time attendant. I see and live many wonderful and some times not so wonderful moments. I just recently began to carry my camera along. 
> ...
> 3 month old Great Dane...Wladimir.
> 
> ...
> Chloe... a 4 month old French Bull Mastiff.


Looks like business is doing well at the dog park. I recall some of the not so good stories.

Your flower from a few posts back looks wonderful. Is it a Crocus?

----------


## kittypaws

> Looks like business is doing well at the dog park. I recall some of the not so good stories.
> 
> Your flower from a few posts back looks wonderful. Is it a Crocus?


Hahahaha! Yes Gilliatt some times were not so great at the Dog Park but C'est la vie! Things are turning around now....since I have been in charge!  :Brow: 

Yes, that is a Crocus which was standing all alone on the wooded path and it deserved to be preserved in an image.

kittypaws

----------


## Madhuri

> Our mango trees havent borne fruit yet; their branches are filled with blossoms though. Hopefully they will turn into tiny mangos by the end of this month. We have mostly grown _Chaunca_ mango trees.


This type is known as the Amrapali mango tree and it starts bearing fruits when it is small. We do have other types of mango trees; but I can't make out the difference.

----------


## Sophia21

Hi Snowqueen ! Wonderful shots, I must say. You captured the bulbul so beautifully. The picture is so clear, the shining eye and even it's very feathers are visible. And lovely close up of the little girl. You have got such a cute child in your neighbourhood.

----------


## Snowqueen

> This type is known as the Amrapali mango tree and it starts bearing fruits when it is small. We do have other types of mango trees; but I can't make out the difference.


Ive never tried those mangos; I dont think they are grown here. Im always keen to know about different kinds of mangos and I can distinguish most of them from their tastes and sizes.




> Hi Snowqueen ! Wonderful shots, I must say. You captured the bulbul so beautifully. The picture is so clear, the shining eye and even it's very feathers are visible. And lovely close up of the little girl. You have got such a cute child in your neighbourhood.


Hello, its nice to see your comments. I just pressed the shutter button and my camera did rest of the job for me. Yes, that girl is very cute and has the eyes of Sharbat Gula. She will attract lots of suitors in the future, Im sure.  :Biggrin: 


Nice pictures, *kittypaws*! Keep posting.

----------


## Pensive

Some photos I took of the places I was at for my summer job. Heavenly green. 

taev1.jpgboat.jpgsea.JPG

----------


## Snowqueen

A few very recent photos. I took these images when I visited my uncle last week. It was a short trip but I enjoyed it a lot. 









And my two little cousins. The boy didn't want me to take his pictures. He told me to get out of his house!

----------


## Hawkman

That's a nice collection, Snowqueen. That looks like quite a posh settlement, nestling into the side of the hill surrounded by the trees. The views are impressive, but I wonder how keen the residents are to have that building site next door  :Biggrin:  I love the way the clouds are looming up behind.

The kids are cute - Well, the girl is anyway. The boy looks like a putative Bond Villain lol. I guess that makes the other one a future Bond Girl!

Live and be well - H

----------


## Volya

I got my first camera recently, so why not...

My dog.


The Lake District.


A derelict building.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> A few very recent photos. I took these images when I visited my uncle last week. It was a short trip but I enjoyed it a lot. 
> 
> ....
> 
> And my two little cousins. The boy didn't want me to take his pictures. He told me to get out of his house!
> 
> ....


Stunning scenery, beautiful. Is that at or near Murree? Looks similar to you past pics of Muuree.
As always, the cousins are gorgeous. Looks like the young man has doffed a shoe.





> I got my first camera recently, so why not...
> 
> ....


Enjoy the new camera, the dog looks like a gentle soul.

----------


## Snowqueen

> That's a nice collection, Snowqueen. That looks like quite a posh settlement, nestling into the side of the hill surrounded by the trees. The views are impressive, but I wonder how keen the residents are to have that building site next door  I love the way the clouds are looming up behind.
> 
> The kids are cute - Well, the girl is anyway. The boy looks like a putative Bond Villain lol. I guess that makes the other one a future Bond Girl!
> 
> Live and be well - H


It is a posh area and a well known hill station here. I cant say anything about that building though!
Yes, my little cousin kept on giving me devilish smiles, I wonder why!  :Biggrin: 


Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments. 






> Stunning scenery, beautiful. Is that at or near Murree? Looks similar to you past pics of Muuree.
> As always, the cousins are gorgeous. Looks like the young man has doffed a shoe.
> 
> 
> .




Hi, Gilliatt, I havent seen you around lately.

Yes, these pictures are from Murree, my uncle lives there. Its a place I never get tired of visiting. I love mountains.

My cousin didnt want to wear his shoes, although hes just a year old but very moody. It usually takes me five minutes to make friends with kids but this little guy is an exception. 

Thank you for noticing by the way.

----------


## Sophia21

Hi Snowqueen! Your pictures are amazing.

----------


## Snowqueen

Hi, Sophia! Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see some of your pics too.

----------


## Sophia21



----------


## Snowqueen

Stunning shot! Can you tell where this picture is taken?

----------


## qimissung

I hate to say everything at once, but here goes: Snowqueen, your little cousins are adorable. I especially love that first picture of the mountains, the mist and the trees. Volya and Kitty, thanks for the pics of the lovely dogs. Love that derelict building, Volya. I'd like to paint it and Snowqueen's misty mountains someday (when I can actually paint  :Smile: ).

----------


## Snowqueen

I love your paintings Qimi, I even tried to copy that little bird of yours, perhaps you didn't notice.  :Smilewinkgrin:  Oh, there is already something for you in the mails. Keep an eye out for it.

----------


## papayahed

A few pics from Nicaragua:

----------


## qimissung

> I love your paintings Qimi, I even tried to copy that little bird of yours, perhaps you didn't notice.  Oh, there is already something for you in the mails. Keep an eye out for it.


It came yesterday, Snowqueen! Thank you so much! It is adorable and lovely.

I guess I missed your bird. Is it here somewhere? Is it on the artist thread? Please tell me so I can look at what you've done and admire it!

----------


## qimissung

> A few pics from Nicaragua:


I see you had a room with a view, papaya! Your pictures-and Nicaraugua-are beautiful. How was your trip? Did you get to hike any?

----------


## Snowqueen

> It came yesterday, Snowqueen! Thank you so much! It is adorable and lovely.


Im glad you liked it Qimi. 




> I guess I missed your bird. Is it here somewhere? Is it on the artist thread? Please tell me so I can look at what you've done and admire it


You missed it? How can you do this to me? lol

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> [img]


Beautiful Sophia, it seems one could reach the peak, grab on to a cloud and keep climbing.




> A few pics from Nicaragua...


So you settled on Nicaragua, how bout the boots?
Looks like a great place to decompress.
Nice shots!

----------


## papayahed

> I see you had a room with a view, papaya! Your pictures-and Nicaraugua-are beautiful. How was your trip? Did you get to hike any?


Yes I got some hiking in, I climbed up two volcanos(one active), I did some kayaking, took a boat ride, and toured a couple cities. I didn't pick a good range of pictures, I stayed at 4 separate locations and only really spent one day relaxing at the beach. 




> So you settled on Nicaragua, how bout the boots?
> Looks like a great place to decompress.
> Nice shots!


I was looking at hiking on zappo's and one of the reviews said "I bought these shoes for hiking the cloud forest in Nicaragua and these were perfect" so I bought them too, I wasn't going to the cloud forest but I figured it was close enough. My shoes were super comfy.

----------


## Sophia21

Thanks for your comment Snowqueen ! It's Lake Saif-ul-Malook, located in North of Kaghan valley, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

----------


## Sophia21

Yes Gilliatt, It is a sight worth seeing, a place where you can see Nature in it's full bloom.

----------


## Pensive

room.jpgkadri.jpgroom.jpgkadri.jpg
The first one is view out of my window.  :Smile:

----------


## Themis

Buttermere

Bassenthwaite Lake

Ullswater

----------


## Snowqueen

Wow, these are stunning images Themis! I loved the first one. 
Thanks for sharing.

----------


## qimissung

You have a room with a view, Pensive! And Themis, you have gotten to take one of my dream vacations. Beautiful pics, guys.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> Loch Katrine: the site of glasgow's water supply and the loch in Sir Walter Scott's novel Lady of the Lake.


Thats a great photo, capturing the reflection of the trees changing colour.

----------


## Snowqueen

Some pics from Snowqueen. 

Red Wattled Lapwing



Egrets perched on acacia. 



I love taking pictures of these fascinating raptors. 

(Sparrowhawk)

----------


## Dreamwoven

> Some pics from Snowqueen. 
> 
> Red Wattled Lapwing
> 
> 
> 
> Egrets perched on acacia. 
> 
> 
> ...


What wonderful pictures! Especially the squirrel and the hawk almost next to one another on the same branch. And the last one's profile, these take my breath away.

----------


## Snowqueen

Hi, Dreamwoven, thank you for stopping by and posting comments. So glad you liked my pictures. 
Oh, and welcome to Litnet.

----------


## tonywalt

I've got my pics on my blog: http://tonywalton.blogspot.com/

I try to mix it up landscape stuff with black and white street photography plus some portraits.

----------


## Hawkman

Hi Snowy. Yeah, really like the bird looking over its shoulder at the mangey rat  :Biggrin:  the last one's a great shot!

----------


## Snowqueen

Hello Hawkie,
Thank you for taking a look at my pictures, and glad you liked them. Don't mind this 'mangey rat' I think it is just showing off its youth and courage.  :Biggrin:

----------


## Dreamwoven

It doesn't matter whether it is a rat or a squirrel, getting them both in the same picture so close to one another is a very fine picture.

----------


## Calidore

Spring is here!



 :Rolleyes:

----------


## Calidore

While I'm posting anyway...



Some company I had while waiting for the bus the other day. Total city ducks, too. They hopped off the grass by the library and walked right up to me, then pretended not to be begging by circling the whole bus stop checking the ground.




Turned up in my friend's pinball workshop the other day: A genuine old penny slot machine with cigarette brand logos on the wheels that pays off in tokens redeemable for packs of cigs (any 15 cent brand!). Talk about a different time.

----------


## North Star

From a day in January:

----------


## Dreamwoven

Those extraordinary vertical rainbow effects are lovely.

----------


## YesNo

Those are lovely, North Star. I think I can see where the pot of gold should be in the second picture. I checked out some of your photos on Flickr and even started an account of my own. 

That picture with the squirrel approaching the hawk and the expression on the hawk's face is amazing, Snowqueen.

I remember when cigarettes where 25 cents a pack, Calidore. I also remember some of those quarters still had real silver in them which makes me wonder why I put them into those machines in the first place.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

.
Two pics of my long departed mother's Amaryllis. She doesn't bloom every year, in fact it seems that it has been maybe four years or so since the last blooming.
I like to think of it as her way of paying us a visit. The plant is at least 30 years old and still going strong.








A few Iris pics from our yard...

----------


## Dreamwoven

These are amazing closeups of flowers in bloom. What kind of camera do you use?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> These are amazing closeups of flowers in bloom. What kind of camera do you use?


Thanks for taking a look, the camera is a Pentax K-7 digital, purchased roughly 6 years ago. However, the lens I used is approximately 35 years old; Albinar 28 mm macro. The Amaryllis has five new blooms with a couple more on the way.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Photography is one skill I never learned, which is a pity. I've only got a several years old camera that I use, digital, but I am now sorry I didn't get a digital camera with a decent lens.

----------


## YesNo

I have an Amaryllis plant that blooms off and on. I suppose there is a way to get it to bloom yearly with the right light or fertilizer, but I don't know what that is. Nice photos, Gilliatt Gurgle.

All I have for a camera is what is on my phone.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I don't have a mobile phone but you encourage me to try with my CASIO EX-Z80.

----------


## tonywalt

camana bay small in april.jpg

A picture of a little island in the Cayman Islands

----------


## tonywalt

chair on beach.jpgchair on beach.jpg

a chair on a beach in the cayman islands

----------


## tonywalt

grand cayman, cayman islands beach for sale small.jpg

----------


## Dreamwoven

> chair on beach.jpgchair on beach.jpg
> 
> a chair on a beach in the cayman islands


I like this one, in particular. Almost appears to be taken in black and white, non-colour.

----------


## YesNo

The colors do seem unreal in their contrast. I also liked the one with the chair on the beach.

----------


## Pompey Bum

Yeah, that's a pretty spooky picture of the chair--like a ghost's throne, something that ought to have permanence but doesn't.

----------


## Snowqueen

Truly amazing pictures, Gilliatt and Tony! Keep them coming. 

North Star, I just saw your Photostream and loved it. 

Thanks for taking a look, YesNo. So glad you liked my pictures.

----------


## bounty

my first time trying this...good chance it wont work! 

if what I think I just inserted actually shows up, its a close-up of a Deptford pink, and its pretty misleading too---each flower is really only about the size of a thumbnail. also, they are much more pink in real life---this one came out looking lighter and with purple-ish hints.


yep---didn't work, my apologies...

i tried the "insert image" route. (my problem could be a really slow connection) 

should i be trying the "attachment" maybe instead?

----------


## bounty

CIMG1026.jpg 

trying again with an attachment...

yayyy it worked!

----------


## tonywalt

> CIMG1026.jpg 
> 
> trying again with an attachment...
> 
> yayyy it worked!


nice shot, larger aperture just focusing on flower and blurring background really works well.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, its very pretty.

----------


## bounty

thank you tony and dream...

it was just with a little pocket sized digital camera from radio shack, that unfortunately, recently broke. 

ive got a couple others I like that i'll attach here. I had to compress one of them, hopefully it will still come out okay you will like them too...

the first is a shot of the Washington street bridge that crosses the Mississippi river at the university of Minnesota campus. this is a shot from the east, at river level, looking west. 

the second shot---ive got a large pond here that attracts all sorts of flora and fauna, including lots of dragonflies. normally they aren't so cooperative as to hold still for photos!

----------


## Dreamwoven

Two really good pictures. What stuns me is that you have used a simple digital camera, probably a bit like the one I have. I've never tried to do anything ambitious before but now with spring here I will definitely experiment. That´s great to know.

----------


## YesNo

I liked the black and white colors of the dragonfly (or perhaps it is a different insect). The bridge seemed blurry and that got me to focus on its blurriness.

----------


## bounty

smiles...I appreciate your all looking, thank you!

----------


## tonywalt

BIRD ALONE SMALL SIGNED.jpgkaibo revised small box.jpg

A photo I took from a boat dock. It's always kool to frame a photo within the natural frame of the photo.

The other photo: a bird on the edge of a cliff in black & white - my favourite format.

----------


## tonywalt

HAMMOCK ON SEVEN MILE BEACH GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS small.jpg

hammock on seven mile beach, grand cayman, cayman islands

----------


## tonywalt

pier finger key small.jpg

a pier in grand cayman, cayman islands

----------


## Pompey Bum

I don't know if this will work..

image.jpg

Well, the damned thing wants to lie on its side, but you get the idea.

----------


## Dreamwoven

what is this image, Bum?

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Great close-up of a pine needles after rain!

----------


## Pompey Bum

> I don't know if this will work..
> 
> Attachment 9561
> 
> Well, the damned thing wants to lie on its side, but you get the idea.





> what is this image, Bum?


It's archaic rock art from a place in west Texas described by Cormac McCarthy in Blood Meridian (in the scene in which the Judge is recording the art in his notebook and then defacing the original). I photographed several examples of the art in the various small caves there. 

It probably represents a shaman dancer being changed into an animal (but who knows?).

It's too bad these two pictures want to come out horizontally here's another picture of the same image, showing how big it is:

image.jpg

Here's another subject, a star deity apparently associated with the planet Venus, and possibly with the cult of Quetzalcoatl:

image.jpg

This one used to be my avatar:

image.jpg

And here is one with the plumed helmet typically associated with Quetzalcoatl in art. The black smudges are from burnsticks used by "historical period Indians" to worship the much older images. If these are images of Quetzalcoatl, it is the farthest north that the cult is known to have penetrated. It may indicate something strange and traumatic going on to the south.

image.jpg

EDIT: Oh good! All but the first two stood upright.  :Smile:

----------


## Poetaster

Those are wonderful images, Pompey! I'm very impressed.

----------


## Pompey Bum

Oh thanks Poe.  :Smile: 

I've got others, but they're not uploading for some reason. If I can figure it out, I'll post them, too. Meanwhile here is a cool shot from Carlsbad: not the sharpest in the world, but it's crazy dark down there.

image.jpg

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## Pompey Bum

Oh beautiful, North! The frozen fern is my favorite.

----------


## North Star

> Oh beautiful, North! The frozen fern is my favorite.


Thanks Pompey, but it's not frozen, but alive and well in agreeable weather.

----------


## Iain Sparrow

> It's archaic rock art from a place in west Texas described by Cormac McCarthy in Blood Meridian (in the scene in which the Judge is recording the art in his notebook and then defacing the original). I photographed several examples of the art in the various small caves there. 
> 
> It probably represents a shaman dancer being changed into an animal (but who knows?).
> 
> It's too bad these two pictures want to come out horizontally here's another picture of the same image, showing how big it is:
> 
> image.jpg
> 
> Here's another subject, a star deity apparently associated with the planet Venus, and possibly with the cult of Quetzalcoatl:
> ...



Cool pics... had no idea the Quetzalcoatl guys made it that far north... from Quetzalcoatl, to the Christian Conservatives it appears Texas has hosted its share of cults. :Wink:  I recently read a book on the Plains Indians and they too were badass, especially bad in Texas.

----------


## tonywalt

> 


Beautiful

----------


## tonywalt

amish mother and child very small.jpg

Amish mother and daughter in train looking at the snow. (the mother was wary of the camera, so the photo was underexposed)

----------


## Iain Sparrow

I pic of an unfortunate robin that flew into the front door window of my house. The palm trees here grow berries a few times a year, and when they've stayed on the branches for too long, and the weather is warm... they ferment. Some birds eat their fill and become _drunk_, and fly in a frenzy. Sometimes I'll hear a thud and know it's not a kid throwing a ball against the house, just another wayward FUI (flying under the influence) bird. When I gathered up this particular robin, it twitched in my hand... which made my heart skip a beat... because I thought perhaps I might be one of those people who can resurrect the dead. And I really don't need that kind of responsibility. :Smile:

----------


## Pompey Bum

That's an oddly beautiful picture, Iain. 




> Cool pics... had no idea the Quetzalcoatl guys made it that far north... from Quetzalcoatl, to the Christian Conservatives it appears Texas has hosted its share of cults. I recently read a book on the Plains Indians and they too were badass, especially bad in Texas.


Thanks. That site is pretty close to the border, but it is remarkable to find Quetzalcoatl images (if that's what they are) so far north. And yup, Texas gets it share.  :Smile:  Out of curiosity, was the book you read The Son by Philipp Meyer?

Here's a petroglyph from another site (this one in New Mexico). I have many other (and much better) pictures from the site, but for some reason this is the only one that wants to upload. The petroglyph area was on a stony hill, about a quarter of a mile from the probable residential area. The hill may have been a sacred place to see visions and spirits and to capture them on the stones (but again, who knows?). Too bad I can't show you the others, but hey, best to let the spirits have it their way.  :Smile: 

image.jpg

EDIT: Oh well, that looks even worse here than in the original. Here are a couple more from the first site:

Some images that may show South American influence:

image.jpg

And a weird image that may represent a "far north" depiction of Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god. It is on the ceiling of a low cave, just over a natural stone table. You have to wonder what exactly folks were doing to the poor guy who was lying on table in ancient times, staring up into the rain god's face. It's not a PC thing to talk about, but there is some evidence in some of the surrounding places for some fairly nasty practices. 

image.jpg

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## Dreamwoven

Petroglyph, I had to look it up! Is that a special interest of yours?

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## North Star

Eerily beautiful, *Iain*.

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## North Star

From a series I photographed a year ago:

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## Pompey Bum

Gorgeous, North. I keep dry flowers, too, although my wife tells me they are haunted and usually throws them out after some time. Great pictures, though.




> Here's a petroglyph from another site (this one in New Mexico). I have many other (and much better) pictures from the site, but for some reason this is the only one that wants to upload. The petroglyph area was on a stony hill, about a quarter of a mile from the probable residential area. The hill may have been a sacred place to see visions and spirits and to capture them on the stones (but again, who knows?). Too bad I can't show you the others, but hey, best to let the spirits have it their way. 
> 
> Attachment 9571
> 
> EDIT: Oh well, that looks even worse here than in the original. Here are a couple more from the first site:
> 
> Some images that may show South American influence:
> 
> Attachment 9572
> ...





> Petroglyph, I had to look it up! Is that a special interest of yours?


Yes. We Americans tend to ignore our antiquity. That's a mixed blessing because it helps in a way to protect the sites. Many are hardly formally protected at all, but on the other hand most are remote and not very famous. Better in some ways to keep it that way. 

By the way, DW, you should go back and check out the two images I added to my post above.

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## YesNo

I liked the second one of the rose (?) the best, North Star.

I remember seeing petroglyphs once in South Mountain Park in Phoenix some years ago, Pompey Bum. I've often wondered how they know these are old and not made recently.

The dead bird was an interesting subject for a photo and it does stand out, Iain Sparrow. I signed in to Photobucket and will see if I can post some photos in the future.

The picture of the Amish child and mother stands out for me because of the contrasting color or the blue seat the mother is sitting on and the color in her face, tonywalt.

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## Dreamwoven

These are amazing, North Star. The last one looks to be in black and white, and the middle one, is it a mushroom?

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## Pompey Bum

> I remember seeing petroglyphs once in South Mountain Park in Phoenix some years ago, Pompey Bum. I've often wondered how they know these are old and not made recently.


I'll try not to get too far off subject, YN, but there are various approaches. Paints were organic, so they can be radiocarbon dated. Unpainted petroglyphs can sometimes be dated by from patina materials, aided, in ideal cases, by environmental sampling. In a case that everyone is buzzing about right now, for example, carbonate encrusted on petroglyphs found on the shores of a dried lake in Nevada indicated that the area had been totally submerged after the carvings were made, and then exposed as the lake dried. Core samples from the lake placed that event at between 10,500 and 14,800 years ago. That's a stunningly old date (the European "Iceman" is only 5300 years old) and places the carvings in the Clovis or even pre-Clovis world of the first human settlement of the Americas. Cool that is.

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## Iain Sparrow

> That's an oddly beautiful picture, Iain. 
> 
> Thanks. That site is pretty close to the border, but it is remarkable to find Quetzalcoatl images (if that's what they are) so far north. And yup, Texas gets it share.  Out of curiosity, was the book you read The Son by Philipp Meyer?


Thanks! What's really "odd" about it, it's in focus!
I have poor eyesight and refuse to wear glasses or contacts resulting in notoriously bad photographs. A shutterbug I am not :Smile: . I googled 'The Son', and the book covers some of the same territory and appears to be a fictional account using a real historical backdrop. The book I read on the subject was, *Empire of the Summer Moon:* Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. Yes I know, a very pretentious title for a history book!

If you're used to books about indigenous peoples in the New World with a narrative ending in feelings of remorse (as a person of European heritage should rightly feel), a sense of tragedy and guilt for what can plainly be considered genocide... Empire of the Summer Moon, is not going to deliver on such a warm and fuzzy 'feel bad' experience. I usually feel a great deal of sympathy for these Native American Tribes who found themselves in the way of progress (greed, racism, religious zealotry, Manifest Destiny, etc), and witnessed an end to their way of life, and often within three or four generations. No such feelings were forthcoming in Empire of the Summer Moon. I had a muted sense of tragedy and injustice/justice, that just about everyone had it coming either due to mutual brutality, or a shared naiveté. Where brutality and murder failed, disease and starvation picked up the slack. Best I can say about the Comanches, is they were a remarkably savage stone-aged culture that could have given Attila the Hun and his Horse Riders a run for their money. Some of the recounting by survivors, usually those who were kidnapped and subsequently ransomed off, are difficult to read. Pregnant white women being gang raped, young girls being raped then tortured, and finally murdered. Even the other surrounding Plains Indian Tribes feared and despised the Comanches, and often allied themselves with white settlers. On the whole, stuff they wouldn't dare teach in a US History class.
If you're up for an unflinching look at Western Expansion and frontier life on the Great Plains from about 1800-1880, I can highly recommend Empire of the Summer Moon.

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## YesNo

> I'll try not to get too far off subject, YN, but there are various approaches. *Paints were organic, so they can be radiocarbon dated.* Unpainted petroglyphs can sometimes be dated by from *patina materials, aided, in ideal cases, by environmental sampling*. In a case that everyone is buzzing about right now, for example, *carbonate encrusted on petroglyphs found on the shores of a dried lake in Nevada indicated that the area had been totally submerged after the carvings were made*, and then exposed as the lake dried. Core samples from the lake placed that event at between 10,500 and 14,800 years ago. That's a stunningly old date (the European "Iceman" is only 5300 years old) and places the carvings in the Clovis or even pre-Clovis world of the first human settlement of the Americas. Cool that is.


Those look like ways to date the markings. Ten thousand years is pretty old. There are caves in France that are older.

Here's a picture of a place I stayed at once north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I am posting this more to see if I can do it right. What I like about the picture are all the more or less horizontal lines: horizon, edge of the grass, shadows from trees and then the curvy stone path leading to the stairs and the shore.

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## Pompey Bum

> Those look like ways to date the markings. Ten thousand years is pretty old. There are caves in France that are older.


Sure, European antiquity is much older than American antiquity. But most Americans seem to think that we don't have an antiquity, when we do, and a very widespread one. There is a Clovis site a few miles from where I am writing this (in Massachusetts). I doubt most folks even have a clue.

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## Pompey Bum

> I googled 'The Son', and the book covers some of the same territory and appears to be a fictional account using a real historical backdrop. The book I read on the subject was, *Empire of the Summer Moon:* Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. Yes I know, a very pretentious title for a history book!


Publishers give often elaborate secondary titles to popular history books. I think it's to grab prospective buyers by explaining a little more about the subject. Not everyone's going to look on the back. But Empire of the Sun has a great reputation. It was a Pulitzer Prize nominee, which still means something. I own a copy, but I haven't read it yet. 




> If you're used to books about indigenous peoples in the New World with a narrative ending in feelings of remorse (as a person of European heritage should rightly feel), a sense of tragedy and guilt for what can plainly be considered genocide... Empire of the Summer Moon, is not going to deliver on such a warm and fuzzy 'feel bad' experience. I usually feel a great deal of sympathy for these Native American Tribes who found themselves in the way of progress (greed, racism, religious zealotry, Manifest Destiny, etc), and witnessed an end to their way of life, and often within three or four generations. No such feelings were forthcoming in Empire of the Summer Moon. I had a muted sense of tragedy and injustice/justice, that just about everyone had it coming either due to mutual brutality, or a shared naiveté. Where brutality and murder failed, disease and starvation picked up the slack. Best I can say about the Comanches, is they were a remarkably savage stone-aged culture that could have given Attila the Hun and his Horse Riders a run for their money. Some of the recounting by survivors, usually those who were kidnapped and subsequently ransomed off, are difficult to read. Pregnant white women being gang raped, young girls being raped then tortured, and finally murdered. Even the other surrounding Plains Indian Tribes feared and despised the Comanches, and often allied themselves with white settlers. On the whole, stuff they wouldn't dare teach in a US History class.


Unfortunately too true! Somehow the descendants of the folks who displaced and contributed to the deaths of most of the indigenous people of North America need to suckle this myth about gentle victims who never wasted anything they killed. The last bit always cracks me up. I mean, some of the peoples thought wasting food was wrong, but some thought it was really rude to take everything from a kill. Some made a point of leaving some of the meat to rot because they wanted to show the gods that they weren't greedy. And the Paleoindians used to stampede bison off cliffs, go butcher the ones at the top of the heap, and never touch the ones squished underneath them. 

And yes, the Comanche are notorious for things that seem very cruel to us today--torture, rape, and slavery among them. They were hardly the gentle victims the commissars of political correctness wants us to buy. Of course they were victims, just not very useful ones to them. 




> If you're up for an unflinching look at Western Expansion and frontier life on the Great Plains from about 1800-1880, I can highly recommend Empire of the Summer Moon.


Thanks. It's definitely on my list. My wife and I are looking for a property in the American West, and I've sort of been planning to read it (along with a few others) once we get there. I bet you would like The Son, by the way. The Comanche start out like something from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and end up being humanized without being sanitized. They were free, that is what Meyer seems to want to say about them. Of everyone in the narrative (which goes to the present time), only they were free. But it can be a jarring time getting there. Personally I wasn't overly bothered when the smallpox descended. Maybe that's a flaw in me, but I wasn't.

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## Dreamwoven

The book that changed my perception of how the west was won (or how the east was lost) was _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee_. I will try to borrow the Empire of the Summer Moon. Thanks for the tip.

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## North Star



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## YesNo

I have to admit that's a weird looking tree. The mushrooms don't make it look too healthy.

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## Pompey Bum

> 


Interesting picture, North. Are you photographing up into a canopy or down at reflections in water? The ambiguity is a little unsettling.

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## North Star

> I have to admit that's a weird looking tree. The mushrooms don't make it look too healthy.


And it's aligned horizontally, unlike most trees that pass their medical.  :Wink: 




> Interesting picture, North. Are you photographing up into a canopy or down at reflections in water? The ambiguity is a little unsettling.


Reflections on water - I can't see how that shadow and those (reflected) trees could otherwise be there.  :Smile:

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## Pompey Bum

That's what I thought, but the pale water gives it a sort of "dismal sky" effect. It's a haunting picture. You expect dark water spirits to rise from the center.

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## tonywalt

> 


Great mood to the photograph!

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## Dreamwoven

It also shows the potential of black and white photography.

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## tonywalt

question: how do you post a photo in the box itself. I'm reducing my photos in size and it's just showing an attached image- annoying.

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## YesNo

In Photobucket they provide code to use to post the image. For example I used this:

open bracket URL=http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Yes-No-Maybe/media/fc20a234-f8e3-4be2-8e10-d2a585ffb43d.jpg.html close bracket open bracket IMG close bracket http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...a585ffb43d.jpg open bracket /IMG close bracket open bracket /URL close bracket

Replace "open bracket" with [ and "close bracket" with ]

I did put the photo on PhotoBucket although most of my camera photos are automatically saved to Flickr in private status.

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## North Star



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## Iain Sparrow

> 


Nice pic... I know it must be Finland... here in Florida we have swamps that look very similar... but with alligators. :Smile:

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## North Star

> Nice pic... I know it must be Finland... here in Florida we have swamps that look very similar... but with alligators.


I managed to crop out the alligators.  :Wink:

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## North Star



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## Dreamwoven

There is something special about birch trees, nice peak into the dark woods.

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## North Star



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## North Star



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## North Star



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## North Star



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## Lykren

image.jpg

From the train window just now.

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## Pompey Bum

Nice picture with gorgeous colors. Happy landings!  :Smile:

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## YesNo

I like how the sun shines through the leaves, North Star.

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## North Star

Thanks, YesNo. The light certainly helped my notice the 'scenery', even though I was specifically looking for that kind of thing in any case.

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## Lykren

Keep it up North Star! Very enjoyable, lovely photos.

Here is a shōgi board I made:

image.jpg

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## North Star

Thanks Lykren.

Here are some more - click the photos to see them and others large

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## Dreamwoven

This last one of a lake before dawn is particularly atmospheric. Thanks for all these pictures, North Star!

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## Dreamwoven

> Keep it up North Star! Very enjoyable, lovely photos.
> 
> Here is a shōgi board I made:
> 
> image.jpg


That's cleverly done, Lykren, hand made woodwork.

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## North Star



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## Tyrion Cheddar

Does anyone else have the Samsung Galaxy S6 and have you discovered, as I have, that it has a quite spectacular camera, at least for a phone. I'll dig up some pics I've taken with it, see about posting something.

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## North Star

> Does anyone else have the Samsung Galaxy S6 and have you discovered, as I have, that it has a quite spectacular camera, at least for a phone. I'll dig up some pics I've taken with it, see about posting something.


Phone cameras can be very decent cameras indeed these days. See here for some iPhone work by John Acurso

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## YesNo

I liked the birds on top of that red object against the blue-white clouds, North Star. The black against the red looked nice.

I have a Samsung Note S5, Tyrion Cheddar. I think it has 16 megapixels, and the pictures look fine to me, but I don't know much about photography. Perhaps one doesn't have to know much these days for most purposes.

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## Lykren

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

These are some of the sad last remnants of my epic computer disaster that destroyed tens of thousands of photos  :Frown:

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## Dreamwoven

Sadly computer are like that, a fact of life we have to live with, at least for me not being "computerate".

I just love your close-ups of individual flowers. And also that amazing shot of what must be the sun and the cat silhouette on the horizon. I guess a filter must have been used for that. Great shots, all of them!

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## Lykren

Thanks Dreamwoven!

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## YesNo

Those were nice photos, Lykren. The colors stood out in the compositions. 

As far as losing photos, mine are automatically uploaded to Google and Flickr. Maybe I am over-confident that they are safe there.

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## Lykren

Thank you, YesNo. Either my photos were from a time when such dandy cloud services were not available, or I was young and foolish, even more than I am now.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> Attachment 9582
> 
> Attachment 9583
> 
> Attachment 9584
> 
> Attachment 9585
> 
> These are some of the sad last remnants of my epic computer disaster that destroyed tens of thousands of photos


 So sorry to hear that, but these surviving pics are really gorgeous. I, too, know bupkis (that's ancient Sanskrit, in case you're wondering) about photography, but I know what I like.

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## North Star



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## Dreamwoven

When I was still a child we visited the Lake District, and I took a black and white picture of Lake Derwent like the one in your first picture. My box camera caught a similar moment of sunset behind a lake. Mine was just luck with primitive photography.The ferns catch the intricate detail of the plant with great clarity.

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## North Star

> When I was still a child we visited the Lake District, and I took a black and white picture of Lake Derwent like the one in your first picture. My box camera caught a similar moment of sunset behind a lake. Mine was just luck with primitive photography.The ferns catch the intricate detail of the plant with great clarity.


Bah, wet plates are what I call primitive photography  :Wink: 
Thanks. That is pretty much what I intended, with the implication that clarity means more than just technical sharpness. (Ansel Adams quote time: Nothing is worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept)

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## YesNo

> Bah, wet plates are what I call primitive photography 
> Thanks. That is pretty much what I intended, with the implication that clarity means more than just technical sharpness. (Ansel Adams quote time: Nothing is worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept)


The "sharp image of a fuzzy concept" idea has got me thinking. It is difficult not to take a sharp image with smart phones so one better make sure the concept behind the photo isn't fuzzy. I liked how the ferns stood out against the forest in the background.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> The "sharp image of a fuzzy concept" idea has got me thinking. It is difficult not to take a sharp image with smart phones so one better make sure the concept behind the photo isn't fuzzy.


 The concept behind most smartphone photos is the selfie. :-0

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## YesNo

I wonder how narcissists feel about how easy it is today to take a selfie?

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## YesNo

Here's a picture of something we found amazing. There is a pond near where we live that has swans in it to keep the geese away. Here is a picture of that swan near some fish. The swan is picking food out of the box and giving it to those fish.



It looks like I am not the first to notice such things. Here are two videos of the process with larger fish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkWOse70Oyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIviEsVyz8M

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## YesNo

Here is how I think a pigeon might view the street scene:

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## North Star



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## Dreamwoven

The image of a swan feeding fish and keeping away geese is very interesting. I had no idea they did that!

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## Calidore

Didn't know about feeding fish either, but I do know that swans will attack geese on sight and kill them if possible. Many companies with ornamental ponds buy swans to keep the geese away.

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## Iain Sparrow

> Here's a picture of something we found amazing. There is a pond near where we live that has swans in it to keep the geese away. Here is a picture of that swan near some fish. The swan is picking food out of the box and giving it to those fish.
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like I am not the first to notice such things. Here are two videos of the process with larger fish


I wonder what benefit or mutual reward the swans receive for feeding the fish?
I can't imagine it's out of sheer kindheartedness...

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## Clopin

Wait, how come swans kill geese?

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## Pompey Bum

> I wonder what benefit or mutual reward the swans receive for feeding the fish?
> I can't imagine it's out of sheer kindheartedness...


You want to fatten those fish up, Iain.  :Smile:

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## Iain Sparrow

> You want to fatten those fish up, Iain.


I wasn't aware swans were carnivorous... perhaps there have been rare incidents of a swan devouring a small child holding a bag of two-week-old bread. I'm *ok* with that.

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## Gilliatt Gurgle

A lot of catching up to do, wonderful photos by all spanning the last several pages.
I enjoyed the tour of the gallery.

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## Calidore

> Wait, how come swans kill geese?


I think swans are kind of the bird equivalent of buffaloes--big and mean. I've read that swans will attack other animals and humans also. A swan can break a man's leg, and can drag a dog, for example, into the water and drown it.

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## Pompey Bum

Aw the only ones buffalo bother are the dummies who walk up, put a hand on their humps, and say, "Okay Margey, take the picture!" 

My theory about the swan is that the box used to contain something it liked to eat--pieces of bread or something--but now has only fragments or crumbs. The swan is greedily trying to gobble these up, but can't manage the job well because of its bill. So bits spill out and the fish chow down. Sorry to rain on the parade, but whatever's going on, it's not sharing. Nature's a cruel gal.

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## Pompey Bum

P.S. Here's a comment from one of the videos that YN posted:

"They actually aren't feeding them. Swans drop their food in the water before they eat it so that they can consume it mixed with water which keeps it from getting stuck in their throats. The koi have just learned this and in this case are parasitic to the swans. The more you know!﻿"

Oh well, so I was close.

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## Dreamwoven

This is a very interesting subject, like Clopin I had no idea swans were so hostile to geese.

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## North Star

Swans are indeed very hostile to all other birds, but they can't break your limb - other than by making you fall over while being chased.

But, back to the topic. . .

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## YesNo

I like the closeups of the blossoms, North Star, on your last two photos.

Regarding the swans, I suspect the fish are to swans as pigeons are to people picking up what drops to them as Pompey Bum explains.

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## Pompey Bum

Actually I think I've gone over to the "softening up the food by dropping it in the water" explanation. Imagine doing the Heimlich maneuver on a swan!  :Smile:

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## YesNo

However it gets in the water is likely irrelevant to the fish, but those swans must know once they drop the food in the water it doesn't stay there long. I'm surprised they don't try to scare the fish away like they do the geese.

There may even be some swans who can't read the signs about not feeding the fish.

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## Clopin

Where I come from feeding wildlife is heavily illegal. Are swans expected to obey to laws of men? Should we be holding swans to the same standards of behaviour as we do people? These are important questions.

Edit: And I'm not sure bylaw smiles upon instances of wanton geese slaughter either.

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## Pompey Bum

> However it gets in the water is likely irrelevant to the fish


Fair enough, but don't we need to change the analogy from pigeons in a park to mice in a kitchen? The swan is not feeding the fish as people sometimes feed pigeons. The fish are merely taking what they can get.

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## Lykren

> Where I come from feeding wildlife is heavily illegal. Are swans expected to obey to laws of men? Should we be holding swans to the same standards of behaviour as we do people? These are important questions.
> 
> Edit: And I'm not sure bylaw smiles upon instances of wanton geese slaughter either.


Here in California geese-slaughter is encouraged. In addition, most California swans have lawyers, so even if the murder of geese and feeding of fish were illegal acts, prosecuting them would be a Herculean task. #SwanPrivilege #EndTheSwanarchy #ReclaimThePonds

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## Clopin

Haha racist cops don't arrest white swans, it's a damn shame.

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## YesNo

> Fair enough, but don't we need to change the analogy from pigeons in a park to mice in a kitchen? The swan is not feeding the fish as people sometimes feed pigeons. The fish are merely taking what they can get.


I don't understand why the swans don't peck at the fish and move them out of the way if all that is going on is getting the food wet. They don't seem to be annoyed by the fish as they are with geese or with me as I walk near them especially with their young around. They seem to be playing with the fish in some way. 

I remember having some chickens and a dog. The dog had to be on a chain. The chickens were free to run around as they choose. The chickens knew just how far the chain went and when they got bored would edge across the circumference of the dog's house to get his attention. He would get up and jump at them and they would head back as if they were teenagers on a ride at an amusement park. They knew just how long the dog's chain was. I'm sure he did, too, but he probably figured he might just this one time get lucky and those birds were ticking him off.

So, I don't know. I'm willing to accept that it is just a matter of getting food wet, but then I remember those chickens.

Here's a picture of potted flowers on our patio. It was raining and I thought the blue of the umbrella protecting the camera from the rain was a nice replacement for the sky. I'm calling it "Red and Blue with Green and Rain".

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## Pompey Bum

[/QUOTE]

Beautiful colors, YN. Very compelling illusions!  :Smile:  

I doubt your hypothesis about the swan would stand up to scrutiny, although I suppose it might. We (meaning "you and I," not "science") don't really know how much of the fish the swan sees, but assuming it sees them well and understands what is going on, there is the evolutionary bottom line of whether chasing them away is worth it in terms of food saved vs energy expended. Geese would quickly eat all the bread crumbs on the water and in the box, and given sufficient numbers, violently drive the swan away. That is an existential threat to the swan. But the fish, I imagine, are more like pesky insects are to us: they don't take much, and they come right back if you chase them away. From the point of view of the swan, whose survival is a lot more precarious than ours, they are most probably not worth the energy. 

Perhaps the swan is whimsically playing with the fish, although I doubt it. Lunchtime is a serious business in the evolutionary world, and whimsy, in my view, ought to be sought elsewhere. I find it interesting, by the way, that in Iain, you, and me, we have a materialist, an idealist, and a dualist, respectively. At least we've got all our bases covered.  :Smile:

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## YesNo

I am beginning to see the swan-fish as more like a human-cat or human-dog relationship, but I have no evidence for this at the moment except that the swans are not harming the fish. It could be more like the human-spider relationship.

It may be, as you mention, that the fish are hard to chase away and not worth the energy. However, I suspect the fish provide some benefit to the swans. Perhaps their presence makes the waters safer in some way for the swans. I don't know. Also having food provided is an artificial situation. In the wild, swans would not have that. I wonder how swans in the wild treat fish?

Thanks for the comment on the photo!

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## Pompey Bum

You are welcome. It has all kinds of allegorical possibilities between the cage and wall, the beauty of the blossoms (in their own fertile sea), and the blue "Heaven" above. It is a very effective picture. 

See if you notice the fish pecking at the underside of the swan at all. I'd be more open to your point of view if they were cleaning the swan's parasites: there's no reason a swan can't take care of that _and_ soften up lunch. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if the swan even knows the fish are there. Remember that birds don't have binocular vision. Even if the swan drops its beak, it is still looking to each side and not down into the water. If you've seen it twist its head to one side (as robins do when they are looking for worms), that might suggest concern about the fish. As it is, though, it's highly unlikely that the swan is playing with them, whether it knows they are there or not.

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## YesNo

I agree. It is probably the fish being opportunistic and the swan not caring. Here is an article about them: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-reserve.html

Regarding the binocular vision, I don't think fish are any better off than the swans. There is a nice picture of swan and fish right up against each other in the link above.

Here is another pigeon perspective picture. I like the white lines on the street.

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## Dreamwoven

Two yellow lines???

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## Pompey Bum

Thanks, YN. The pictures in the article are amazing (and wonderfully colored), too. I have seen birds feeding other birds beak to beak, but I assumed they were mothers feeding fledglings. Still, who knows? Nature is full of oddities.

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## YesNo

> Two yellow lines???


They do look yellow, now that you mention it.

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## YesNo

Here's the swan coming to get me protecting the babies (cygnets?) in the background. I took a picture and then an alternate route.

----------


## Dreamwoven

You have actually caught a very nice picture there. The swan even looks angry.

----------


## YesNo

Thanks! The swan looked even angrier with his wings up and walking straight toward me.

We were at the Chicago Botanic Garden today. Here are three pictures:

This one just has all that orange color shooting out over the path:



Here's a small bird. It had a nice blue shine around its neck, but I wasn't able to capture that:



And here are a bunch of blooms making a delicate but gaudy display:

----------


## Pompey Bum

> Here's the swan coming to get me protecting the babies (cygnets?) in the background. I took a picture and then an alternate route.


How nice of you to have protected the babies, YN. Did you dangle modifiers as bait.  :Smile: 

I kid, I kid. Great pictures, especially the one of the orange flowers. They look like they are saying: "HEY, HEY! OVER HERE! CHECK US OUT!"

----------


## YesNo

Thanks! I liked that orange one as well with its lack of self-restraint.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Those colours of flowers are really pretty.

I took some photos of a fir tree sprouting new branches a few days ago but crashed my computer when trying to download it to my iPhoto folder, I will try again later today.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I haven't been able to transfer any photos from my computer to the LitNet website, but I have a link to a website of a picture in Washington State which has what I wanted: http://crawford.tardigrade.net/journ...lakepollen.jpg. It shows how fast pines can grow in their early years, the new shoots are almost a doubling of the height of the young tree.

Pine is the natural cover for most of Sweden, and any land without it soon becomes covered with pine shoots. There is also a natural sequence from birch to rowan and then pine. Even with clear-felling this pattern exists as the seeds are in the ground.

----------


## YesNo

I have been putting pictures on Photo Bucket for this site and then cut and paste the links provided there. It also allows me to reduce the size of the picture. I think Flickr would work as well. Maybe Google+. I haven't tried these.

I remember when I was young planting trees for forest companies.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I'm just not very good at computers. I will try that in future. Link from photobucket, thanks,YesNo!

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

What is this a blossom of, North Star?

----------


## North Star

> What is this a blossom of, North Star?


Apple blossom from my parents' yard.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I thought it might have been white hawthorn blossom.

----------


## YesNo

Nice close-up on that blossom, North Star. The white petals seem smooth and bubbly.

----------


## North Star

> Nice close-up on that blossom, North Star. The white petals seem smooth and bubbly.


Thanks. Here are two more:

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## YesNo

It is amazing how much detail one can get with photographs. One might be able to see the flowers better with a photograph than with the eye. Of course one is restricted to what one is focusing on.

Here's a picture I took to record my weight. The goal is 170 pounds and once I actually saw it at 167 pounds, but I didn't think of trying to get some evidence. Here I'm at 171 pounds.

----------


## Calidore

> It is amazing how much detail one can get with photographs. One might be able to see the flowers better with a photograph than with the eye.


Since one would be looking at the photograph with the same eyes used to look at the flower, probably not.  :Smile: 

Best time to weigh is first thing in the morning, before breakfast and after, um, jettisoning any ballast. See if that does the trick.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I didn't realise Calidore, like YesNo, is also from Chicago. I still have not uploaded my picture of a young pine tree, though I do have a photobucket account. I'll get round to it eventually. Meanwhile I hope to write a couple of book reviews: it is odd how that sub-forum is so little used! Not one published since my post there in November 2014….

----------


## YesNo

> Since one would be looking at the photograph with the same eyes used to look at the flower, probably not. 
> 
> Best time to weigh is first thing in the morning, before breakfast and after, um, jettisoning any ballast. See if that does the trick.


I was hoping to assign that extra pound to the ballast account. When I took the picture I thought the scale read 170 pounds, but upon blowing it up, it was 171. My eyes need a bit of fine tuning as well.

----------


## YesNo

> I didn't realise Calidore, like YesNo, is also from Chicago. I still have not uploaded my picture of a young pine tree, though I do have a photobucket account. I'll get round to it eventually. Meanwhile I hope to write a couple of book reviews: it is odd how that sub-forum is so little used! Not one published since my post there in November 2014.


I use photobucket because I already had an account there (although I rarely use it for anything but staging photos for this site). I think flickr which is what North Star uses is better. 

All the photos from my phone are automatically backed up to my Google account. Overall, I like Google best, but there may be better things out there. I've even converted spreadsheets, documents, calendar and email to Google from Microsoft.

----------


## Ecurb

> It is amazing how much detail one can get with photographs. One might be able to see the flowers better with a photograph than with the eye. Of course one is restricted to what one is focusing on.
> 
> Here's a picture I took to record my weight. The goal is 170 pounds and once I actually saw it at 167 pounds, but I didn't think of trying to get some evidence. Here I'm at 171 pounds.


Take off your socks. They might weigh half a pound.

----------


## YesNo

I suppose I should deduct something for the clothes. That and the ballast might get me to 170. If I took off my socks, I would probably have to clean my feet so they wouldn't gross anyone out. There goes another quarter pound.

----------


## Calidore

Maybe also get a haircut (if applicable).

----------


## YesNo

I probably could use a haircut, but otherwise I tried everyone's advice from the ballast to the socks, but it still looked to me like 170 pounds. Then I flipped the phone 180 degrees thinking the perspective might be off and got this picture:



My conclusion is that I should get a digital scale.

----------


## YesNo

Here's a flower that was on the side of the country road we were walking along near Green Bay, Wisconsin. I thought the orange made a nice contrast with the green and black of the forest.

----------


## YesNo

Here's a picture of a tree that someone unearthed, roots and all, and then turned upside down and planted canopy first into the ground. Vines are growing up it and there is grass on the soil around the dead roots raised into the sky.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Great picture, YesNo.

The vines looks to me like Rowan.

----------


## YesNo

Thanks, Dreamwoven. It is a mystery to my anyone would do something like that to a tree, but then we do all sorts of things to trees. It sort of reminds me of a sculpture.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Certainly an intriguing picture...

----------


## LadyDedlock

I went on vacation to another island about three months ago, and here's the beach!

----------


## Dreamwoven

In the second pic you have caught the water quality beautifully.

----------


## YesNo

Yes, the water in the second one stands out nicely against the buildings and vegetation on the land. Perhaps it is just that I am used to seeing landscapes in the other direction, from the land out to the water.

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

That is an unusual view of water, North Star, especially what looks like the ripples from a pebble dropped into all that redness.

----------


## Sancho

Good day to be a dog in El Sancho's truck.



Text while driving!? Moi? Never! 
Take snapshots and cloud-share them, well sure.

----------


## YesNo

That's one way to get the dogs to pose for a picture. I like the idea of taking pictures using a mirror.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Good day to be a dog in El Sancho's truck.
> 
> Text while driving!? Moi? Never! 
> Take snapshots and cloud-share them, well sure.


btw, are you tooling along the back roads of your new stomping grounds?

----------


## Sancho

> btw, are you tooling along the back roads of your new stomping grounds?


Nope. I took that pic about a mile from my house in Georgia. We did manage to close on the house in Washington just last week, but we're not really moved in yet. We'll get transitioned over the next few months. It was the first short-sale we'd ever done and there were a buncha more hoops to jump through than with a regular house. It took all summer. At one point I went all Southern on them: "Why Ah say, this heyah short-sale has taken longah than Genral Grant's siege of Vicksburg!"

At any rate, right now I'm in the uncomfortable position of paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities on two places, which are on opposite sides of the country. Anybody wanna buy house in Georgia?

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

Nice shadows and reflections in the water. The closeup on the veins in the leaf is also unusual.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Sometimes the simplest motif can be captivating, like the oar in the water.

----------


## North Star

> Nice shadows and reflections in the water. The closeup on the veins in the leaf is also unusual.


Thanks. I'll try and take 'unusual' as a compliment  :Wink: 





> Sometimes the simplest motif can be captivating, like the oar in the water.


Oh, I find that simplicity - or rather, clarity - quite often makes for beauty in whatever art form.





> Nice shadows and reflections in the water. The closeup on the veins in the leaf is also unusual.


Some more photos from last winter, see the whole bunch properly (larger, and sharper too) here - including these two.

----------


## Dreamwoven

In some of the photos on the website link three rainbow-like images appear. I can't imagine how these are produced, they have me flummoxed. The middle one is obviously the sun, but the other two?

----------


## North Star

> In some of the photos on the website link three rainbow-like images appear. I can't imagine how these are produced, they have me flummoxed. The middle one is obviously the sun, but the other two?


First time I remember seeing halos like that. I think there were 22° halo, Sun dogs aka parhelia, and a light pillar there. Sunlight interacting with the ice crystals in the atmosphere is what produced them.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Thats remarkable. I must look out for these Sun dogs, we are at lat 61, and the sun is low on the horizon all day, it must be possible to see them from our position too.

----------


## YesNo

Both of the winter scenes are very nice, North Star. I like the white-black contrast on the light blue and purple backgrounds.

----------


## North Star

Thanks, YesNo

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star

I have a feeling that we could all do with a cup of hot chocolate at the moment... and please click the links if you bother to look at the images at all

----------


## YesNo

I'm drinking tea now. I didn't realize hot chocolate was so bubbly. 

I liked this one as well in your recent set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/janace...ream/lightbox/

----------


## Dreamwoven

Definitely looks odd!

----------


## North Star

> I'm drinking tea now. I didn't realize hot chocolate was so bubbly. 
> 
> I liked this one as well in your recent set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/janace...ream/lightbox/


It's not that bubbly really, but it sure looks more exciting. I wish I remembered how I managed to make it so bubbly...

Thanks.




> Definitely looks odd!


Referring to the flower image, I assume. I'll take that as a compliment.  :Wink:

----------


## Dreamwoven

No it was the bubbly-ness of hot chocolate, I was surprised at. But the other pics of your flickr links were also very interesting. I was amazed at how very simple things like rain on a window could look so strange, or the eye of a perch in a refraction.

----------


## North Star

> No it was the bubbly-ness of hot chocolate, I was surprised at. But the other pics of your flickr links were also very interesting. I was amazed at how very simple things like rain on a window could look so strange, or the eye of a perch in a refraction.


Okay. Well, I must have mixed the chocolate rather well with a spoon (and had a lot of chocolate powder in the water) - to make it bubbly, and the lighting and enlargement help to make the bubbles look so prominent. The diameter of the cup the chocolate is in is 8 cm (3.15").

Thank you. Well I do like *Atget* (and *Man Ray*), and try to adhere to *Minor White*'s advice _One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are_.  :Smile:

----------


## Dreamwoven

In a way, that is the art of good photography, seeing things from a different perspective and capturing the moment with a picture.

----------


## North Star

> In a way, that is the art of good photography, seeing things from a different perspective and capturing the moment with a picture.


That is certainly an important part of photography, although there is lots of good photography that doesn't fit the description.

----------


## North Star

Studies in Snow I & II

----------


## YesNo

Are those footprints that were later filled in or just a drifting process? I liked the spiral in the top one.

----------


## Dreamwoven

A good illustration of simplicity making the picture.

----------


## North Star

> Are those footprints that were later filled in or just a drifting process? I liked the spiral in the top one.


Some human activity has shaped the snowscapes, as far as I recall.




> A good illustration of simplicity making the picture.


Thanks. Simplicity in that the of patterns and shapes have uniformity, certainly. Now, try to recreate the photographs more closely than you could a portrait, for instance. . . (the photos are from last winter)

----------


## North Star

Click the link on the image to see properly, as always.

----------


## tailor STATELY

Beautiful photo. Mirrored events like these often remind me of Rorschach images. For instance w/my head tilted to left I can see a whiskered creature with its eyes closed. 

Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
tailor STATELY

----------


## YesNo

The reflection is so precise and the water so still, it almost doesn't seem real.

----------


## North Star

Thank you both. Yes, those ripples on bottom right aside, the water is indeed extremely still.

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

I find the background circles of color interesting in these last two.

----------


## Dreamwoven

But what are those colours? They appear in the first image as well, though even more fuzzy, perhaps because they are under water?

----------


## North Star

Just light sources (sun, slivers of sky through the trees) which are out of focus.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, in both pictures the greenery in focus throws the background out of focus. Quite mesmeric!

----------


## North Star

> Yes, in both pictures the greenery in focus throws the background out of focus. Quite mesmeric!


Thanks!

----------


## North Star

A view from Koli, in Northern Karelia, Finland

----------


## North Star

Taken today. As always, click the image to see it properly.

----------


## YesNo

I see you are using 500px now. Are you switching from flickr?

----------


## Dreamwoven

The view from Northern Karelia is very much like the views I get from home at 61 North - wonderful layered effect in midwinter when the sun is so low on the horizon. he streak of sunlight below the clouds and shining on a patch of ground.

----------


## North Star

> I see you are using 500px now. Are you switching from flickr?


I've used both for a long time, although 500px much more inactively as while the site is more pleasing aesthetically, the algorithms are designed in a way that makes it impossible to get your photographs seen by more than fifty people or so unless you already have hundreds or thousands of followers.
I post more on Flickr, and will eventually post that there too.

----------


## North Star

Click the link to see properly, as always.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Very atmospheric, North Star! The two roughly triangular projections in the sky, one above the other, is where they meet at the bottom of the dark cloud. Is that where the sun is? In the bottom part there are traces of the rainbow-effect. The islands also show a lot of detail, especially of the yellow birch trees.

----------


## North Star

> Very atmospheric, North Star! The two roughly triangular projections in the sky, one above the other, is where they meet at the bottom of the dark cloud. Is that where the sun is? In the bottom part there are traces of the rainbow-effect. The islands also show a lot of detail, especially of the yellow birch trees.


Thanks, Dreamwoven.

I think the sun is behind the camera, though.  :Wink:

----------


## North Star

Another view of Lake Pielinen from Koli

----------


## YesNo

Nice view of the showers from the clouds.

----------


## North Star

> Nice view of the showers from the clouds.


Thanks.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I am still puzzled by the photo 11-25-2015, 06:40 PM. You say it cannot be the sun, as that is behind you, but could it be the moon?

----------


## North Star

> I am still puzzled by the photo 11-25-2015, 06:40 PM. You say it cannot be the sun, as that is behind you, but could it be the moon?





> Very atmospheric, North Star! The two roughly triangular projections in the sky, one above the other, is where they meet at the bottom of the dark cloud. Is that where the sun is? In the bottom part there are traces of the rainbow-effect. The islands also show a lot of detail, especially of the yellow birch trees.


Oh, I'm sure that the light effects are caused by the sun and the rain clouds. I would think that the sun is in the direction of the left side of the triangle, as that appears to be a beam of sunlight coming through the clouds.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Catching up, wonderful images North Star, particularly the richness of green speckled with yellow in post 3403 just above.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> Catching up, wonderful images North Star, particularly the richness of green speckled with yellow in post 3403 just above.


You get a lot of that effect in northern Scandinavia, its very beautiful, especially in parts of the north that have a high proportion of silver birch trees: Betula pendula.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

I was this close >< to mentioning birch in my post, thanks.
The yellow of the birch against the green blanketing the hills above, conjures up similar vistas in northern New Mexico, Colorado and many other parts of the Rockies with the yellow Aspen against the coniferous.

----------


## North Star

> Catching up, wonderful images North Star, particularly the richness of green speckled with yellow in post 3403 just above.


Thank you, *Gilliatt*.



> I was this close >< to mentioning birch in my post, thanks.
> The yellow of the birch against the green blanketing the hills above, conjures up similar vistas in northern New Mexico, Colorado and many other parts of the Rockies with the yellow Aspen against the coniferous.


So I have seen in photographs - understandably, aspens get a lot of attention from American nature photographers.

The weather was wonderful from a week ago to Tuesday - then it went back up above freezing, and all is just a dark slush again. Thank heavens I managed to visit this pond on Tuesday for some photos, one of which I shared already before.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

I will leave YesNo to comment. The ice here looks like the ice in my home village, probably the same as it is in Finland.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Thank you, *Gilliatt*.
> 
> So I have seen in photographs - understandably, aspens get a lot of attention from American nature photographers.
> 
> The weather was wonderful from a week ago to Tuesday - then it went back up above freezing, and all is just a dark slush again. Thank heavens I managed to visit this pond on Tuesday for some photos, one of which I shared already before.


Regarding your two most recent images, I favor post 3410 with the added strata of the white snow(?) just creeping in at the top.
Are those lights on the distant shore creating the vertical rods of reflection?


Speaking of trees, I just now stepped out to collect a few leaves from our yard.

Top row L-R: Eastern Redbud, Red Oak, Post Oak and Ash
Bottom row L-R: American Elm, Cedar Elm, Hackberry (still a little early will turn vibrant yellow) and Hawthorne.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice collection, Gilliatt. We don't have such a variety in Northern Sweden. Its too late now but next autumn I will try to put together my own collection.

----------


## YesNo

I find the vertical lights most interesting in your recent ones, North Star.

Setting those leaves out against the floor of the deck was an interesting way to arrange them, Gilliatt Gurgle. I could have identified those in the top row, but not the four in the bottom row.

----------


## North Star

> I will leave YesNo to comment. The ice here looks like the ice in my home village, probably the same as it is in Finland.


Yes, ice is ice.



> Regarding your two most recent images, I favor post 3410 with the added strata of the white snow(?) just creeping in at the top.
> Are those lights on the distant shore creating the vertical rods of reflection?





> I find the vertical lights most interesting in your recent ones, North Star.


Those are reflections of birch trees on the other side of the pond.




> Speaking of trees, I just now stepped out to collect a few leaves from our yard.
> 
> Top row L-R: Eastern Redbud, Red Oak, Post Oak and Ash
> Bottom row L-R: American Elm, Cedar Elm, Hackberry (still a little early will turn vibrant yellow) and Hawthorne.


A nice variety. Trees seen around here (in the wild) include Pine, Birch, Spruce, Rowan, Maple, Alder, European Bird Cherry, Eurasian Aspen.

----------


## qimissung

Your pictures are beautiful, North Star! I think I especially love the one of the frozen lake.

Love your leaves, Gilliatt. I recognize them, but not by name. I, too, am a lover of leaves.

----------


## North Star

> Your pictures are beautiful, North Star! I think I especially love the one of the frozen lake.


Thank you, *qimissung*. ... Which of the two?  :Wink: 

(if it's leafs you want, you don't have to leaf too far back among my photos to see them)

----------


## Dreamwoven

Its amazing what you can collect. There is a very engaging short story being put together in another thread by FREI, called The Snowflake Collector.

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

I like the sparkles in the blue of the water. 

I have been trying to make sense out of the differences in the experiences of a view of the water itself and a photo of the water and to relate these in terms of "magical realism" that was mentioned in a separate thread or Freud's "oceanic view" mentioned in another thread. 

One difference is the border. There is none in the view of the water itself. The other is the detail. There is more in the photo than what we are aware of when looking at the water. I think the photo can pick up information that we might not be able to see directly, but I am not sure.

----------


## North Star

Didn't notice your post before, *YesNo*.

I agree that photographs can record much more detail than we generally notice when glancing at the scenery, and often things that photographer who looks much more carefully doesn't see. Here's the whole bunch at Flickr.

__________________________________________________ _______________

From autumn:

----------


## YesNo

The ice is an unusual theme. Of your recent sets of photos, my favorite one is this:




> 


What I like are the large colored circles of light in the background.

----------


## North Star

> The ice is an unusual theme. Of your recent sets of photos, my favorite one is this:
> 
> What I like are the large colored circles of light in the background.


Unusual? Perhaps. That's a good thing, I think.

Thanks. Yeah, you get that with light coming through smallish slits from ahead and with larger aperture, i.e. a shallow depth of field (i.e., when things fall out of focus rapidly).

----------


## Dreamwoven

The other day we were driving along the large lake by our village and I noticed the iced-over area was at the edges where the water was shallower, last in the deepest middle of the lake. I had never thought of it before. Its obvious when you stop to think about it, deep water takes longer to freeze.

This is the north end of the lake in summer: http://www.ockelbo.se/Invanare/Bygga...ter/NO-Bysjon/

----------


## North Star

> The other day we were driving along the large lake by our village and I noticed the iced-over area was at the edges where the water was shallower, last in the deepest middle of the lake. I had never thought of it before. Its obvious when you stop to think about it, deep water takes longer to freeze.
> 
> This is the north end of the lake in summer


Yes, the edges of the body of water will freeze (and melt) first, as demonstrated by *Ansel Adams* with this photograph.

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

> Yes, the edges of the body of water will freeze (and melt) first, as demonstrated by *Ansel Adams* with this photograph.


This one by Adams has an interesting contrast between the top portion which seemed sharper and the lower softer watery part. In the middle to the left was that snow (I assume) which offered a transition.

----------


## Pensive

Simply love the very beautiful and artistic additions to this thread.
I could share some photos from my recent trip. I was in Vilnius and Poznan. Took night buses to both places and explored the old town during the day time. I liked the colourful architecture in the old towns and christmas celebrations adding to the beauty of place and people. It felt like in the middle of a fairytale, or a dream, making it even more so as I was partly sleepwalking having night buses (not always the most convenient place to sleep) and day walks!  :Biggrin:  
*includes a selfie taken by myself enjoying really tasty dairy icecream in Vilnius old town*

----------


## Dreamwoven

Pensive, these are beautiful pictures of Vilnius and Poznan! I had no idea...

----------


## YesNo

Nice pictures, Pensive. It is the first time I heard of these places.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Vilnius is in Lithuania and Poznan is in Poland. But like YesNo, I was not aware that they were such old beautiful towns.

----------


## Snowqueen

Very nice pictures Pensy. Thanks for sharing. 

Here are some random photos...

I took the first one when I was going for work. It's the surrounding area of a village called Gola (in KPK).






My uncle's pet resting in our small garden.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Snowqueen: Gola in Croatia (KPK). Nice cat, by the way.

----------


## YesNo

I liked the dragonfly (or whatever it is).

----------


## North Star

Nice photos from Vilnius and Poznan, *Pensive*. I've visited Tallinn (many many times) and Riga but never Vilnius.

----------


## YesNo

I liked the roundness of the out-of-focus vase with the piece inside and the sharply in-focus parts of the plant.

----------


## North Star

Cheers, *YesNo*.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Thats really weird, I can't even guess what it is...

----------


## North Star

The same glass vase as above.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Doesn't look like it...But you must be right.

----------


## North Star

And again the same vase with that flower inside as seen in the first and third images on this page.

----------


## YesNo

I like that speck of light the stem is pointing to in the water. It reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle piece.

----------


## North Star

It _does_ look a bit like that. There is no water in the vase, though.

----------


## bounty

hi everyone---am hoping this will be a good place to ask. im engaged in a project where I am looking to put both colored borders around a photo, and captions with a photo. the captions wouldn't go on the photo proper but outside the photo, along the sides or top/bottom. 

I have irfanview, and have gotten some success with it, but ultimately I don't think its going to suit my purposes. 

I wonder if anyone can recommend a free image editing program with the above features? I can give more information about the captioning---in some cases, it might only be a few words, in others, it might run the entire length of a page. 

in irfanview, when I add commentary to the sides, it seems to run the width of the entire screen, as opposed to a few words, and then the next line below, a few words, and the next line below, etc. (it could be my lack of familiarity with the program though.) putting commentary on the bottom is easier, but sometimes I want to write more than what space will allow.

----------


## North Star

IrfanView is handy for the borders, but the captions I'd do with Paint, or possibly Word (or similar programs on Mac if you use it) if you're printing the things, although I cannot say how much the photo quality suffers from printing through that sort of software.

----------


## bounty

thanks north star...

no mac for me. wont be printing. 

so far as I can tell, paint only allows me to put captions into the photo, not on the outside of it. am not seeing how word would work without hundreds of copy and pasting and formatting. part of the persnicketiness of it all is, some of the images are such that they need to be enlarged in order to read them (they are almost all newspaper scans)

----------


## Dreamwoven

Never heard of irfanview, Some form of viewer according to their home page...

----------


## Calidore

Irfanview is a Swiss army knife program that I've been using for years. I've heard lots of good things about the freeware program paint.net. If you don't mind a learning curve, there's Gimp. Finally, I believe Adobe has made freely available an older version of Photoshop; check their site.

----------


## bounty

thank you calidore---I cant imagine the learning curve no matter which one of those suggestions I look into, would be too steep. borders and captioning, I think, are pretty straight forward.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Enjoying all the pics North Star, my long dormant photography itch is coming back.

----------


## North Star

Excellent, Gilliatt, and thank you.

----------


## YesNo

Your photos are making normal sights more interesting because of the way they are arranged, North Star. The viewer doesn't even have to recognize the actual objects being photographed to find them attractive. We seem to miss most of the world around us when we look at it. The photos remind us that there is more there.

----------


## North Star

> Your photos are making normal sights more interesting because of the way they are arranged, North Star. The viewer doesn't even have to recognize the actual objects being photographed to find them attractive. We seem to miss most of the world around us when we look at it. The photos remind us that there is more there.


Thank you very much, *YesNo*. You touch on an important part of what I try to achieve with my photographs.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I have never got into photography. I had a box camera in the 1950s and now have a very outdated Casio EX-Z80, digital but I don't know how to take advantages of its potential. Pity because my interest in astronomy could also do with a decent camera, though I am too old to start to develop a completely new skill. I've thought about it a lot recently. What kind of camera have you got?

----------


## North Star

I have a Nikon D7100, *Dreamwoven*. You will find plenty of information online, of variable quality, on what cameras are best for astophotography, e.g. here http://soggyastronomer.com/the-best-...rophotography/

----------


## Dreamwoven

The micro landscape of fresh snow in your last photo North Star, is very nice.

I want my camera to be good for more than just traditional astronomy, I use it for family pictures, too. Also for capturing the beautiful skies which are particularly attractive up here in Central Sweden at about 61 N. Great sunrises and sunsets especially, (you may have some of where you live in Finland). I saw one picture (early in this thread) taken in Sweden of a noctilucent cloud. I am in the process of trying to view the entire thread which was started in 2006 (!). But now I see there are other threads in the same category on pictures of all sorts. So I give up on that huge job. :Smile:

----------


## North Star

Thanks. Well any camera that does astronomy photography ought to be able to do family pictures and landscape. You want good resolution and low noise with higher ISOs for the astronomy and family photos in particular (at least if you're shooting children or just fleeting moments and not group portraits), and they of course help with landscape as well. A couple of things that you should decide first are a) how much money do you want to invest in the camera (and possibly lenses) and b) how large can the camera be? That should help narrowing it down. I also recommend going to a store and trying the cameras out there for how they feel, and what kind of range from wide angle to telephoto the cameras / lenses have.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Thats a good starting point, North Star. First I will take some pictures with my Casio Exilim Ex-Z80 using the zoom function to get a sharper image, but I suspect that the camera takes lousy pics at a distance. This will take me a while to do. I will let you know the result, and if possible post them here.

----------


## qimissung

I like your pictures, too, North Star. These snowy ones are interesting. I love the odd shapes snow makes, and you've captured that odd, elusive quality very well. They look like little snails almost.

----------


## North Star

Thanks, *qimissung*.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

I've abandoned my attempt to take photos and load them up to photobucket, I realise my old camera is just not up to it. I'm going to have to buy a new camera at some point.

Your last picture immediately struck me as a line of 4 soldiers, with their pikes sticking out of the snow. Opposite is a lookout post on the defensive line.

----------


## North Star

Hm, I can see how you got there.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Now that the snow has started to shrink, I can see many of these just in our back yard. My wife tells me that they are birch trees sprouting through the snow. I had not connected them to your photos, but now I see that is what they are.

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

APARTMENT REVISED SMALL.jpg 

Complex on the beach, sunset, Cayman Islands

----------


## tonywalt



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

This am a picture I took with my phone behind the royal palace in Stockholm several years ago.

----------


## North Star

Nice, Tyrion. Hey, I was there too several years ago. Strange how I didn't recognize you...

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Nice, Tyrion. Hey, I was there too several years ago. Strange how I didn't recognize you...


 I was the cannon standing in front of the guard. Or maybe I was the balls.

----------


## Lemonade

IMG_7015 (1).jpg
IMG_7016 (1).jpg

Elephant skeleton in Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

----------


## tonywalt

esso gas station in cayman islands edward hopper exposure compostion by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

vodka rum gin by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A photo of my freezer

----------


## YesNo

Those elephant skeletons remind me of the skeleton of Sue in the Field Museum in Chicago, Lemonade. I'll have to see if I can find the pictures I took of that one.

That's an interesting perspective of a freezer, tonywalt. I would have never thought of taking such a picture. Also I am surprised at how deep the blue is of the gas station machines.

----------


## tonywalt

> Those elephant skeletons remind me of the skeleton of Sue in the Field Museum in Chicago, Lemonade. I'll have to see if I can find the pictures I took of that one.
> 
> That's an interesting perspective of a freezer, tonywalt. I would have never thought of taking such a picture. Also I am surprised at how deep the blue is of the gas station machines.


Freezers are interesting. Yes, I was surprised by the blue also, then again, it's brand new.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

What y'all doing in the Cayman Islands, tony? Or were you born there? And how about some pictures of hidden off-shore bank accounts. :-0

----------


## tonywalt

> What y'all doing in the Cayman Islands, tony? Or were you born there? And how about some pictures of hidden off-shore bank accounts. :-0


What I'm doing right now is sitting by the pool having a glass of wine. What are y'all doing? (Yes, I'm Caymanian, born here)

----------


## tonywalt

Zenaida Dove by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A Dove, Grand Cayman

----------


## tonywalt

PIER WITH SEAWEED IN GRAND CAYMAN CAYMAN ISLANDS BEACH CARIBBEAN by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A pier, with Sargassum seaweed (as in Sargasso Sea). There's alot of it this time of the year.

----------


## tonywalt

PITBULL IN BODDEN TOWN GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A dog by a sign, in Grand Cayman.

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A pier in the Cayman Islands

----------


## tonywalt

Cayman Barn Owl by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A Cayman Barn Owl

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## Dreamwoven

Tonywalt, Nice pictures of beach and storm clouds on the horizon, and the colours of the barn owl are well brought out.

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## tonywalt

> Tonywalt, Nice pictures of beach and storm clouds on the horizon, and the colours of the barn owl are well brought out.


Thanks. I love owls, beaches and storms :Smile:

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## tonywalt

beach martial arts cayman islands caribbean sky sunset light nikon by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Someone doing kicks on the beach in the cayman islands, at sunset.

----------


## YesNo

Nice sunset with that guy in the air.

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## qimissung

Your pictures are gorgeous, Tony. Is there anything you can't do, lol?

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## tonywalt

> Your pictures are gorgeous, Tony. Is there anything you can't do, lol?


I can't find my iphone, at the moment.

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice sunset with that guy in the air.


Thanks, he's a great jumper and has excellent dreads.

----------


## qimissung

> I can't find my iphone, at the moment.


 And you're funny, too.  :Smile:

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## Tyrion Cheddar

Beautiful pics, Tony, though I still want to know about the secret offshore accounts. I just read that the Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory, does that mean you speak with a British accent, or is there a different, island accent?

----------


## tonywalt

> Beautiful pics, Tony, though I still want to know about the secret offshore accounts. I just read that the Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory, does that mean you speak with a British accent, or is there a different, island accent?


I speak with a mid-atlantic accent. I'm not familiar with secret accounts, sorry can't help you. 

You sound southern. Do you have moonshine? NASCAR? Good 'ole boys? The South has always intrigued me, Faulkner, George Wallace etc..

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> I speak with a mid-atlantic accent. I'm not familiar with secret accounts, sorry can't help you. 
> 
> You sound southern. Do you have moonshine? NASCAR? Good 'ole boys? The South has always intrigued me, Faulkner, George Wallace etc..


 That's interesting. I ain't never, not never had no one say I sound southern. :-0 No, I'm a Yankee. Do you mean that most honkies who live in the Cayman Islands speak with a mid-Atlantic accent? The secret offshore accounts thing probably doesn't exist anymore, but as you probably know that Cayman Islands was traditionally where gangsters and politicians (insert joke about there being no difference between them) hid their ill-gotten gains. Nowadays it's probably in the form of some crypto-currency living on a hard drive in some occult data haven, in the back of a pork rinds factory in Little Rock.

----------


## tonywalt

Gapstow Bridge, Central Park, New York

Gapstow bridge, central park new york city by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Beautiful Autumn colours!

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Some of you are really quite good photographers, Tony and North Star in particular. Are you semi-professional or serious amateurs? I have an interest in getting into video and some photography and would like to learn about getting started with DSLR cameras, if you are.

----------


## North Star

I'm an amateur and don't have any experience of shooting video, but ask away if you have questions, *Tyrion*.

----------


## tonywalt

> Some of you are really quite good photographers, Tony and North Star in particular. Are you semi-professional or serious amateurs? I have an interest in getting into video and some photography and would like to learn about getting started with DSLR cameras, if you are.


I'm happy to help. i've shown my work at some galleries and done some work for people - but i'm happy to help, especially with Nikon.

----------


## tonywalt

A home in the Cayman Islands photographed from standing in the sea 

seven mile beach grand cayman cayman islands ocean photograph on island by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

These half-light pics create a mysterious atmosphere. Especially the last one with what looks like wisps of fog drifting across.

----------


## qimissung

OMG, North Star, I love your pictures.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Enjoying the current back and forth trend in extremes, from black to white so to speak;the gray tones of Finland to the rich colors of the Cayman Islands.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, it makes a nice contrast. The same for here in Sweden.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Yeah, more great photos. Cayman Island life must be pretty laid back, eh, Tony?

----------


## tonywalt

> Yeah, more great photos. Cayman Island life must be pretty laid back, eh, Tony?


It can be on Sundays. Otherwise it's much the same as far as life goes. The view is laid back.

----------


## tonywalt

mangroves, grand cayman, cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sunset kaibo cayman islands caribbean beach ocean islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

On the north side of Grand Cayman. Cayman Kai. A deserted beach.

----------


## qimissung

There is a problem with your pictures, Tony. They are too perfect. You need to make them less so. I kid! The colors are ahmazing! I particularly like the one of the mangrove. I would love to paint it in watercolor. At my skill level I doubt I could do it justice, but I'd like to try sometime.

----------


## North Star

> OMG, North Star, I love your pictures.





> These half-light pics create a mysterious atmosphere. Especially the last one with what looks like wisps of fog drifting across.


Thanks you very much, *qimissung* and *Dreamwoven*.

----------


## tonywalt

> There is a problem with your pictures, Tony. They are too perfect. You need to make them less so. I kid! The colors are ahmazing! I particularly like the one of the mangrove. I would love to paint it in watercolor. At my skill level I doubt I could do it justice, but I'd like to try sometime.


Thanks! Have you posted any of your watercolours?

----------


## tonywalt

Cayman Islands beach at sunset lagoon caribbean ocean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Deserted beach in Cayman Islands

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Gods, you guys keep bringing the awesome shots. Don't stop, my brothers, let the awesomeness flow.

----------


## Dreamwoven

It looks as if the lower palm trees are lit by the rising sun, but not their upper palms. Remarkable...

----------


## YesNo

> sunset kaibo cayman islands caribbean beach ocean islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> On the north side of Grand Cayman. Cayman Kai. A deserted beach.


I'm surprised to see the gate. Is this for decoration or does it have some practical use?

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

The raindrops on the water look a bit different in the two latest pictures.

----------


## YesNo

Nice raindrops. They made me realize that I usually think that if it is raining that is the time not to take pictures and so I miss some interesting views on the world.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Well, I don't have a camera so I miss capturing all the view on the world.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> The raindrops on the water look a bit different in the two latest pictures.


 They're different raindrops. Not the same drops falling again, that may be what had you confused. :-0

----------


## North Star

> Nice raindrops. They made me realize that I usually think that if it is raining that is the time not to take pictures and so I miss some interesting views on the world.


Bad weather makes for good pictures.




> The raindrops on the water look a bit different in the two latest pictures.





> They're different raindrops. Not the same drops falling again, that may be what had you confused. :-0


I think Tyrion has it right. The different range of tones, angle of view and focus plane might have something to do with it, too. But yeah, I don't really know what you're talking about. They are not the same drops.  :Wink:

----------


## tonywalt

HAMMOCK ON SEVEN MILE BEACH GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Hammock on beach

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, I was aware the drops are not the same in the two pics. Looks like a shower might be in the offing in the hammock picture.

----------


## North Star

> Yes, I was aware the drops are not the same in the two pics.


I'm sure we guessed as much. Would you wish to pursue the matter of what it was that looked different in the raindrops of the two photos?

Yet another new set of raindrops  :Wink:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Fantastic images North Star and Tony, a welcome sedative after a hard day at work.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

Every one of your shots, Tony, I feel myself transported there, and feel the warm slow rhythm of a Caribbean island. Whenever I used to arrive in San Juan, PR, I immediately was taken over by it. Now I'm wondering if I shall be able to do so again, because apparently PR, formerly as safe as houses, is awash in gang violence and astronomical homicide numbers.

----------


## Dreamwoven

In one it is raining harder than the other.

----------


## North Star

> In one it is raining harder than the other.


Ah yes, that's true.

----------


## YesNo

> HAMMOCK ON SEVEN MILE BEACH GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> Hammock on beach


This one reminds me of a big face with the hammock as the smiling mouth and those dark clouds the eyes.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> In one it is raining harder than the other.


 That's because of the amount of rain.

----------


## North Star

> That's because of the amount of rain.


Couldn't have put it better if I tried.


The same pond, the same day.

----------


## North Star

And another day

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## Tyrion Cheddar

I notice the pondness of the pond.

----------


## North Star

> I notice the pondness of the pond.


You've been pondering about that, have you?

__________________________________________

----------


## YesNo

That is an interesting perspective on darkness, North Star.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> You've been pondering about that, have you?


 Don't get ponderous, North Star.

Tyrion, wot intends to keep this up as long as possible

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

P.S. I love that staircase photo, as with all your "studies in darkness." I bet all the goth chicks dig you.

----------


## North Star

> Don't get ponderous, North Star.
> 
> Tyrion, wot intends to keep this up as long as possible




[Not a picture taken by me]

----------


## North Star

> P.S. I love that staircase photo, as with all your "studies in darkness." I bet all the goth chicks dig you.


Thanks, Tyrion.

All of my "studies in darkness"? Very nicely put, I would very much like to know what photos you're referring to.

I don't want goth chicks _digging_ anything for me, thankyouverymuch  :Wink:

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> Thanks, Tyrion.
> 
> All of my "studies in darkness"? Very nicely put, I would very much like to know what photos you're referring to.
> 
> I don't want goth chicks _digging_ anything for me, thankyouverymuch


 That makes one of us. I used to love me some goth chicks fierce. As for my reference, ain't you the guy who posts all them black and white shots featuring shadows, light and darkness? Sure y'are. And don't think I didn't recognize the Ponderosa, you pondweed. :-0

----------


## North Star

> That makes one of us. I used to love me some goth chicks fierce. As for my reference, ain't you the guy who posts all them black and white shots featuring shadows, light and darkness? Sure y'are.


"[S]hadows, light and darkness" - Well, is there anything else? I suppose those dried flowers, sinister, gloomy, cloudy scenes might appeal to a goth chick. Fair enough. There's no denying that my photography is steeped in Romanticism. I tend to forget that not everyone thinks of that stuff as so elemental to photography. Some evidence from the beginning of my serious photography hobby.

----------


## tonywalt

smith cove, grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean beach long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

It's been rough recently.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Or perhaps pundering?

----------


## Dreamwoven

Good picture of Smiths Cove. Long Exposure, that must have taken quite a bit of experimenting. Great result.

----------


## YesNo

> 



It occurred to me that if I had taken this photo with my phone, I would probably have deleted it, figuring I didn't hold the camera still enough, but it looks like you did this on purpose and it is rather interesting. How did you get this effect? Just shake the camera?

----------


## North Star

> It occurred to me that if I had taken this photo with my phone, I would probably have deleted it, figuring I didn't hold the camera still enough, but it looks like you did this on purpose and it is rather interesting. How did you get this effect? Just shake the camera?


That's it.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Without a mobile phone, I still don't understand how only the bottom of the photo was shaken.

----------


## North Star

> Without a mobile phone, I still don't understand how only the bottom of the photo was shaken.


That's because the whole image is shaken, and not just the bottom. The flowers are closer so the movement is more obvious than in the out-of-focus curtain in the back.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Ah, that explains it: thanks, North Star.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> It occurred to me that if I had taken this photo with my phone, I would probably have deleted it, figuring I didn't hold the camera still enough, but it looks like you did this on purpose and it is rather interesting. How did you get this effect? Just shake the camera?


 Well, he says that's how he did it, but I think we all know he farted while focusing, then covered up the incident by pretending he'd done it deliberately, using some supposed artsy technique called "shaking the camera." I'll bet you shook the camera, after three cans of beans.

----------


## North Star

If I wanted to be fancy, I'd call it ICM, short for intentional camera movement, as that's how the technique is known.

But yes, Tyrion revealed my secret technique.

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

> 



This one looks like it uses a different secret technique. It seems as if the background is radiating from a center. However, it does hold my interest and seems like a worthwhile way to get a new view of the ordinary.

----------


## North Star

It's not exactly a secret technique, although I had never read anything about it before just now - I didn't even know what it was called.. zoom burst, apparently. It's a nice trick, but it's hard to do anything interesting with it. Here's an earlier example of the technique.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Nice. That first zoom burst shot of the tree branches really grabbed me. Reminds me of some old black and white film of various bands of the period running through woods and parks set against their music. Sort of pre-music video.

----------


## YesNo

That last zoom burst reminds me of a kaleidoscope for some reason.

----------


## Dreamwoven

That zoom-burst tutorial shows very well how a good camera can be used to maximum effect.

----------


## tonywalt

SMITH COVE GRAND CAYMAN CAYMAN ISLANDS LONG EXPOSURE SLOW SHUTTER NIKON by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

sunset cruiseship in grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Damn, son, you live in a psychedelic universe. Where do they put the lysergic acid, in the drinking water? Or does it wash up naturally in the surf?

----------


## Dreamwoven

That "moonglow" look from behind the camera, especially on the liner, but also on the other boats and even more so on the pier, give this picture a special shine. Wonderful.

----------


## tonywalt

> That "moonglow" look from behind the camera, especially on the liner, but also on the other boats and even more so on the pier, give this picture a special shine. Wonderful.


It was unusually busy that day with boats, lucky shot.

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

abandoned house grand cayman cayman islands islands ocean jack daniels sky clouds by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

How come even the abandoned houses on Grand Cayman have a view some would pay a fortune for?

----------


## qimissung

> How come even the abandoned houses on Grand Cayman have a view some would pay a fortune for?


I know, right? It's just not fair!

The colors are, as usual, lushly beautiful, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

> I know, right? It's just not fair!
> 
> The colors are, as usual, lushly beautiful, Tony.


This place was damaged in a hurricane, happens - it'll be rebuilt, luxury, and I'll find somewhere else to photograph.

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

a pier in east end grand cayman, cayman islands, long exposure nikon caribbean sea ocean beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A pier in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

----------


## North Star

Fancy a cup of hot chocolate?

----------


## YesNo

That hot chocolate makes me think it could double as an up-close picture of a blob coming to conquer the earth. The bubbles could pass for warts on its skin. Scary texture, but I'd still drink it.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> That hot chocolate makes me think it could double as an up-close picture of a blob coming to conquer the earth. The bubbles could pass for warts on its skin. Scary texture, but I'd still drink it.


 Yes, I was going to reply that I'd love a cup of hot chocolate, but not the lava pits of exoplanet Hades 13.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Tony, are your photos processed, do you apply filters or enhance colors and such? It just seems too surreal to be, uh, real.

----------


## tonywalt

> Tony, are your photos processed, do you apply filters or enhance colors and such? It just seems too surreal to be, uh, real.


It's long exposure.

----------


## tonywalt

guard house, grand cayman cayman islands caribbean clouds by Tony Walton, on Flickr


A rennovated guard house from WWII

----------


## tonywalt

girl reading newspaper in hotel room new york by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A girl, in a bed, in a hotel. It's a snap, unplanned.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I like this shot of the glowering sky in this photo (above a guardhouse?).

----------


## tonywalt

> I like this shot of the glowering sky in this photo (above a guardhouse?).


Yea, it's a guard house built in ww2, to watch for german submarines who were active in the caribbean.

----------


## North Star

> That hot chocolate makes me think it could double as an up-close picture of a blob coming to conquer the earth. The bubbles could pass for warts on its skin. Scary texture, but I'd still drink it.





> Yes, I was going to reply that I'd love a cup of hot chocolate, but not the lava pits of exoplanet Hades 13.


Hah! It's about three inches between the furthest corners. Sadly, it's not everyday we see macros of hot drinks..

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

PIER CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Kaibo, in the Cayman Islands

----------


## tonywalt

grocery store cayman islands street photography night nikon 7200 light by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A traditional shop in the Cayman Islands

----------


## YesNo

The white line in the street seems to be situated perfectly under that store which has plenty of lines of its own to add contrast.

----------


## tonywalt

> The white line in the street seems to be situated perfectly under that store which has plenty of lines of its own to add contrast.


Yea, I try to find vertical or horizontal lines - but the store has a by-gone buzz to it. I try more and more to shoot things that won't be around much longer (like this store). Franchises taking over.

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A pier at dawn, in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

----------


## tonywalt

........

----------


## Dreamwoven

An interesting picture, tonywalt. The very first touch of dawn at your pier...

----------


## tonywalt

> An interesting picture, tonywalt. The very first touch of dawn at your pier...


It's likely the only reason to awake at dawn: A photograph.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

I've no idea at all what this is...

----------


## North Star

> I've no idea at all what this is...


Are you serious?

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, I am flummoxed.

----------


## North Star

It't a teabag on the edge of a plate. There's a tip of a knife in the background.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Simple enough, I wondered if it might be some electronic gadget, or perhaps something to do with electricity.

Well it certainly had me fooled!

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

I've had some trouble uploading photos, and then I noticed that there's a 100k size limit on .jpegs. How do I reduce the file size of my photos to that?

----------


## North Star

> I've had some trouble uploading photos, and then I noticed that there's a 100k size limit on .jpegs. How do I reduce the file size of my photos to that?


Make them smaller (a 6000*4000 image to e.g. 1500*1000) - or just upload them somewhere else and link them here, it's simple enough.

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned house in cayman islands caribbean beach urban decay sky clouds beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

You guys, man, you's gots the greatest pitchers, ah swear.

----------


## tonywalt

DANGER AT SEA WITH DOG OCEAN IN CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A girl and her dog spot a fight, on the beach.

----------


## Dreamwoven

The window of an abandoned house (looks a bit like the observation post for WW2 submarines) makes a nice contrast to the colourful beach.

nice pic of pre-dawn sunrise.

Girl and her dog on a lead looks scared...

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Is that your girl, Tony? I mean the woman, not the dog. :-0 (intended as a joke--don't come at my with an ice pick, please) And North Star, I can't get over the clarity of that flower picture.

----------


## North Star

> North Star, I can't get over the clarity of that flower picture.


Cheers, *Tyrion*.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Gods, do you have like a 40 megapixel camera, or can you get that sort of resolution and clarity by various other means?

----------


## North Star

Hah! No. And these three were taken with dad's Nikon D90, which has 12 MP and far worse signal to noise ratio, compared to the 24 MP of my D7100. The 270 mm lens will help getting a close look. It's not hard to get sharp details with ƒ/6.3 aperture, 1/640th of a second shutter speed, and ISO 200. Now, when you say 'clarity by various other means', remember that digital photographs are always, always sharpened afterwards, if sharpness is wanted. But if the photograph isn't in focus or it's shaken, that's going to be very hard to do anything about. I haven't tried, but I imagine computer software can deal with that too.

----------


## tonywalt

BOARDWALK, CAYMAN by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Camana Bay, Grand Cayman,Cayman Islands

----------


## Dreamwoven

The water looks almost luminous, it shines.

----------


## Danik 2016

Cute cat!Seems to relish its food, Logos!

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Danik, there's a possum in your avatar.

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

a kid in the caribbean sea ocean cayman islands beach nikon blue lagoon grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

The child's hair and whatever that stuff is out there match nicely.

----------


## tonywalt

> The child's hair and whatever that stuff is out there match nicely.


Yea, that caught my eye for sure. It's seagrass burnt orange by the sun

----------


## Dreamwoven

Agin the luminescent water...

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

a kid in the caribbean sea ocean cayman islands beach nikon blue lagoon grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

coconut trees on seven mile beach grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean beach clouds nikon by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

White Winged Dove - Grand Cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A Zenaida dove in the cayman islands

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Astonishing photos, chaps, as ever. With your climatological opposites, you lads are like fire and ice, or like yin and yang, or like fish soup and something that's the opposite of fish soup.

----------


## tonywalt

> Astonishing photos, chaps, as ever. With your climatological opposites, you lads are like fire and ice, or like yin and yang, or like fish soup and something that's the opposite of fish soup.


Hopefully others will chime in. There's alot of talent out there.

----------


## North Star

> Astonishing photos, chaps, as ever. With your climatological opposites, you lads are like fire and ice, or like yin and yang, or like fish soup and something that's the opposite of fish soup.


Thanks, Tyrion.

----------


## YesNo

> Astonishing photos, chaps, as ever. With your climatological opposites, you lads are like fire and ice, or like yin and yang, or like fish soup and something that's the opposite of fish soup.


North Star and Tony Walton show different ways of looking at the world. Ice and fire. 

I just took a picture of my desk with my phone. I might post it if I get some time later today.

----------


## tonywalt

> North Star and Tony Walton show different ways of looking at the world. Ice and fire. 
> 
> I just took a picture of my desk with my phone. I might post it if I get some time later today.


White Winged Dove - Grand Cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Thanks YesNo

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

pier in east end grand cayman cayman islands at sunset sea ocean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice sunset photo. Is that the head of someone swimming just to the left offshore?

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice sunset photo. Is that the head of someone swimming just to the left offshore?


It's a buoy.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

I can't figure out how you did that...

----------


## North Star

> I can't figure out how you did that...


You'll have to be more specific. I remember going out, taking off the lens cap (this usually helps  :Wink:  ) and taking some photographs.  :Smile:

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> It's a buoy.


 No, I think it's a girl.

----------


## tonywalt

horse in savannah georgia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A horse in Savannah, Georgia

----------


## Dreamwoven

I wonder what the horse is pulling? Do you remember, tony?

----------


## Dreamwoven

> You'll have to be more specific. I remember going out, taking off the lens cap (this usually helps  ) and taking some photographs.


I meant the groove-shaped formation, it doesn't look natural.

----------


## North Star

> I meant the groove-shaped formation, it doesn't look natural.


That's a path in the snow.

----------


## Dreamwoven

That makes sense. As I was out walking this morning it occurred to me it could be a brook between banks. A path would also look like that.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

That's a picture of snow, North Star. If there are any other mysteries I can clear up for you, just ask.

----------


## tonywalt

> horse in savannah georgia by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> A horse in Savannah, Georgia


Dreamwoven, the horse was pulling a cart. I'm not crazy about tourist horse buggies, but I did take a few shots. Savannah looks like New Orleans in many ways.

----------


## YesNo

Here's that picture of my desk that I mentioned earlier. I took this with my phone. It has my favorite coffee cup in it. I made the desk out of a sheet of plywood many years ago. This is only a small part of it.

----------


## Dreamwoven

YesNo, I must try some of your tricks to reduced the heat on my computer

----------


## North Star

No troubles with excessive heat here.  :Wink:

----------


## tonywalt

SMITH COVE Grand Cayman Cayman Islands Caribbean sea beach nikon long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Warm here. (Enjoying the photo sharing).

----------


## tonywalt

> Here's that picture of my desk that I mentioned earlier. I took this with my phone. It has my favorite coffee cup in it. I made the desk out of a sheet of plywood many years ago. This is only a small part of it.


Love the composition.

----------


## YesNo

Thanks. It was whatever was there at the moment. 

There's an interesting orange color in the foreground in your recent Smith Cove photo. Was that added in somehow or is it what you would actually see?

----------


## tonywalt

> Thanks. It was whatever was there at the moment. 
> 
> There's an interesting orange color in the foreground in your recent Smith Cove photo. Was that added in somehow or is it what you would actually see?


It's (limestone based) orange, but I did enhance it

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Enjoying the images NorthStar, Tony,
YesNo, what can I say, such a fantastic array, I see your penchant for a particular brand of pen.

----------


## YesNo

That pen came from Costco. I had to buy about 20 of them at a time. So I am stocked up. They do write well.

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

I like the line the indent in the snow makes going in the opposite direction from the lines that the shadows make.

----------


## tonywalt

church of God Chapel in Grand Cayman Cayman Islands night photography nikon long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A church in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands at night

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

That looks remarkably like a church at night on Grand Cayman, Tony. Uncanny.

----------


## tonywalt

> That looks remarkably like a church at night on Grand Cayman, Tony. Uncanny.


It's moments like these, when you really reach the viewer - and he or she GETS IT! I live for those moments.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice contrast between the lit-up church and the dark night.

----------


## qimissung

Love the pics, guys. YesNo, I love your coffee cup! And the homely, ordinary artifacts gracing your desk.
Tony, I love the one of the cove! You are one lucky dude to live there. I would adore to be able to sit on a rock there with my feet in the water. Ummm...

----------


## qimissung

And your delicate one of the snow, NorthStar.

----------


## North Star

> And your delicate one of the snow, NorthStar.


Thank you, *qimissung*.

----------


## tonywalt

> SMITH COVE Grand Cayman Cayman Islands Caribbean sea beach nikon long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> Warm here. (Enjoying the photo sharing).


Tony, I love the one of the cove! You are one lucky dude to live there. I would adore to be able to sit on a rock there with my feet in the water. Ummm...


Thank you Qimissung!

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice contrast between the lit-up church and the dark night.


Thanks. Post some of your pics Dreamwoven, been a while.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I've never posted my pics here. I just family photos...One day, perhaps I will.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

I would still love to post pics of my own, but remain stuck with the same technical problem.

----------


## YesNo

You could load them directly to this site and then reference them in the post. I put mine on Photo Bucket where I have a parallel account to this one. 

However, normally all the pictures on my phone go to some Google cloud storage. I could probably try to share them directly from that cloud and save a step.

----------


## tonywalt

> I would still love to post pics of my own, but remain stuck with the same technical problem.


Can you upload your photo to Flickr?

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Hi, Tony
Could you please post again that wonderful picture of the red haired girl bathing? There is a kind of magic about it, it looks almost like a mermaid in a fairy tale.I think all the pictures impressive, they somehow capture the essence of their objects. But this one is my favorite.

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Cayman Islands

----------


## tonywalt

a kid in the caribbean sea ocean cayman islands beach nikon blue lagoon grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

I love how the curvature of the horizon can be seen, it's slightly oval.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Very cool, as always, Tony. Just wonderin', seein' as you live on a tropical island and all, could we have the occasional shot of a bodacious babe in a bikini on the beach, bursting outta her bra?

----------


## Danik 2016

Thanks, Tony. I noticed something curious. I chanced to view the pictures on two different PCs. I prefer them at a lower resolution because then they look more like paintings. Of course they are still beautifull in high definition, but it is a different texture.


> pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> I love how the curvature of the horizon can be seen, it's slightly oval.

----------


## Danik 2016

There certainly is! :Biggrin5:  


> Danik, there's a possum in your avatar.

----------


## tonywalt

> Very cool, as always, Tony. Just wonderin', seein' as you live on a tropical island and all, could we have the occasional shot of a bodacious babe in a bikini on the beach, bursting outta her bra?


girl at sunset in grand cayman cayman islands pretty beach caribbean clouds bikini gorgeous by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> girl at sunset in grand cayman cayman islands pretty beach caribbean clouds bikini gorgeous by Tony Walton, on Flickr


 Not bad, not bad. I'll take it as a starter. And I agree, that other shot of the red-haired child is timeless.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

This is a test. Can you all see the image?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132123...posted-public/

----------


## tonywalt

> This is a test. Can you all see the image?
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/132123...posted-public/


In order for your photo to be visible in the box just do the following:

1. Click on your flickr photo.
2. Click on the arrow sign (share photo), in the grey area of the lower right (2nd from right)
3. Click on "bbc code" (farthest right)
4. Then copy that URL code and paste in straight onto your post.

Just carefully go through the above, and it will show. It's a bit funny for the first time, but you will get it.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Buds by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Buds by Robert Marks, on Flickr

You're a god, Tony. But we knew that already. Thanks. This was taken just now of a bud on the bush tree thing in front of my house, because spring is springing.

----------


## YesNo

Nice close up of those buds. And nicely framed with those branches in the background.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Clear picures!

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## Tyrion Cheddar

Thank you both for your kind comments. That photo was taken with my Galaxy S6 which, any day now, will be replaced by a Galaxy S7, which is supposed to have an even better camera. I think they sacrificed some megapixels for better low light quality, but I have heard rave reviews of it. As I've said, I know essentially nothing about photography, but I'm finding it intriguing.

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## qimissung

I like your picture, Tyrion. I think it's a little too centered and symmetrical to be interesting. It is what it is and not anything more. It does give new meaning to the term earbuds. And they do look like tiny horns, maybe on a baby satan.

----------


## qimissung

Love, love, love your "curved horizon" pic and the one of the little girl. Actually two of your best, so far, Tony.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

And here is one taken last winter of my front deck and beyond.

Winter by Robert Marks, on Flickr

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## North Star

Nice shots, Tyrion. I've photographed similar buds, too.




> I like your picture, Tyrion. I think it's a little too centered and symmetrical to be interesting. It is what it is and not anything more. It does give new meaning to the term earbuds. And they do look like tiny horns, maybe on a baby satan.


My response to your critique, *qimissung*.  :Wink:

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## Danik 2016

I like the contrast stem x buds, spring growing out of winter, the old grey stem exploding in a double feast of colours!


> Buds by Robert Marks, on Flickr

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## qimissung

It was just my opinion, NorthStar.No right or wrong to it. I like a kaleidoscopic pattern as much as the next guy.

Beautiful pic, Tyrion. You are to be envied for your back porch view. I love the white on white colors-and the asymmetrical trees in the corner.  :Wink:

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## Danik 2016

Why, this is sugar country!


> And here is one taken last winter of my front deck and beyond.
> 
> Winter by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

> It was just my opinion, NorthStar.No right or wrong to it. I like a kaleidoscopic pattern as much as the next guy.


Of course. I think you took my reply as rather more serious than it was.

That's lovely view from your yard, *Tyrion*.

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## YesNo

How did you get this symmetrical picture, North Star?




>

----------


## YesNo

> And here is one taken last winter of my front deck and beyond.
> 
> Winter on Flickr


Yes, that is nice. The vertical lines of the porch railings speckled with falling snow add interest to the picture.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> I like your picture, Tyrion. I think it's a little too centered and symmetrical to be interesting. It is what it is and not anything more. It does give new meaning to the term earbuds. And they do look like tiny horns, maybe on a baby satan.


 qimissung, that was the most not-a-compliment I've received or seen here on LitNet. I'm not aware of people speaking to each other like that here. Reminds me of something I think I heard one, something like "If you don't have something nice to say..."?

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## Tyrion Cheddar

> It was just my opinion, NorthStar.No right or wrong to it. I like a kaleidoscopic pattern as much as the next guy.
> 
> Beautiful pic, Tyrion. You are to be envied for your back porch view. I love the white on white colors-and the asymmetrical trees in the corner.


 Thank you. It's actually my front deck, and I'm going to post more from that vantage.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Another winter shot, dusk I think, of the view from the front, or part of it:

Winter2 by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

> How did you get this symmetrical picture, North Star?


It's actually one image of maple leafs, repeated 16 times.

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## tonywalt

Love your winter shots Tyrion, moody, something to them.

----------


## tonywalt

pier in east end grand cayman cayman islands at sunset sea ocean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

This is a maple leaf reproduction? Amazing! I thought it was the pattern of a cristal object! 


> How did you get this symmetrical picture, North Star?

----------


## Danik 2016

That is the picture related to the post above. I don´t know how to put more than one quote in the same post.


My response to your critique, *qimissung*.  :Wink: 

[/QUOTE]

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## Tyrion Cheddar

Another utterly gorgeous shot, Tony, and thank you for your kind words about my pics. This next is another winter shot, facing now the other side of my front deck.

Winter3 by Robert Marks, on Flickr

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## tonywalt

> Another utterly gorgeous shot, Tony, and thank you for your kind words about my pics. This next is another winter shot, facing now the other side of my front deck.
> 
> Winter3 by Robert Marks, on Flickr


Yes! - good use of foreground and background. aaah, litnet is full of Artists. Peeps who intuitively know..stuff...

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## North Star

Beautiful blues and whites in the snow, fence, mountains and sky. Lovely stuff, Tyrion.

----------


## YesNo

Nice pictures, Tyrion. It looks like you don't have many neighbors near by. I look outside my windows or doors and there's another building or a busy street or both.

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## Tyrion Cheddar

I feel your pain, YesNo, and thanks for the kind words. I used to live in NYC and am grateful beyond words to live where I live now. Here's an autumn view out the front.

Autumn2 by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

The pictures look uncannily like the countryside round where I live, low rolling wooded hills and lakes. I love it.

----------


## North Star

As requested. Click the images to see them properly on Flickr.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Those pictures of that crystal forest are so spectacular, North Star, they seem fantastic. My only chance of competing with that is to bring out the big guns. Yes, here is my foot:

foot by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

no trespassing. cayman islands, grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

I see your No Trespassing sign, Tony, and raise you this sign, which was taken at a sort of garden center near me. Interpret it as you wish.

Giant Tool Sale by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Yes, that´s it! They look great, all together!


> As requested. Click the images to see them properly on Flickr.

----------


## qimissung

Love the images of the wind blown snow, Northstar. It looks like the surface of the moon or something. And nary a symmetrical line to be seen.  :Wink:

----------


## North Star

> Those pictures of that crystal forest are so spectacular, North Star, they seem fantastic.





> Yes, that´s it! They look great, all together!





> Love the images of the wind blown snow, Northstar. It looks like the surface of the moon or something. And nary a symmetrical line to be seen.


Thanks, all.

----------


## tonywalt

motel hotel in &quot;south of the border&quot; south carolina by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

coke on the beach coca-cola cayman islands beach ocean sky clouds hdr by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

In this last sequence. Tony, I specially like the way you use windows and bulldozer to frame the landscape. And also the dogish looks of the dog.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

And here I was going to ask Tony which varieties of lysergic acid he favors. ;-) Here are my own colors, again a fall shot capturing a portion of the view from the front of my house.

Autumn by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

That's the front of your house, and the back overlooks a lake or the sea. Beautiful.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Tony: the close-up of the hand brings out the grains of sand very clearly.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

There are some huge and beautiful lakes just down the road from me and all around this area, but no, the back of my house doesn't overlook one. No complaints on my part, mind you. I consider myself have lucked into paradise. ;-) Meanwhile, speaking of, here's the old wood stove, wot I used extensively this winter.

wood stove by Robert Marks, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

That's how I feel about our house. Every day when I look out across a field to the ridge of wooded hils beyond I think how lucky I am. Nice roaring fire you have there.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

As you can see, and much to my chagrin, these photos I've posted have identifying information attached to them. Now I took them on my phone, which automatically backed them up on Google Photos, then I downloaded them to my laptop, then uploaded them to Flickr. I don't know at which point in that chain my name was attached to the pics, but I would like to strip that info from them. Does anyone know how? Thanks.

----------


## YesNo

You should be able to manually remove the second line of the url link that puts the identifying information there. 

You can still click on the photo to go to the album. I didn't see location info there, but maybe I'm not looking at the right place. Perhaps you don't have that turned on. I normally want to know where I took the photo so it can be automatically mapped, but many don't want to show that information.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Perhaps the lesson is to keep it simple. Put the photos on photobucket and cut out all the in between stuff.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> You should be able to manually remove the second line of the url link that puts the identifying information there. 
> 
> You can still click on the photo to go to the album. I didn't see location info there, but maybe I'm not looking at the right place. Perhaps you don't have that turned on. I normally want to know where I took the photo so it can be automatically mapped, but many don't want to show that information.


 Thanks. I changed the privacy settings on Flickr to hide that sort of info, like location, so maybe it worked. I'm going to try removing that second line of the URL. By the way, I still l haven't figured out how to delete a post, and I've read the FAQ. That would be useful information, too.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Here's a test:

Buds, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

> Thanks. I changed the privacy settings on Flickr to hide that sort of info, like location, so maybe it worked. I'm going to try removing that second line of the URL. By the way, I still l haven't figured out how to delete a post, and I've read the FAQ. That would be useful information, too.


I haven't tried to delete a post, but what I have seen people do is edit a post and replace it with some text like "....." or "deleted" since the post can't be empty.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Excellent! That worked, thanks for your input, all. I would still like to know how to delete a post, though. Also that name you saw wasn't actually my real name. It was my nom du plume. I'm actually a Lebanese political prisoner named Gordo Gordon, jailed for writing Batman vs. Superman erotica fanfic.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Notice that in this next shot, you get not only the fire but the privilege of my feet.

Wood Stove 2, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

LOL! I noticed all along that the people that were transfering their pictures from Flickr, not only Tyrion, where identified. But as I don´t know any one here I thought this is no business of mine.

----------


## tonywalt

> Notice that in this next shot, you get not only the fire but the privilege of my feet.
> 
> Wood Stove 2, on Flickr


Love this shot.

----------


## tonywalt

bulldozer on the beach in cayman islands beach sky clouds ocean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice juxtaposition of a heavy duty machine and the beach. Seems like he is building a coastway road?

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

And now for some local color, a few of the wild turkeys who come and go round these parts, strutting across my property like they own the place.

Turkeys, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

night photography nikon long exposure cayman islands art capture bed televison by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Those long exposures are a nice way to make the contrast between the colors stand out. I'm surprised how uniformly dark the black is or did you touch it up somehow? It's not the normal way I would imagine a bed and television to look at night.

----------


## tonywalt

> Those long exposures are a nice way to make the contrast between the colors stand out. I'm surprised how uniformly dark the black is or did you touch it up somehow? It's not the normal way I would imagine a bed and television to look at night.


It's underexposed around the tv.

----------


## Danik 2016

[ATTACH]9722Vegetation in Campos do Jordão (Brazil). I like its unkempt look.

----------


## YesNo

That does look rather unkempt.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I puzzled a lot about this picture yesterday. What looks like a pane of glass (from the window?) on the bed doesn't look the right size. The pale blue bedclothes also have a luminosity about them.

----------


## North Star

> I puzzled a lot about this picture yesterday. What looks like a pane of glass (from the window?) on the bed doesn't look the right size. The pale blue bedclothes also have a luminosity about them.


It's a book or a magazine, not a pane of glass. The 'luminosity' of the bed results from the light of the TV reflecting from it.

----------


## Dreamwoven

There you go, it fooled me. I see now that you can use the light from a TV to create some interesting photography.

----------


## North Star

My brother (left) and dad getting a taste of the first ham out of the recently finished food smoker, basically a wood-heated sauna stove with a cabinet on top.

----------


## tonywalt

Little Cayman Brac by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> There you go, it fooled me. I see now that you can use the light from a TV to create some interesting photography.


Thanks, I'm really attracted to the surreal. I like landscapes, and they are easier to conceptualize - but my favourite photographers/photos are surreal or unusual. Ideally, psychological. diane arbus, gregory crewdson, todd hido

----------


## North Star

> Thanks, I'm really attracted to the surreal. I like landscapes, and they are easier to conceptualize - but my favourite photographers/photos are surreal or unusual. Ideally, psychological. diane arbus, gregory crewdson, todd hido


Interesting. I think I have an inkling of what you mean by psychological here, Tony, but I'm not sure. Something where the photograph shows people or something affected by people, or perhaps evidence of the lack of people's influence. Trouble is, though, that just about all photographs can fit under that description. Not all realize that, though, and that can make a difference in the photographs.

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting. I think I have an inkling of what you mean by psychological here, Tony, but I'm not sure. Something where the photograph shows people or something affected by people, or perhaps evidence of the lack of people's influence. Trouble is, though, that just about all photographs can fit under that description. Not all realize that, though, and that can make a difference in the photographs.


True, true.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Great stuff, guys. These next two, taken at sunrise out front, you might call my Dawn of Creation series.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/FwCqQc]Dawn of Creation, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

And there's always psychology involved in the making of a photograph, as well as in seeing one, by definition. This sunlit daytime scene didn't quite look like this to the naked eyes, for instance.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Ez4PaB]Dawn of Creation 2, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

Lovely photos, Tyrion, wonderful light. I'm always a sucker for those layers of shadows with different tones in landscapes. That green dot in the road is quite a strange looking artifact indeed.

----------


## YesNo

What is that green dot? It seems too circular to be in the road. I couldn't enlarge it in flickr to see it closer.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

You know what, lads? I think we have our very first paranormal photo anomaly on old LitNet. If Art Bell hadn't retired for the forty-third time, I'd call him up. Clearly it's otherworldly, an automated signal beacon from an old alien ship (extra-dimensional, of course), whose crew died long ages ago, and which has been drifting, signaling into the darkness ever since. Then again it could be a really small, circular ghost. Or part of one. Or there's a portal in my driveway that I never noticed before, and if I'm not careful, me and my Honda are likely to slip through into the land of fae, where cruel and whimsical nature spirits in the service of the White Queen will have their way with me. And my car.

----------


## Dreamwoven

That stac, buffeted by waves in Tonywalt's picture looks as if it has the texture of a sponge.

----------


## Danik 2016

How can you past a picture directly from the PC on the post? So far I managed to post only links with images on Litnet, but not the images themselves.

----------


## YesNo

There is a way to put a picture on the site and then link to it. I go a round-about way of taking the photo from Google and then putting it in an anonymous Photobucket site. I don't know if that is worth bothering doing any more. Perhaps just a link to a shared picture on Google is adequate. I don't know what the best solution is. Ideally I would like some folder in Google for pictures that I make public.

----------


## YesNo

> You know what, lads? I think we have our very first paranormal photo anomaly on old LitNet. If Art Bell hadn't retired for the forty-third time, I'd call him up. Clearly it's otherworldly, an automated signal beacon from an old alien ship (extra-dimensional, of course), whose crew died long ages ago, and which has been drifting, signaling into the darkness ever since. Then again it could be a really small, circular ghost. Or part of one. Or there's a portal in my driveway that I never noticed before, and if I'm not careful, me and my Honda are likely to slip through into the land of fae, where cruel and whimsical nature spirits in the service of the White Queen will have their way with me. And my car.


So, you don't have a clue what it is?

I read some years ago about people finding "orbs" in their photographs. Here's one link that popped up from a quick search: http://www.orbwhisperer.com/

----------


## Danik 2016

Thanks, YesNo. That seems a really roundabout way of doing it. I notice that most of the pictures come from Flickr. I shall experiment some with the edit pad.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> So, you don't have a clue what it is?
> 
> I read some years ago about people finding "orbs" in their photographs. Here's one link that popped up from a quick search: http://www.orbwhisperer.com/


 <facepalm> Orbs... Orbs, he says... You've taken me back to my Coast 2 Coast AM days, especially when they were having a slow night--fresh outta ufo abductees and such--and the only guest they could find was someone talking about orbs or ghost stories overheard while sitting in a bar or something. ;-) I do think I remember guests talking it on the show, thanks. As for me, I've only got two orbs, and I'm pretty sure you know where they are. :-0

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Here is what can only be described as firewood, when it was freshly stacked in my garage late last year.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/EBsDeg]Firewood, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Here's the orb up close. I was going to touch it up a little to make it more interesting, but I don't know how to do that. I had enough trouble cropping it.



If you look close you can see the alien's four eyes.

----------


## YesNo

> Here is what can only be described as firewood, when it was freshly stacked in my garage late last year.
> 
> [url=https://flic.kr/p/EBsDeg]Firewood, on Flickr


For someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, this looks rather civilized.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Here's the orb up close. I was going to touch it up a little to make it more interesting, but I don't know how to do that. I had enough trouble cropping it.
> 
> 
> 
> If you look close you can see the alien's four eyes.


 Yes, you can. Now I was also thinking they look like suction cups, suckers, like a bug has for crawling up walls. Or maybe three suckers and a penis. I'll go out there tomorrow and look.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> For someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, this looks rather civilized.


 Oh, yeah, it's one of the things I love about this place, it has all the modern amenities and yet is located where other humans ain't.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

It has happened:

S7, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Congratulations on your new phone. I considered taking a picture of my phone but then I realized I needed the phone to take the picture. Then I figured I could use a mirror.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Congratulations on your new phone. I considered taking a picture of my phone but then I realized I needed the phone to take the picture. Then I figured I could use a mirror.


 These are the dilemmas that try men's souls. Now, those of you wot have read Tolkien will be familiar with the White Tree of Gondor, wot stood in the Court of the Fountain in Minas Tirith. Well, when I moved into this house, I looked out and saw that lo, I have a White Tree of Gondor standing out front.

White Tree by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

P.S. that's taken with the new S7 and I do see what people have been saying about the camera, the light and shading really stand out.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Birch trees are one of my all-time favourite kinds of tree.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

This next I took in Stockholm a few years ago when I went there, taken with whichever phone I had at the time, probably a Galaxy S3.

Stockholm ship by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

> Here is what can only be described as firewood, when it was freshly stacked in my garage late last year.
> 
> [url=https://flic.kr/p/EBsDeg]Firewood, on Flickr


Very nice. Here are some logs I peeled the summer before last.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Oh, that's so nice, North Star. Really took me into the mood of it, both the photo and the look of the logs. Why do you peel them? I'd be interested in learning about this. Meanwhile, here's a handsome soldier boy who was standing guard outside the Royal Palace in Stockholm:

Stockholm Royal Palace Guard by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Stockholm is a beautiful city, , a city of islands, sometimes called "the Venice of the North" (a Holm is an island in Swedish).




> This next I took in Stockholm a few years ago when I went there, taken with whichever phone I had at the time, probably a Galaxy S3.
> 
> Stockholm ship by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> Very nice. Here are some logs I peeled the summer before last.



North Star,
I think that it is this abillity to discover the hidden magic of the homely landscape and bring out the patterns on objects that wouldn´t be noticed otherwise that make your pictures so interesting.

----------


## North Star

> Nord Star,
> I think that it is this abillity to discover the hidden magic of the homely landscape and bring out the patterns on objects that wouldn´t be noticed otherwise that make your pictures so interesting.


Thank you, *Danik*. Yes, I do think that it is important to properly see everything, even if our minds might very much prefer not responding to things we see all the time.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Nord Star,
> I think that it is this abillity to discover the hidden magic of the homely landscape and bring out the patterns on objects that wouldn´t be noticed otherwise that make your pictures so interesting.


 Well said. Walking just now found this little artifact on me driveway.

bluebird by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

> Oh, that's so nice, North Star. Really took me into the mood of it, both the photo and the look of the logs. Why do you peel them?


My parents are building a cabinet over at Lake Kitka, some of the logs were from trees that fell in a storm, some were cut down from where we will build, and the timber will be used in the building.

----------


## Danik 2016

> Well said. Walking just now found this little artifact on me driveway.
> 
> bluebird by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Yes, Mr Archibald :Wink5:  , I like this picture of the gentle gift the bluebird left you.

----------


## North Star

Some photos of that project.... The place is a small cape, with a small bay on one side and a larger part of the lake to the other side, but the wider waters are further ahead, straight ahead from the cape, in the direction most of those scenery photos show. In the last photo, there's our outhouse on the right, and on the left there's our only neighbour.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Outhouse? You do mean just for while the construction's happening, right? Y'all will have indoor plumbing when the job's done, won't ye? ;-)

----------


## North Star

No plumbing, but we might make the outhouse more sophisticated, perhaps. Not that there's anything wrong with the outhouse as it is - it doesn't smell, and the compost makes a mighty powerful fertilizer.

----------


## YesNo

> No plumbing, but we might make the outhouse more sophisticated, perhaps. Not that there's anything wrong with the outhouse as it is - it doesn't smell, and the compost makes a mighty powerful fertilizer.


An outhouse makes sense. Do you have running water or a hand pump for a well?

It looks like you have sawed the wood into planks on site. That's pretty cool.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Me, without plumbing, electricity and some wicked fast internet, I ain't going there no how. :-0 Now for some more Stockholm:

Stockholm by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

Of course we have Internet and electricity there.




> An outhouse makes sense. Do you have running water or a hand pump for a well?
> 
> It looks like you have sawed the wood into planks on site. That's pretty cool.


We have a hydraulic pump and pump water from the lake, but we take our drinking water with us from the town.

----------


## Danik 2016

.......

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Now those same buds a couple of weeks later, this time with the new S7:

Buds2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Interesting changes in nature. Does your new phone take better pictures than the old one?

----------


## Danik 2016

These beautiful buds deserve a follow up until their full blosson with a camera that reproduces their shades and details. So does North Star´s project. I hope for more interesting pictures from you both.
Happy Easter all!

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Interesting changes in nature. Does your new phone take better pictures than the old one?


 Yeah, that's kind of why I posted that second photo of those buds. Knowing nothing about photography, as I do, I don't know the reasons for it or the right terms, but the pics taken with the S7 are richer, the colors smoother and more natural. I know Samsung altered the S6 camera and apparently reduced the number of megapixels as a trade-off for better low light photography, I think, but it's more than that. I've heard other early adopters praising the camera in the S7 and I can see why.

----------


## tonywalt

street photography cayman islands capture cave caves night photography gregory crewdson alec soth Todd Hido by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Crystal Caves, Cayman Islands (yes, some collaboration, for the hanging girl look)

----------


## Dreamwoven

Oh, you have limestone caves in Cayman! Very nice.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

More importantly, he's got girls with long, smooth brown thighs. I mean, priorities, people.

----------


## tonywalt

Limestone and girls, what more is there

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Limestone and girls, what more is there


 Spoken like a prophet. And now, another shot that demonstrates the striking quality of the S7 camera:

Buds3 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

.
Did YesNo mention orbs again?

My notes taken during the Patty Greer crop circle presentation at the 2014 Roswell UFO Festival
(That's a spot of wine on the first page)

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Galliatt, please don't take the following in any way personally, it comes from a very long history with Coast 2 Coast AM, starting during Art Bell's heyday, then continuing on into the show's decline and fall from there into the George Snoory years. Having never heard of Patty Greer, my first thought upon seeing her name was "Could she be related to that douche Steven Greer?" So I did a search and found her site. I didn't see any mention of him on her site. Instead, she looks more like the new Linda Moulton Howe, complete with crop circles, visitations and abductions. I know that old LMH has gotten pretty old, the original roster of guests from back then are either ancient or dead. Either way, I think more highly of that fine looking ale in your photo than I do the <cough> expert opinions or testimony of the various C2C guests. Art was a brilliant host and master of ceremonies, which is what made it fun for me. After that it descended into pure 'tard.

----------


## tonywalt

Hm. What just happened?

----------


## Pensive

First two pictures are of Riga Latvian National Opera. Went there to watch the ballet Sleeping Beauty. Was quite astonished by the large number of people there. I do not know how popular this form of art currently is in other parts of the world and perhaps it depends a lot on the performance as well but I would not imagine so many people in Tallinn. In Riga it is also cheaper, which could be one explanation. 

When I was visiting Riga, thought might as well visit Jelgava. The last picture is from there.riga 1.jpg
riga national opera.jpgjelgava.jpg

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Went walking just now and saw some lovely thingies. Old New England is known for old barns, old stone walls, covered bridges and the like. We have a lot of that round here. Here is an example:

barn rear by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Hm. What just happened?


 Oh that was just me gagging on one of the bevy of half-wits, frauds and escaped mental patients who appear on the radio show Coast to Coast AM here in the States, representing themselves as experts on all kinds of paranormal subjects. I in no way intended that as a slam against Galliatt, as I hope I made clear, it's just a personal matter with me, this subject.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

From the side, with the old wall:

barn side by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

A nearby quadruped:

horses2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

With companion:

horses3 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

> .
> Did YesNo mention orbs again?


Yeah. Trying to get the rabble roused. If my phone took pictures of orbs as well as Tyrion's did I'd never upgrade it. Unfortunately, I haven't seen an orb in any photo I've taken, not that I've looked closely at many of them. I don't know why I take the pictures in the first place.

Those UFO conventions sound like a lot of fun.

----------


## YesNo

> Attachment 9728


That last one looks like a picture of a mechanical moose.

----------


## YesNo

> With companion:
> 
> horses3 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Nice horse. Do you keep any animals?

----------


## Danik 2016

.......

----------


## Danik 2016

> With companion:
> 
> horses3 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


They are lovely, especially "companion" with its soft look.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Nice horse. Do you keep any animals?


 Not anymore. I used to have lovebirds, which are cute and sweet but a pain in the you know what 'cause they need so much attention. If I had the energy and inclination to take care of it, a dog would make a good companion, I'm sure. As you can see, I have found myself living in an area of farms, with angus black cows in large numbers around here, and horses, the occasional sheep. I prefer to let other people do the work of caring for them and just stroll by to take pictures, myself. ;-)

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Hm. What just happened?


Haha, sorry bout that Tony, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity for another orb abduction opportunity.





> Galliatt, please don't take the following in any way personally,...
> ...After that it descended into pure 'tard...





> ... I in no way intended that as a slam against Galliatt, as I hope I made clear,


I know you must be pulling my leg, but just in case there is even the slightest hint of concern on your part for offending me, trust me no offense was taken. YesNo can tell you of my escapades attending Bigfoot, UFO conventions, etc., for the entertainment value, along with a little father-son bonding time.
Actually, we went to the Roswell UFO festival primarily so my son could see Stanton Friedman, unfortunately he was a no show due to heart attack. (he recovered btw)
You ought to see my notes on "Triangular UFOs" presentation. If you care, you can take a look at my thread covering the entire trip.

To the subject at hand, your new phone camera is causing me to question my 10 lb Pentax, a little exaggeration on the weight, but you get the point.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Yeah, the camera in the S7 has really knocked my socks off. Oh, and you do know Stanton Friedman's heart attack was induced by the Trilateral Commission and the Bilderbergers, right? Can't have him spilling the beans on the reverse engineered UFO technology currently being used by the Council on Foreign Relations.

----------


## YesNo

I looked up a way to take orb pictures, but my handful of attempts didn't contain any orbs. The method said I had to use a flash. Anyway, it took me some time to figure out how to set the flash to go off. I usually just leave things on "auto" mode. 

Then I got interested in the raindrops on the window and I wondered if there was a way to focus up close on those. That involved another setting that I just learned how to use. In case you are wondering those orange circles in the background are not orbs, but the unfocused lights from houses across the street.

Here is the result:

----------


## Danik 2016

That´s an interesting picture, YesNo, maybe you should try to photograph these raindrops against iluminated background, for example at night.
I thought the whole story of the orbs was a big joke, but you seem to be serious about it. But maybe it would be good to investigate if that green orb on Tyrion's pic is not the result of some technical device, maybe from his own camera that got in the way of the image.

----------


## YesNo

Now that I figured out how to take close-ups with the phone's camera, I'm going to experiment further. The illuminated background sounds interesting. I have trouble with night photography. That also might be because I leave things on "auto".

The orbs are sort of a joke, and yet I understand that people can actually get photos of them. However, I haven't been able to do that, but then I haven't really tried very hard. On the other hand, I am the sort of person who will quickly suspend disbelief. Tell me about Bigfoot and I'll start interpreting it as a modern speciation event. Tell me about the Tarot, and I'll likely give it a try coming up with some psychological theory to justify it. Tell me about UFOs and I'll want one of them to beam me up.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Well then this may interest you, YesNo. The raindrops, as any of the high ceremonial magicians of ancient Egypt could have told you, are spiritual companion to the orbs. Those may only look like lights from the houses across the street, but when seen through the raindrops, they become orbs. In this way, orbs have been hiding in plain sight for thousands of years, often mistaken for fire or candlelight.

----------


## YesNo

Ah! That reminds me of Masaru Emoto's "messages in water". Whatever those circles of light are in my photo, whether blurred lights from a neighbor's house or ancient Egyptian orb-droppings, that orb in your photograph is the best one on this thread so far.

----------


## tonywalt

> First two pictures are of Riga Latvian National Opera. Went there to watch the ballet Sleeping Beauty. Was quite astonished by the large number of people there. I do not know how popular this form of art currently is in other parts of the world and perhaps it depends a lot on the performance as well but I would not imagine so many people in Tallinn. In Riga it is also cheaper, which could be one explanation. 
> 
> When I was visiting Riga, thought might as well visit Jelgava. The last picture is from there.Attachment 9726
> Attachment 9727Attachment 9728


Beautiful. Love the second shot, good composition.

----------


## YesNo

I was wandering about the forest preserve last weekend. Here's a picture of an old park picnic table.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

The pic-a-nic table looks like it was made for giants. Very nice, YesNo, though I think you'd better come clean and admit you were inspired by me. Yes, it was my pics of my rustic neighborhood that made you all jealous, like. Come on, now, no need to be ashamed. You'd hardly be the first person to model himself on me.

----------


## YesNo

Yes. Both you and North Star were inspirations. Actually, North Star's photo of the logs was what inspired me to take the picture of the picnic table from this perspective focusing on the edges of wood. It was like his photo of two logs.

----------


## North Star

Well I'm glad to know I'm an inspiration.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Nothing to see here, people.

----------


## YesNo

> 


This looks like an orb or a hand behind a crystal ball, but I suspect there is some technique here I'm missing.

----------


## YesNo

> Orphan Black 92nd street Y March 31 2016 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


I thought you were trying to get away from the city.

----------


## Danik 2016

:Alien: 
People all take care of your pics, LitNet is being raided again!

----------


## North Star

> This looks like an orb or a hand behind a crystal ball, but I suspect there is some technique here I'm missing.


Just my hand holding a glass with some water in it.

As far as influence, though, I didn't connect that photo to the orbit talk at all, and I took it three weeks ago.

----------


## North Star

Something related from two years ago:

----------


## Danik 2016

Wow, North Star!
It was a joke of course! But the raid is real.

----------


## North Star

> Wow, North Star!
> It was a joke of course! But the raid is real.


Oh, I see my tone could have been more relaxed. I certainly didn't take any offense at a suggestion of having influences. I don't actually recall what drew me to photograph these things originally, Dutch Golden Age still-life paintings perhaps.

----------


## Danik 2016

It´s ok, North Star! Just a silly comment, nothing to do with real influence. It was meant to make people smile. I,m taking it out again.
Those last glass compositions are beautiful!

----------


## Danik 2016

Sorry! Slow internet, double post.

----------


## North Star

> It´s ok, North Star! Just a silly comment, nothing to do with real influence. It was meant to make people smile. I,m taking it out again.
> Those last glass compositions are beautiful!


Relax, Danik. It did.  :Smile: 

Thanks.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Myself, I wondered what they were. Thought they might be close ups of a closed eye...

----------


## YesNo

> Just my hand holding a glass with some water in it.
> 
> As far as influence, though, I didn't connect that photo to the orbit talk at all, and I took it three weeks ago.


I see. It is interesting how a close up of something or removing the background can give one a sense of the unexpected.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> I see. It is interesting how a close up of something or removing the background can give one a sense of the unexpected.


Yes its a weird feeling.

----------


## North Star

This all brings to my mind *Minor White*'s words: " "One should photograph things not only for what they are, but also for what else they are."

----------


## YesNo

That looks like a tiny hand at the bottom of the picture of the leaf.

----------


## Dreamwoven

That quote from Minor White: are there others like that?

----------


## North Star

> That quote from Minor White: are there others like that?


There certainly are: http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=25

----------


## tonywalt

A night shot of the harbour in Georgetown, Grand Cayman

a long exposure georgetown grand cayman the capital city of cayman islands in caribbean sea ocean beach city night photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Its the curve of the road that is brought out and catches my attention. I wonder how the light is produced? It reaches the buildings which are also illuminated.

----------


## tonywalt

> Its the curve of the road that is brought out and catches my attention. I wonder how the light is produced? It reaches the buildings which are also illuminated.


The streaked light are the cars (this is a long exposure),and there are many street lights to light the buildings

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, I thought as much, again a nice idea. I didn't know the headlights of cars would show up like that so clearly.

----------


## Danik 2016

It reminds me a bit of the Bay of Rio de Janeiro in it's roundness. But here you don't seem to have those big grey skyscrapers.

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

pier in the cayman islands on tuesday at 6:35pm photography long exposure nikon art caribbean sea ocean beach tranquil cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

It looks like one could walk off the edge of the world in that picture probably because the horizon is rounded and the pier goes right out towards it.

----------


## Danik 2016

I'm glad the pictures are back. I missed them

----------


## Danik 2016

> 


They look like ice lolipops on ice castles built by kids.

----------


## North Star

> They look like ice lolipops on ice castles built by kids.


Perhaps.  :Smile:

----------


## Dreamwoven

This is something you see quite a lot of in winter, or spring-winter. Heather or sometimes trees pushing up through the snow?

----------


## North Star

They're not pushing through (it's from mid-January this year), the snow has just stuck like that. And yes, this look can get more pronounced as the snow layer starts to diminish and compress.

----------


## Danik 2016

So no human hand created these mounds. I had some idea of childrem playing in the snow as they play with sand. I hope you have made an album with these studies of snow patterns.

----------


## North Star

> So no human hand created these mounds. I had some idea of childrem playing in the snow as they play with sand. I hope you have made an album with these studies of snow patterns.


I certainly see how you might think of children doing something like this. There would be a massive amount of footprints, though.

In the sense of a flickr 'album', yes I have: https://www.flickr.com/photos/janace...57661309667743

----------


## Danik 2016

Actually I meant a book, if there was enough material, but I don´t know if foto books are still in use.
From the filckr serie I prefer Solitude II, maybe because it is the less lonesome. The stalks bear each other company.

----------


## North Star

> Actually I meant a book, if there was enough material, but I don´t know if foto books are still in use.
> From the filckr serie I prefer Solitude II, maybe because it is the less lonesome. The stalks bear each other company.


Of course I knew you meant a printed album. It will be some time before I'll be getting into printing, but I will get into it, eventually.
A smaller percentage of photographs is printed nowadays than ever before, I'd guess. But it might still also be that more photographs are printed than ever before.

No. II does certainly stand out for being more crowded than the others. Now, as for what you say about the talks bearing each other company, all this is something I don't think I thought of at all when making these photographs, but I don't know if the stalks look like they are any less alone in the crowd. But that's just us reflecting our own associations of being in crowds, I think.

----------


## Dreamwoven

What is it that grows out of the snow, is it new birch, or what? I remember seeing this outside our house, but can't remember what it was earlier in the winter, it could also be heather or soft fruit, like blackcurrents.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

> Of course I knew you meant a printed album. It will be some time before I'll be getting into printing, but I will get into it, eventually.
> A smaller percentage of photographs is printed nowadays than ever before, I'd guess. But it might still also be that more photographs are printed than ever before.
> 
> No. II does certainly stand out for being more crowded than the others. Now, as for what you say about the talks bearing each other company, all this is something I don't think I thought of at all when making these photographs, but I don't know if the stalks look like they are any less alone in the crowd. But that's just us reflecting our own associations of being in crowds, I think.


To be sure, one can be very lonely in a crowd. As I never saw real snow maybe I didn´t realise before the isolating effect of a coat of snow.

----------


## Danik 2016

*****

----------


## Danik 2016

> 


More associations: a rather irregular birthday cake and what looks like a person or a puppet in front of one of the mounds.

----------


## YesNo

That does look like a birthday cake in the back off center toward the right. Some of the candles even seem lit.

----------


## North Star

Hah!

----------


## Danik 2016

What season of the year is it? It looks like someone is fishing.

----------


## qimissung

Love these last two. Yours is so calm and soft and dreamy, Tony, and yours captures the eternal mystery of snow, NorthStar.

----------


## North Star

> What season of the year is it? It looks like someone is fishing.


Early summer.

----------


## North Star

From December:

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice red tinge from the early winter ice forming on the lake, and also the sky.

----------


## Danik 2016

It seems that in Finland you still can distinguish the changes from one season to the other.
In fact your pictures document these changes.
Meanwhile here in São Paulo, Brazil, we have autumn temperatures ranging 3oº- 32º. About 15 years ago these were high summer temperatures. So much for global warming.

----------


## North Star

> It seems that in Finland you still can distinguish the changes from one season to the other.
> In fact your pictures document these changes.
> Meanwhile here in São Paulo, Brazil, we have autumn temperatures ranging 3oº- 32º. About 15 years ago these were high summer temperatures. So much for global warming.


Certainly. I don't think you could get a more even distribution of summer, autumn, winter and spring than here, certainly not somewhere as close to the equator as Brazil. We reach 30 ºC a couple of times in a summer, generally. And -30º C about as often in the winter.



Taken exactly six months after this one

----------


## YesNo

A lot of interesting straight lines in the empty room North Star.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

I loved that dry leaf!
By the way, does anyone know the reason for those words marked in yellow that appear in some of out texts?

----------


## North Star

> I loved that dry leaf!
> By the way, does anyone know the reason for those words marked in yellow that appear in some of out texts?


If you arrive at a forum page through a search using the native search engine, the words in your search will be highlighted.

----------


## Danik 2016

Thanks, NS! I thought it was rather a strange form of text correction!

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned bar grand cayman cayman islands caribbean beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

That´s quite a romantic picture with the dark sky and the atmosphere of solitude it sugests to me. Again, in my low resolution PC it resembles a painting.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Helping out the son and his team partners with their electronics class project. They chose to construct an RC car, in this case they were required to design and fabricate the their own circuitry and control signal device.
As for the actual car, that's where I came, I couldn't imagine a better application for a rice strainer. They christened it: "Beyond Thunderdome".

A few views of the car minus the circuitry, batteries (from my developing "Workbench Composition" series gallery):

----------


## Dreamwoven

Had to look up rc car - radio-controlled! I have a lot of admiration for folks who can build such things.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Had to look up rc car - radio-controlled! I have a lot of admiration for folks who can build such things.


Thanks for taking a look, a fun project.

----------


## YesNo

That's a nice car, Gilliatt Gurgle! I like the triangular shape of the base which is matched by the rice strainer's shape. I remember reading about some students who used tiny Raspberry Pi computers to make things like that.

----------


## Danik 2016

I don´t understand anything about cars. This one has certainly an original form.Is this upper part made out of a tea sieve?

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> That's a nice car, Gilliatt Gurgle! I like the triangular shape of the base which is matched by the rice strainer's shape. I remember reading about some students who used tiny Raspberry Pi computers to make things like that.


The guys opted to steer the car by alternating the acceleration/ deceleration of each wheel, so I suggested they use a swiveling tail wheel approach which led naturally to a triangular shape. A trilobite was the secondary inspiration for the shape.
They're considering adding the quote; "two men enter one man leaves" on the side... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmRAiUPdRjk




> I don´t understand anything about cars. This one has certainly an original form.Is this upper part made out of a tea sieve?


Yes, it certainly went off on a bizarre tangent, see above.
tea sieve?, well, I suppose if your brewing in a 5 gallon bucket. The strainer used is about 10 inch / 26 cm diameter and about 12 in/ 30 cm tall.

----------


## tonywalt

> That´s quite a romantic picture with the dark sky and the atmosphere of solitude it sugests to me. Again, in my low resolution PC it resembles a painting.


Thanks. Abandoned buildings is a genre that I enjoy, alot.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> That´s quite a romantic picture with the dark sky and the atmosphere of solitude it sugests to me. Again, in my low resolution PC it resembles a painting.


I agree with Danik, it does have a lot of atmosphere. I can understand why Tony likes them as subjects. The blue paintwork that is wearing off gives it added ghost-like qualities.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> That´s quite a romantic picture with the dark sky and the atmosphere of solitude it sugests to me. Again, in my low resolution PC it resembles a painting.


I agree with Danik. Gives the photo ghost-like qualities.

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

It almost looks as if the people living in this house should put a picture on the wall to break the straight lines. What is outside the window does look like a picture, but it is not clear enough to override the linear patterns.

----------


## Dreamwoven

The vertical iron bars in front of the window gives this a prison-look

----------


## Danik 2016

Again a pattern. This time the dominant pattern are the vertical bars of the staircase.

----------


## Danik 2016

[/QUOTE]Yes, it certainly went off on a bizarre tangent, see above.
tea sieve?, well, I suppose if your brewing in a 5 gallon bucket. The strainer used is about 10 inch / 26 cm diameter and about 12 in/ 30 cm tall.[/QUOTE]
It looks small on the picture. Anyway a gigantic tea sieve then. :Smile5:

----------


## North Star

> It almost looks as if the people living in this house should put a picture on the wall to break the straight lines. What is outside the window does look like a picture, but it is not clear enough to override the linear patterns.


Not to mention that the trees visible from the window in the photo are really just more straight(ish) lines..



> Again a pattern. This time the dominant pattern are the vertical bars of the staircase.


Sure, the verticals are a very dominant element here.

From Saturday. The ice was gone on Sunday.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Its the same here: went from chilly windswept winter to full summer in early May - overnight.

----------


## YesNo

> Not to mention that the trees visible from the window in the photo are really just more straight(ish) lines..


Yes. I noticed that. I do like the straight-line theme in the picture which I think you were emphasizing. I don't think I could find so many straight lines in the home where we live which makes the picture unusual. We have plants all over the place along with a cat.

----------


## tonywalt

A pier in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. I really enjoy the surreal look of long exposure.

pier cayman islands caribbean long exposure explore caribbean ocean sea beach nikon piers by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> Not to mention that the trees visible from the window in the photo are really just more straight(ish) lines..
> 
> Sure, the verticals are a very dominant element here.
> 
> From Saturday. The ice was gone on Sunday.


Usually these beautiful landscapes convey a feeling of loneliness to me. I live in a densely populated city and when I look at this wood, that seems unhabited, I ask where are all the people of Finnland.

----------


## Danik 2016

> A pier in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. I really enjoy the surreal look of long exposure.
> 
> pier cayman islands caribbean long exposure explore caribbean ocean sea beach nikon piers by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Yes. It reminds me of a gigantic endless swimming pool.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Rainbow2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

I can almost see where the pot of gold should be in that rainbow.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Lovely picture, the pier looks suspended over the water, while the horizon is hazy, altogether very hazy, even the closer part of the pier is hazy.

----------


## Danik 2016

A beautiful image. The rainbow lits the beautiful but solitary landscape, like a blessing of nature or of another dimension if one believes in it.

----------


## Dreamwoven

It adds a nice touch when a rainbow ends close to the house, especially if the house is yours.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

That post seems to have enlarged the pixels and made it much blurrier than my S7 camera took it. I'll try a smaller version:

Rainbow2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

It looks like there's fog blurring the trees. Shouldn't the trees in the background be greener than they are?

----------


## Pensive

Sigulda, Latvia 

sigulda.jpgsigulda 4.jpgsigulda 2.jpgsigulda 3.jpg

----------


## Danik 2016

.....

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting images, Pensive, specially that impressive tree against the stormy background.

----------


## tonywalt

> Sigulda, Latvia 
> 
> Attachment 9758Attachment 9757Attachment 9755Attachment 9756


Love this, love how its framed

----------


## tonywalt

Beautiful image, house is nicely proportioned, framed

----------


## Snowqueen

Great photos, guys. I would like to follow you on Flickr.

Here are some recent pictures. 

My nieces wanted to see Lahore Museum. Fasting Buddha attracted my people.



Shalimar Garden




Trimo Head Bridge (Atharan Hazari)



Spotted this kite in the trees.

----------


## Iain Sparrow

> Great photos, guys. I would like to follow you on Flickr.
> 
> 
> Shalimar Garden



I love formal gardens!
The best outing is to spend a day visiting museums and art galleries, than have a picnic lunch in a formal garden.
There's some beautiful formal gardens and nature walks in Charleston, South Carolina. Love taking friends and family who visit from California to Magnolia Plantation & Gardens... a nature walk that includes alligators! http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/gardens.html

----------


## Danik 2016

> [/URL]


I particularly liked this dignified bird. :Smile:

----------


## YesNo

The fasting Buddha statue was unusual. I remember seeing overweight Buddhas but not something like rhis. I think those were Buddha statues. They may have been someone else.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

This is very nice, North Star, all the textures of the water and the broken remnants of what looks like a pier...

----------


## Snowqueen

> I love formal gardens!
> The best outing is to spend a day visiting museums and art galleries, than have a picnic lunch in a formal garden.
> There's some beautiful formal gardens and nature walks in Charleston, South Carolina. Love taking friends and family who visit from California to Magnolia Plantation & Gardens... a nature walk that includes alligators! http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/gardens.html


Yes, it is always fun to spend time in the gardens. 
Shalimar Garden was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and this makes it very special for the tourists. 





> I particularly liked this dignified bird.


Thanks for stopping by and noticing, Danik. I like taking photos of raptors. 




> The fasting Buddha statue was unusual. I remember seeing overweight Buddhas but not something like rhis. I think those were Buddha statues. They may have been someone else.



It is the most famous statue form Gandhara and it's centuries old. You can find more on Gandhara art from this link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhara

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

That fasting Buddha statue moved me deeply, as someone for whom the Buddha's insights have been revelatory and transformative. It was featured in the recent and excellent film about the Buddha's life that was narrated by Richard Gere. For anyone who hasn't seen it, I highly recommend it, it's up on iTunes. Anyway, it depicts the last moment (almost literally) in the Buddha's long series of struggles to gain enlightenment that involved many harsh, self-imposed trials and restrictions. He was very close to death, when he had his profound moment of insight, having not allowed himself food for a long time. Lovely photos, Snowqueen.

----------


## Dreamwoven

The fasting Buddha statue is unusually dramatic. I can believe it was taken close to death. The photo of the Kite was also beautiful, clear and sharp.

----------


## Iain Sparrow

> Yes, it is always fun to spend time in the gardens. 
> Shalimar Garden was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and this makes it very special for the tourists.


I don't know much about the history of India before the British Raj, it's one of those historical blindspots I've been meaning to correct.

----------


## Snowqueen

> That fasting Buddha statue moved me deeply, as someone for whom the Buddha's insights have been revelatory and transformative. It was featured in the recent and excellent film about the Buddha's life that was narrated by Richard Gere. For anyone who hasn't seen it, I highly recommend it, it's up on iTunes. Anyway, it depicts the last moment (almost literally) in the Buddha's long series of struggles to gain enlightenment that involved many harsh, self-imposed trials and restrictions. He was very close to death, when he had his profound moment of insight, having not allowed himself food for a long time. Lovely photos, Snowqueen.





> The fasting Buddha statue is unusually dramatic. I can believe it was taken close to death. The photo of the Kite was also beautiful, clear and sharp.




*Tyrion Cheddar*, *Dreamwoven*, glad you liked the photos. Thank you for stopping by. 
There was some detail about this Fasting Buddha in the museum. I think you guys would find it interesting.







> I don't know much about the history of India before the British Raj, it's one of those historical blindspots I've been meaning to correct.



I dont know much about sub-continent history myself, but visiting historical places like these was quite enlightening experience for me. 
Thanks for looking.  :Smile:

----------


## Danik 2016

> 


I also enjoyed these natural statues and the different textures and shades of the water around them.

----------


## tonywalt

> I particularly liked this dignified bird.


Love these! especially Shalimar Garden

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

> 


That enlightenment "cannot be attained by one who has lost his strength" makes sense. There are also prophecies of Asita and Dipankra that I have never heard of.

----------


## Iain Sparrow

> That enlightenment "cannot be attained by one who has lost his strength" makes sense. There are also prophecies of Asita and Dipankra that I have never heard of.



"The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity."- Umberto Eco

Enlightenment comes at the business end of a pistol, or found at the bottom of a bottle. :Yesnod:

----------


## YesNo

> "The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity."- Umberto Eco
> 
> Enlightenment comes at the business end of a pistol, or found at the bottom of a bottle.


It seems like the Buddha might have agreed with you when he was fasting his way to nirvana.

----------


## Danik 2016

> That fasting Buddha statue moved me deeply, as someone for whom the Buddha's insights have been revelatory and transformative. It was featured in the recent and excellent film about the Buddha's life that was narrated by Richard Gere. For anyone who hasn't seen it, I highly recommend it, it's up on iTunes. Anyway, it depicts the last moment (almost literally) in the Buddha's long series of struggles to gain enlightenment that involved many harsh, self-imposed trials and restrictions. He was very close to death, when he had his profound moment of insight, having not allowed himself food for a long time. Lovely photos, Snowqueen.


I prefer this reading of Buddha´s fasting. I believe it comes more close to the original intention.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> 


Beautiful northern sunset/sunrise.

----------


## North Star

> Beautiful northern sunset/sunrise.


Thanks. It was taken a few moments after this:

----------


## Danik 2016

Uau.This first moment is still more beautiful!

----------


## Dreamwoven

At sunset, then. The softer and more subtle colours are the best.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Beneduck Cumberbooch peers from a window in Stockholm:

Beneduck by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

This shows very well the birch trees by the shore and the darker pine trees behind, both reflected in both the water and in the sky. Nice black and white picture...

----------


## Danik 2016

I love it when there are new pics on this thread.
My welcome to Mr. Cumberbooch (after discreetly looking him up on Wikipedia).
I like all your photos NS, but I prefer those in black and white. One notices details, one wouldn't in colour.
The interesting trait here: you can hardly distingish the reflection from the original.
Is there any kind of exposition that might make this difference more evident?

----------


## tonywalt

georgetown grand cayman cayman islands caribean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

The three star-shaped lights must be an effect of the long-exposure flashes on street lighting and other bright lights. Brings out well the phenomena called _light-pollution_ that increasingly plague astronomy, even in semi-rural areas. Amazing what you can do with a camera. The subject image is remarkably clear.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Stockholm, last week:

Stockholm3 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

More Stockholm:

Stockholm4 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Beautiful pictures of Gamla Stan,Tyrion. There is a website in English giving more pictures and information here: 
http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/See...ns/gamla-stan/

----------


## Danik 2016

You answered my comment above, Tony. I don´t understand the technical part like the lenght of exposure but the mirror effect is again ghostly. As if there was a seconf city burried in the water.

----------


## North Star

> I love it when there are new pics on this thread.
> I like all your photos NS, but I prefer those in black and white. One notices details, one wouldn't in colour.
> The interesting trait here: you can hardly distingish the reflection from the original.
> Is there any kind of exposition that might make this difference more evident?


Thanks Danik. Yeah, removing colour and using high contrast will accentuate different things than a colour photo does.
As for your question, not really. If the water wasn't so calm, that would do it.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Beautiful pictures of Gamla Stan,Tyrion. There is a website in English giving more pictures and information here: 
> http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/See...ns/gamla-stan/


 Thanks, mate. Now here, all, is an upward shot taken in the inner courtyard of the Nobis Hotel, where we stayed in Stockholm. Having tea in there is one elegant experience.

courtyard2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

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## Tyrion Cheddar

Also, while in Stockholm, there were suddenly police motorcades everywhere, and soldiers on horsies, which we learned was the royal guard or escort or whatever. We learned that the following day, the Prince was to be baptized, so royals and dignitaries were arriving for that, and the King himself--although we also learned that the King is just an ordinary guy who drives himself to work every day, and no one makes a big deal out of him. Anyway, while walking about with my niece and nephew, we suddenly had to wait on the corner because these fine fellows were trotting by. ;-)

King&#x27;s Escort by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> Thanks, mate. Now here, all, is an upward shot taken in the inner courtyard of the Nobis Hotel, where we stayed in Stockholm. Having tea in there is one elegant experience.
> 
> courtyard2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


beautiful shot, nice perspective

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned house in bodden town grand cayman cayman islands caribbean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

I just got back from Colorado Springs. I have a few pictures of the "Garden of the Gods", a Pikes Peak nature area, which I will share when I am more awake. These pictures are more on the order of a tourist taking pictures with his phone which is what I imagined Tyrion Cheddar was doing with his phone in Stockholm. Tony Walton's scene through the window of an abandoned house and North Star's reflections of trees in a lake looked like they took more thought than I gave to any of mine. The sun was so bright, I could barely see what I was taking a picture of. I even asked myself why I bothered taking any pictures except that the battery in my phone was charged and I had extra disk space.

----------


## tonywalt

> I just got back from Colorado Springs. I have a few pictures of the "Garden of the Gods", a Pikes Peak nature area, which I will share when I am more awake. These pictures are more on the order of a tourist taking pictures with his phone which is what I imagined Tyrion Cheddar was doing with his phone in Stockholm. Tony Walton's scene through the window of an abandoned house and North Star's reflections of trees in a lake looked like they took more thought than I gave to any of mine. The sun was so bright, I could barely see what I was taking a picture of. I even asked myself why I bothered taking any pictures except that the battery in my phone was charged and I had extra disk space.


I look forward to seeing them. I love pics like that, polaroids are my favourite. I buy alot of ''found photography'' - it's often the best stuff I've seen.

----------


## tonywalt

Pier on stormy rainy day in grand cayman cayman islands caribean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

The rain on the screen gives this picture a special atmospheric character, the horizon looks to be heaving as well.

----------


## tonywalt

> The rain on the screen gives this picture a special atmospheric character, the horizon looks to be heaving as well.


Yea, I enjoy having fun with picturesque photos, give it some effect. Shortly, I'm going to be shifting to more portraits - need to find time, experience in that genre.

----------


## YesNo

Here are some pictures from the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. 

The first one hopefully gives you an idea of how massive these upturned slabs of sandstone are. The Pikes Peak mountain pushed up and broke these horizontal layers of rock and then they weathered in place about 70 million years ago.



Here is a view with a little of the vegetation in the foreground to give it a different perspective.



Here are some unusual shapes of the weathered sandstone.



This one is a sign I am getting tired of it and have to include a fence.



I thought these trees in the park were also quite unusual.

----------


## tonywalt

> Here are some pictures from the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. 
> 
> The first one hopefully gives you an idea of how massive these upturned slabs of sandstone are. The Pikes Peak mountain pushed up and broke these horizontal layers of rock and then they weathered in place about 70 million years ago.
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a view with a little of the vegetation in the foreground to give it a different perspective.
> 
> 
> ...


Love these landscape shots!

----------


## tonywalt

window of abandoned house building grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> Here are some pictures from the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. 
> 
> The first one hopefully gives you an idea of how massive these upturned slabs of sandstone are. The Pikes Peak mountain pushed up and broke these horizontal layers of rock and then they weathered in place about 70 million years ago.
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a view with a little of the vegetation in the foreground to give it a different perspective.
> 
> 
> ...


I like this gigantic shapes! The trees have a mild beauty but the vegetation near the stones is somewhat dry.

----------


## Danik 2016

> window of abandoned house building grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr


I love that shot, with the framed blue sky as if it were part of the wall. It goes well with the blue "A".
Just a curiosity, Tony: Why are there so many abandoned houses on the island?

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

YesNo, I used to live in Boulder and haven't thought of those extraordinary sights in many years. I also forgot the sight of the continental divide. I remember I used to go way up on frighteningly narrow mountain roads to get a clear view of it. Quite a place.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Colours on all these photos come out with wonderful clarity on my Retina Mac. Just love them.

----------


## YesNo

Thanks, tonywalt! Your pictures through the window of the abandoned home made me think I like the one where the walls of the home are darkened better than the one showing what is on the inside walls.

It is dry there, Danik, although we were visiting during a wetter period where we even encountered hail. I don't know what the vegetation is, but the light green color of the low vegetation seems rather delicate to me. 

I haven't seen Boulder, Tyrion Cheddar, but I remember going to some conference in Denver many years ago. We got lost trying to find the convention center downtown even with a GPS which kept losing us, but with modern technology on our phones we seemed to easily get around Colorado City. That city, although about the 40th in size in the US, isn't very hard to figure out. We plan to go out there more often and at least ride the train to the top of Pikes Peak. 

Regarding the colors on a laptop's display, Dreamwoven, for my HP Pavilion computer if I adjust the angle of the screen to my eyes the colors can be made brighter or duller.

----------


## tonywalt

Cayman Parrots a subspecies of the Cuban Parrot Birding Carribean Cayman Islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Cute picture! They look a bit like their Brazilian relatives,

----------


## YesNo

Those parrots look nice. How did you get the uniform blue background?

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

I love those parrots, Tony. I am a lover of birds and have owned some in my life.

----------


## tonywalt

Shadows/Highlights on photoshop. Gives it the contrast.

----------


## tonywalt

> I love those parrots, Tony. I am a lover of birds and have owned some in my life.


Yea, I love parrots, Amazons are my fave. Raised them. Had them. All my life.

----------


## tonywalt

> I love that shot, with the framed blue sky as if it were part of the wall. It goes well with the blue "A".
> Just a curiosity, Tony: Why are there so many abandoned houses on the island?



There is only one abandoned building on the island.(It's actually delayed in construction, graffiti happened) I take pics from it's windows. I am a fan of abandoned building photos, it's one of my fave genres.

----------


## tonywalt

attic window abandoned building abandoned house grand cayman cayman islands caribbean contemporary by Tony Walton, on Flickr

An attic in the Cayman Islands.

----------


## Danik 2016

Any special exposition to create the darkness or is there just one small window?

----------


## tonywalt

> Any special exposition to create the darkness or is there just one small window?


Just one small window.

----------


## tonywalt

phone off the hook #minimalism #minimalist #minimal #minimalistic #minimalistics #minimalove #minimalobsession #photooftheday #minimalninja #instaminim #minimalisbd #simple #simplicity #keepitsimple #minimalplanet #love #instagood #minimalhunter #minimal by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Nice composition in the phone off the hook picture. The blue of the phone box matches the blue of your signature.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

This happened last evening in front of my house. The photo quality is ****e, alas, as I only had seconds to catch it and had to take the pic through a screen. Nonetheless, I'm very glad I caught it.

mommy and babies by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

I was wondering what those vertical lines were through the picture. I think this is the same place where you found the orb.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> I was wondering what those vertical lines were through the picture. I think this is the same place where you found the orb.


 Ah, yes, the orb. Maybe I only imagined I was looking through a window screen and actually it was the grid pattern of the orb's trans-dimensional scanner.

----------


## Danik 2016

I loved this family! They seem to feel very much at home there. I also wonder at the may different shades of green of the landscape. Mother earth at her best, with or without aliens.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> I loved this family! They seem to feel very much at home there. I also wonder at the may different shades of green of the landscape. Mother earth at her best, with or without aliens.


 Thanks, I'm very blessed to have this place. You're right, the animals are the ones at home here, I am the interloper. My house is tucked into a little corner where field meets forest on top of a bluff. Yes, the colors of the surrounding environment are lovely, especially in late afternoon as the setting sun turns golden. The local wild turkey mama has a bevy of at least a dozen babies who she has appeared with recently, out front just like the deer. I keep hoping to get a shot.

----------


## Pompey Bum

> I keep hoping to get a shot.


That's just cruel, TC, how could you?

----------


## tonywalt

phone off the hook Grand Cayman cayman islands caribbean street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Last of the payphones

----------


## Dreamwoven

> That's just cruel, TC, how could you?


I think TC meant a photo shot, just like the one with the roe deer.

----------


## Pompey Bum

(I know, DW ;-) ).

----------


## tonywalt

pier in storm grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

The seawater on the camera screen gives this picture a special atmosphere.

----------


## YesNo

The water on the camera and not having the pier lined up with the bottom makes it look like the shore is a boat rocking on a rough sea.

----------


## tonywalt

> The water on the camera and not having the pier lined up with the bottom makes it look like the shore is a boat rocking on a rough sea.


Yea, it was a pretty bad storm. I ran to the car afterwards.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Had another sudden appearance by these neighbors early this morning. Again had only a moment to snap the pics, so the quality isn't very good. Four babies this time, and they are very clearly at play. In the second shot, you'll see they are circling around Mama in a game.

Mama and 4 kids2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

Mama and 4 kids by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Nice photos of those deer. It reminds me that you live in the middle of nowhere where deer still have a place to live.

----------


## Danik 2016

Flinging around their happy legs, while mama looks on, serious, responsible and dignified.

----------


## tonywalt

> Had another sudden appearance by these neighbors early this morning. Again had only a moment to snap the pics, so the quality isn't very good. Four babies this time, and they are very clearly at play. In the second shot, you'll see they are circling around Mama in a game.
> 
> Mama and 4 kids2 by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr
> 
> Mama and 4 kids by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Gorgeous!

----------


## tonywalt

HELL gas station grand cayman cayman islands americana caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Hell gas station in grand cayman cayman islands

----------


## Danik 2016

The owner of this station has some sense of humour!  :Wink:

----------


## YesNo

Great name for a gas station!

----------


## tonywalt

HAITI STREET SCENE PORT AU PRINCE CARIBBEAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STREET MARKET OUT OF A BUS PHOTOGRAPH by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A photo I took in Haiti out of a bus window. Not technical, but liked the vibrancy of the haitian street scene, and the guy on the left really adds a bit of, 'looking back at the camera' in a street photograph - which adds alot.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Great shots, all around. BTW, as you may know, Hell is a village in Norway--and no that's not a line from a heavy metal ballad. I thought you might have a shot of a gas station there. Perhaps the gas station in Hell is called Grand Cayman.

----------


## Danik 2016

> HAITI STREET SCENE PORT AU PRINCE CARIBBEAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STREET MARKET OUT OF A BUS PHOTOGRAPH by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> A photo I took in Haiti out of a bus window. Not technical, but liked the vibrancy of the haitian street scene, and the guy on the left really adds a bit of, 'looking back at the camera' in a street photograph - which adds alot.


Beautiful pic. We have this vibrancy here too. Some of the people even love to interract with the camera.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

And now a few shots of my other neighbors, who were here just a short time ago. This time I had the presence of mind to use the photo function on my new Sony camcorder, which in addition to taking higher quality snaps than my phone also has a much better zoom function. Wild turkeys are native to these parts, as America's pilgrim forebears soon discovered; I feel like I should have one o' them funny hats they wore and a blunderbuss. Enjoy.

Turkey full family by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

Mama and Papa by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

Turkeys in the Mist by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## YesNo

Nice family of turkeys. I remember seeing them in Wisconsin.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Strange looking Turkeys, are they a different species from European ones?

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Strange looking Turkeys, are they a different species from European ones?


 I'm sure they are, they're local to New England.

----------


## Dreamwoven

So these are the turkeys that the founding fathers ate on the first Thanksgiving Day.

----------


## Pompey Bum

> So these are the turkeys that the founding fathers ate on the first Thanksgiving Day.


Well, it's the same kind the Massachusetts Puritans hunted and ate--leaving aside the question of whether the "First Thanksgiving" ever actually happened. I just saw a large group myself (here in Massachusetts) about 10 minutes ago. The critter also graces the bottle of an expensive brand of bourbon called Wild Turkey (aka "the Turk"). So I guess you could say Puritans eat them and hedonists drink them.  :Smile:

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> So these are the turkeys that the founding fathers ate on the first Thanksgiving Day.


 Well, not the same ones, as presumably the Founding Fathers shat them out after eating them.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Well, it's the same kind the Massachusetts Puritans hunted and ate--leaving aside the question of whether the "First Thanksgiving" ever actually happened. I just saw a large group myself (here in Massachusetts) about 10 minutes ago. The critter also graces the bottle of an expensive brand of bourbon called Wild Turkey (aka "the Turk"). So I guess you could say Puritans eat them and hedonists drink them.


 I was never a drinker and don't drink at all these days, but years ago a girl I was boffing for a time introduced me to Wild Turkey, and I enjoyed it, although in the end it made me sick as alcohol generally does. Or maybe it was the girl that made me sick, let me think...No, no, it was definitely the bourbon.

----------


## Pompey Bum

Wild Turkey is really strong so it was probably wasn't the lady.

----------


## Snowqueen

Some pictures from Patriata (Punjab) and its neighbouring areas, taken last year. 

This was perhaps a cricket ground, but I couldn't get whole pitch in the frame. My bad!






Common myna, a bird native to Asia.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Great job, Snowqueen. I especially love the bird, as I'm very fond of them. Punjab is one of those exotic parts of the world I don't think I'll ever get to, so pictures, films and documentaries will be my guides. Well, and virtual reality, soon enough.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

OK, lads and laddettes, here is the first of this morning's offerings. I call it _House on Hill_, creative chap that I am. It was taken moments ago while standing on my deck.

House on Hill by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Also taken moments ago on my deck, I've entitled this one _Deer in Field._ See if you can spot the reason.

Deer in Field by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> Some pictures from Patriata (Punjab) and its neighbouring areas, taken last year. 
> 
> This was perhaps a cricket ground, but I couldn't get whole pitch in the frame. My bad!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Common myna, a bird native to Asia.


Great pics SQ. The bird looks like he is being specially gracious, letting you photograph him,

----------


## Danik 2016

> Also taken moments ago on my deck, I've entitled this one _Deer in Field._ See if you can spot the reason.
> 
> Deer in Field by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Nice pic, the colour of the deer matching the colour of the field. And the title is original indeed, almost surrealistic! :Biggrin5:

----------


## YesNo

The deer blends better in the field than that white house does in the trees.

I liked the close up of the Myna bird, Snowqueen. I don't think the zoom on my phone would allow me to take such pictures.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I don't think the white house is meant to blend into the trees. The picture of a lone house up there gives the picture its appeal, at least for me.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> I don't think the white house is meant to blend into the trees. The picture of a lone house up there gives the picture its appeal, at least for me.


 Thank you, DW. YesNo is a little slow sometimes.

----------


## Danik 2016

> OK, lads and laddettes, here is the first of this morning's offerings. I call it _House on Hill_, creative chap that I am. It was taken moments ago while standing on my deck.
> 
> House on Hill by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


I agree with DW. The house stands in contrast to the surrounding landscape. The deer mingles with the landscape as if part on it. The colour contrast emphasises the beauty but also the loneliness of the house.

----------


## Snowqueen

Thank you, Tyrion Cheddar, Danik and Yes/No for casting a glance at my photos. Really liked Deer in Field, it's a great shot. 




> I liked the close up of the Myna bird, Snowqueen. I don't think the zoom on my phone would allow me to take such pictures.


Yes/No, I took this picture with my camera and it has long zoom feature in it. Which is a good thing for amateurs like me. 
I can't take good pics with my mobile.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

For behold, my young friends, I am back, with another in my ongoing attempts to capture the wildlife and scenery before my house with my amateur skills and overall penchant for all things cheese. Like the quesadilla I had yesterday; dripping with cheese. Damned good, that. In any case, this wee fawn just strolled by with her Mama moments ago. Enjoy.

Fawn morning by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice shot!

----------


## YesNo

With all that wildlife, you don't need pets around the house, TC.

----------


## Danik 2016

> For behold, my young friends, I am back, with another in my ongoing attempts to capture the wildlife and scenery before my house with my amateur skills and overall penchant for all things cheese. Like the quesadilla I had yesterday; dripping with cheese. Damned good, that. In any case, this wee fawn just strolled by with her Mama moments ago. Enjoy.
> 
> Fawn morning by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Cute!
It´s a kind of "Summer in Paradise" all around you. Kids grew up during spring, now everybody is enjoying a holiday, with or without family.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> With all that wildlife, you don't need pets around the house, TC.


 Quite right, especially because they bring the ticks that spread Lyme disease into the house. I living at the literal epicenter of Lyme, and I live on a farm and it's mainly field mice that carry the ticks, so I have to be darned careful. I did get it last year.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Nice images all.
Snowqueen, good to see you're posts again.

----------


## tonywalt

> For behold, my young friends, I am back, with another in my ongoing attempts to capture the wildlife and scenery before my house with my amateur skills and overall penchant for all things cheese. Like the quesadilla I had yesterday; dripping with cheese. Damned good, that. In any case, this wee fawn just strolled by with her Mama moments ago. Enjoy.
> 
> Fawn morning by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Nice shot. Picturesque.

----------


## tonywalt

street photography grand cayman cayman islands caribbean streetlife by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> street photography grand cayman cayman islands caribbean streetlife by Tony Walton, on Flickr


 I don't mean to insult your friend there, Tony, but he's a real dummy.

----------


## tonywalt

market women haiti port-au-prince caribbean street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Market women, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

----------


## tonywalt

> I don't mean to insult your friend there, Tony, but he's a real dummy.


You should meet his girlfriend, she's a bigger dummy (she is. Big boned, not sure why

----------


## Snowqueen

Tyrion Cheddar and Tony, really nice pics, guys. 




> Snowqueen, good to see you're posts again.


Thanks, Gilliatt.  :Smile:

----------


## YesNo

That's an interesting technique of blanking out the background in the market women. I am going to try doing it in Gimp to give me an excuse to use the software.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> That's an interesting technique of blanking out the background in the market women. I am going to try doing it in Gimp to give me an excuse to use the software.


 I read that twice, YesNo. Gimp? I mean, I love it and all, being an opponent of political correctness and a supporter of free speech, but even I am somewhat taken aback--is there really a software program called Gimp?

----------


## Danik 2016

Here you are, Einstein gened TC!
https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

And I prefer to remain in ignorance of any other meanings of Gimp!

----------


## YesNo

These software names are mysteries to me. There are also software titles like "R" and "Python". I've recently downloaded "Scribus" for desktop publishing since I am hoping to put together an ebook. My problem is I have to get off my butt and learn these. At the moment I'm trying to get motivated to just make a trial book cover.

----------


## tonywalt

> That's an interesting technique of blanking out the background in the market women. I am going to try doing it in Gimp to give me an excuse to use the software.


Yea, It isolates the subjects. I like minimalism, sometimes, quite a bit actually.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

I think this may be called minimalism. I have a curiosity NS, how does your landscape appear in summer? Is it as lonely and misterious as in winter?

----------


## North Star

> I think this may be called minimalism. I have a curiosity NS, how does your landscape appear in summer? Is it as lonely and misterious as in winter?


There is a minimalist streak to the image, definitely.
Ah, I see you haven't necessarily seen my earlier landscape / nature photographs, *Danik*, since you only joined in January. I suppose nothing can match the quiet of a snow-covered landscape, but it can be pretty solitary in the summertime as well.

----------


## Clopin

Love the (pine?) forest with the sprinkling of orange trees. That's how it looks here as well.

----------


## North Star

Thank you. Yes, they're pines - with the odd spruce among them. The orange trees are birch.

----------


## Pompey Bum

> 


This strikes me as a very sexual picture, NS. Did you have the same thought as its creator, or am I just being weird and inappropriate again?

----------


## North Star

> This strikes me as a very sexual picture, NS. Did you have the same thought as its creator, or am I just being weird and inappropriate again?


Haha *PB*, I can't say I thought of that - not consciously anyway - when I took the photo, but you're not being weird or inappropriate at all; there are numerous things about the picture that support the description.

----------


## Pompey Bum

> 


Yes, soft and curvy, lipped and drippy. Very effective picture.

----------


## YesNo

That picture with the windmill is intriguing, North Star. It looks too small for a real windmill. I liked the focus on the drops of the glass.

----------


## tonywalt

The sun is really nice in this. I am intrigued by the reflection in the last one.

----------


## tonywalt

> And now a few shots of my other neighbors, who were here just a short time ago. This time I had the presence of mind to use the photo function on my new Sony camcorder, which in addition to taking higher quality snaps than my phone also has a much better zoom function. Wild turkeys are native to these parts, as America's pilgrim forebears soon discovered; I feel like I should have one o' them funny hats they wore and a blunderbuss. Enjoy.
> 
> Turkey full family by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr
> 
> Mama and Papa by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr
> 
> Turkeys in the Mist by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


Love this. My experience is that they are quite shy in north america.

----------


## tonywalt

phone off the hook grand cayman street photography cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> There is a minimalist streak to the image, definitely.
> Ah, I see you haven't necessarily seen my earlier landscape / nature photographs, *Danik*, since you only joined in January. I suppose nothing can match the quiet of a snow-covered landscape, but it can be pretty solitary in the summertime as well.


No I didn´t see these before. A beautiful play with the colours. The sun seems transformed in a candle in the water. And I love the birches too. We don´t have them here.

----------


## North Star

I'm glad you like them, *Danik*.  :Smile:  Of course, those are just a few I picked from my Flickr page, if you want to see more, just follow the links on the images.


Meanwhile, something newer:

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> I'm glad you like them, *Danik*.  Of course, those are just a few I picked from my Flickr page, if you want to see more, just follow the links on the images.
> 
> 
> Meanwhile, something newer:


 I can't decide if the glass is half full or half empty.  :FRlol:

----------


## North Star

> I can't decide if the glass is half full or half empty.


Thank you, *Tyrion* - your insightful comment is appreciated.

----------


## North Star

From the archives:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Enjoying the posts.
Tony's phone reminded me of a B&W photo I snapped of a long abandoned gas pump standing in a field of grass. A sign on the side of the pump read "Contains Lead". How times have changed.

North Star winter archive is a welcome sight as the temps here are getting close to 100

TC, did I ever tell you I like wild turkey?

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Enjoying the posts.
> Tony's phone reminded me of a B&W photo I snapped of a long abandoned gas pump standing in a field of grass. A sign on the side of the pump read "Contains Lead". How times have changed.
> 
> North Star winter archive is a welcome sight as the temps here are getting close to 100
> 
> TC, did I ever tell you I like wild turkey?


 No, you didn't. I mentioned earlier that I used to like it, till I found it dun make me sick. But I'll pass your praise on to my own wild turkeys next time I see them.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

> From the archives:


I like this one! I noticed that you have a lot of pics on Flick. Enough for starting to think of publishing on paper.
The two last, I suppose are a study of the waterdrops on that glass.

----------


## North Star

> I like this one! I noticed that you have a lot of pics on Flick. Enough for starting to think of publishing on paper.
> The two last, I suppose are a study of the waterdrops on that glass.


Thank you, *Danik*. Yes, printing is something I will need to start doing at some point in the future, and all that other stuff.

And yes, these are all water drops, but not on glass but on an oven tray.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Looks like the rain has eased off...?

----------


## North Star

> Looks like the rain has eased off...?


I don't quite follow you, *Dreamwoven*, care to elaborate on that?

----------


## Dreamwoven

Fewer drops of water on the second of the two pictures...

----------


## August Guelfen

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
but I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep
and miles to go before I sleep...

Robert Lee Frost

My association with your work about the birchwoods...
I love nature a lot more than organisation... Even more than
mankind, mother nature's rules will cut humanity down. God's will and nature's will
are equal and the same thing at the end of societies... I pray and probably chant for nature's strongest rise of rage...

----------


## North Star

> Fewer drops of water on the second of the two pictures...


Ah yes, of course.




> My association with your work about the birchwoods...
> I love nature a lot more than organisation... Even more than
> mankind, mother nature's rules will cut humanity down. God's will and nature's will
> are equal and the same thing at the end of societies... I pray and probably chant for nature's strongest rise of rage...


There is plenty of organization - and entropy - in nature, which we are all a part of, too.

----------


## August Guelfen

I know what you mean. Perhabs pantheisme is a good way to experience this point of view.
Thank you, North Star.

----------


## North Star

At a glance, pantheism does look quite agreeable to me. In the end, I don't really see any point in constructing systems of belief for the metaphysical matters that science doesn't have definite answers for. I'd rather enjoy - and deal with - what there is than think too much about the unanswerable questions.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Are they still the same water drops, NS? What made them look like small planets in a sky?

----------


## North Star

If not the same drops, very similar ones. I assume you are referring to the blots created by the light reflected from the out-of-focus drops.

----------


## YesNo

I was walking down a trail today and looking at things like this:



And because the sun was getting very bright and I was under a tree, I took this:



And this:



And I now wonder if I like the shadows on the ground better.

----------


## Dreamwoven

In all three pictures, the contrast between the shadow and the light make the images. Very nice, YesNo.

----------


## North Star

Shadows and light, nothing is much more interesting to photograph.


_Thread duty_ - an image from May last year, I did some cropping on the image now:

----------


## YesNo

The black and white contrast helps the shapes stand out. I like those ferns.

----------


## North Star

The last in this series for now:

----------


## Danik 2016

> If not the same drops, very similar ones. I assume you are referring to the blots created by the light reflected from the out-of-focus drops.


Yes, the waterdrops of the glass.

----------


## Danik 2016

> I was walking down a trail today and looking at things like this:
> 
> 
> 
> And because the sun was getting very bright and I was under a tree, I took this:
> 
> 
> 
> And this:
> ...


Nice pictures Y/N. I liked the contrast in the last one best.

----------


## Danik 2016

> Shadows and light, nothing is much more interesting to photograph.
> 
> 
> _Thread duty_ - an image from May last year, I did some cropping on the image now:


Very delicate this one.

----------


## North Star

> Yes, the waterdrops of the glass.


These last images are water drops on an oven tray.

----------


## YesNo

> Nice pictures Y/N. I liked the contrast in the last one best.


The last one is my favorite as well. I was planning to take a few more of these shadow pictures today, but the sun was not as bright because of the cloudiness and the contrasts were not as sharp. This did make the walk more pleasant since it was also cooler.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Snowqueen

Nice macro of watermelon, North Star. It deserves a place in "Explore". 


A few more pics. 



A busy hoopoe searching for bugs and insects. 



It's a natural honeycomb just outside our house. We never tried to extract honey from it. These bees are still thriving here.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Snowqueen, me love your shots. What a cool bird! This is India? Punjab?

----------


## Danik 2016

> Nice macro of watermelon, North Star. It deserves a place in "Explore". 
> 
> 
> A few more pics. 
> 
> 
> 
> A busy hoopoe searching for bugs and insects. 
> 
> ...


Lovely pictures, Snowqueen! The spiderweb is delicate like a juwel.

----------


## North Star

> Nice macro of watermelon, North Star. It deserves a place in "Explore". 
> 
> A few more pics. 
> 
> A busy hoopoe searching for bugs and insects. 
> 
> It's a natural honeycomb just outside our house. We never tried to extract honey from it. These bees are still thriving here.


Thanks, Snowqueen. Those are some lovely photos, too.

----------


## Snowqueen

Tyrion Cheddar, Danik, North Star, Thank you for your kind comments. 




> This is India? Punjab?


Nope, but you are close.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> Tyrion Cheddar, Danik, North Star, Thank you for your kind comments. 
> 
> 
> 
> Nope, but you are close.


 Hm. Then you are in Nepal, Pakistan or, just possibly, Rigel IV, the famed pleasure planet where one can find fresh fruit and belly dancers on every corner.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Snowqueen

Beautiful shot, North Star and nice texture. 




> Hm. Then you are in Nepal, Pakistan or, just possibly, Rigel IV, the famed pleasure planet where one can find fresh fruit and belly dancers on every corner.


Lol Don't go that far, Tyrion Cheddar. Pakistan is the right answer.

----------


## North Star

Thanks Snowqueen.

----------


## Dreamwoven

What is the picture of, North Star?

----------


## Danik 2016

> Thanks Snowqueen.


I confess that at the beginning I didn´t know,what the picture was about. Then Snowqueen revealed that it was a watermelon and the last two pictures confirm it.

----------


## North Star

> What is the picture of, North Star?


The joys, and the momentariness, of life.. If you mean to ask what the objects are, they're watermelon slices in a bowl.

Of course, if you clicked the images and saw them on Flickr, you'd note that they are titled Watermelon I, II, III & IV. That might have helped, too.  :Wink:

----------


## Dreamwoven

Watermelon, thanks for that. It can be bought in Northern Sweden but is very watery (surprise) and bland, and we don't eat it at all. Those pips in the last picture give it away.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Its the angle of this picture that gives it character, giving it a curious oval shape.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Me live in America where watermelon is abundant, and as I'm sure you all know, a staple of Southern living. What I didn't know until recently was that in Japan, where apparently they also grow sweet watermelons, it is a social custom when a group of people are sharing one to make sure everyone gets a piece from the center, which is the sweetest part.

----------


## North Star

Cool, TC. Yeah, that seems the prudent thing to do. I cut them in half and then slice the halves into spherical wedges.

Moving on to nectarines...

----------


## Danik 2016

Nice composition in black and white.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Good choice, North Star. Me and nectarines are great pals. Closer than two...well, look at your photo and use your imagination. I consume them at an enormous rate. Sometimes the organic ones in the supermarket, which are locally grown, look OK, in which case I buy those. Of course, I wonder if the label 'organic' really means anything, at the supermarket level. Anyway, we do have some farmer's markets nearby too, and the one I use each summer has just opened for the year. They've got great nectarines and other fruits--and corn, which I love. Funny that they didn't open till this weekend. I think the fact that it was freezing cold till the second half of May might have something to do with it, like maybe their initial spring crop got wrecked. Hard to believe it was wintry like that in May, now that we're melting where we stand.

----------


## North Star

Cheers, Tyrion. Yeah, nectarines are just great.

----------


## Danik 2016

They look more like themselves on this second pic. :Wink: . May I suggest that you all import your photos from the vegetable pictures thread? I think they will get more views here in this thread.

----------


## North Star

Well I'll consider digging the archives here when I've run out of new photos to post  :Wink:

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

> 


 Glad to see you giving equal time to the women and the men, North Star.  :Tongue:

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

In black and white fruits look much the same, we take cues from the colour of fruit, I guess, to identify them.

----------


## YesNo

Here's a picture of a plant in a pot with a shadow. https://goo.gl/photos/9BzFVHvPW9E4Wh4d8

I'm trying to move away from Photobucket and use Google tools, but I don't know how to make them show up as images here.

----------


## Dreamwoven

How odd, the plant is in shadow but casts a shadow on the wall...

----------


## North Star



----------


## YesNo

I assume those are onions. Putting them in black and white makes one see them differently than one is used to seeing them.

----------


## Danik 2016

Lol!They seem to be made of silver.

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

I took this photo of my lunch some time ago, at the local diner, where I frequently engorge myself. I am rather hungry at the moment and so am wishing I had one of these in front of me. Note the avocado, it's totally key, no turkey club would be complete without it. Note the toasted white bread and mayo. These elements are fundamental. Properly done fries. Oh boy, oh boy.

Club sandwich by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

The picture is interesting (I haven´t had breakfast yet and, as the good guy you are, you provided the address of the place). A sandwich with avocado is something new for me, I shall try it out next. And what is that, that looks like a slice of melon? Got to take breakfast urgently!

----------


## Danik 2016

Sorry, double post!

----------


## Snowqueen

Wow, really nice pictures, guys. 

I think I can also add a few. 





A female Sunbird.

----------


## Danik 2016

I love your pictures, Snowqueen, specially the birds!

----------


## YesNo

I liked first photo of the black birds against the sky the best, Snowqueen. That looks like an interesting meal, Tyrion Cheddar. I take it you are in New York.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Snowqueen, your photos are especially glorious. Apart from the excellent photography, you live such an exotic part of the world (to me) that all the flora and fauna are new and striking. Nice onions, North Star. I only have two.  :Ihih:  And Danik, thank you for pointing out that the address of the diner is on the place mat. Now I'm scared y'all will come stalk me. And no, that's not a slice of melon, it's a pickle, and under it a dish of cole slaw. They make reasonably good cole slaw at this diner, but as a Jew, I am biased. Really good cole slaw is usually only found at Jewish delis like Katz's in NYC, or the now departed 2nd Avenue Deli. Same goes for good corned beef and good bagels. We Israelites do it right.  :Biggrin5:

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Thanks, North Star. I feel less intimidated now.  :Eek:

----------


## Snowqueen

Danik, Yes/No, Tyrion Cheddar, thanks for taking a look. It's a pleasure sharing it with you all. 
Very nice shots, North Star.

----------


## North Star

Thanks Snowqueen. Your photos are once again very atmospheric.




> Thanks, North Star. I feel less intimidated now.


What can I say, Tyrion.. They've all been chopped by now, and I don't mind telling you that I was in tears afterwards.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

Now listen, North Star, I can take a joke but... :Hand:  I believe our G.I.'s used to sing it as they marched in Europe: "Hitler, he only has one [fill in metaphor for testicle that rhymes with tall], Goebbels, well he has none at all..."

----------


## Tyrion Cheddar

So today I took a trip out to Cold Spring, NY, which lies on the lazy Hudson. Viz:

Cold Spring Hudson by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> Danik, Yes/No, Tyrion Cheddar, thanks for taking a look. It's a pleasure sharing it with you all. 
> Very nice shots, North Star.


Snowqueen and birds are of a feather.
A bird whisperer she is.




> So today I took a trip out to Cold Spring, NY, which lies on the lazy Hudson. Viz:
> 
> Cold Spring Hudson by Archibald Heatherington Nasty-Face, on Flickr


The sky has that overcast autumn look to it.
We still have a ways to go, nevertheless, it served as a visual respite from the 100 deg days we're going through down here.

----------


## tonywalt

smith cove grand cayman cayman islands caribbean ocean sea beach waves surf storm long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

A scene of sombre beauty!Thank you for ressurecting this thread, Tony!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Thank you Tony! amazing
This will help get me through the next week at the grind stone.
Glad I jumped on the forum tonight.

----------


## Dreamwoven

This is a fine many-layered picture from the water off the beach to the lowering sky.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

This is partly a test to see if I can post an image following my recent IT / Forums login navigation problems.
"Workbench Composition No. 4 - Technological Advancements"

Ash log aka login
Two telegraph keys
Old AM radio my father rigged up to work with the key
1969 Life magazine featuring Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin's photos from the moon...or possibly Arizona
Early 20th century postcards
Glass insulator typically used for telegraph lines, common along railroad lines.
Father's Leica camera.

----------


## Danik 2016

I loved this "still life" combination, GG. The camera reminds me of a family camera I kept for a long time when it didn´t work anymore. It wasn´t a Leica though.
It seems you have solved your navigations problems.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Gilliatt, this is an interesting collection of items, I particularly like your father's old camera and the old portable radio. My old Casio "Digital Camera" will soon be in this category, and many with old mobil phones as well.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

> I loved this "still life" combination, GG. The camera reminds me of a family camera I kept for a long time when it didn´t work anymore. It wasn´t a Leica though.
> It seems you have solved your navigations problems.





> Gilliatt, this is an interesting collection of items, I particularly like your father's old camera and the old portable radio. My old Casio "Digital Camera" will soon be in this category, and many with old mobil phones as well.


Thanks for taking a look and commenting, I'm not sure how to feel about all these relics. On one hand it is rather sad that I seem to be the one inheriting the family's past as they pass on, yet I do enjoy the rediscovery.
The Leica is one of two that my father owned, the one in the photo, I'm fairly certain, happens to be the one he toted around in the Philippines during WW II as a fighter pilot.

A few thumbnail shots he took of P-38 Lightning (top 2) and C-47 (bottom) "nose art" with the Leica...







Oh my how times have changed!

----------


## YesNo

Nice collection of antiques. I remember using a radio like the one shown in a garage where my uncle would fix cars when I was under 10 years old. All of that is now gone, even the garage.

----------


## tonywalt

gas station at night industrial park night photography long exposure grand cayman cayman islands capture by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Welcome back, Tony! The gas station looks almost ghostly in the dark.

----------


## North Star

Seems I can log in here again. I haven't been all that prolific recently, though.

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful pic, NS! Autumn loneliness!
Nice to "see" you again! Many people from US are having log in problems. They even opened a thread.
because of it.

----------


## YesNo

Nice picture of the vertical grass in the water with those horizontal ripples, North Star.

----------


## Dreamwoven

This is a sight we see in Sweden often. Its best in black and white as well. Welcome back North Star.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Like the gas station shot Tony. The image and color pellete, particularly the green, conjured up Hopper's _Nighthawks_.

----------


## North Star

From yesterday

----------


## Danik 2016

NS-Lovely picture of the reflection in the water.
GG-I agree with you. And Hopper has this thing: never mind how many people he draws in his pictures, they look all very lonely and isolated.

----------


## North Star

Thanks, Danik.

Another one from Monday

----------


## Dreamwoven

You've brought out the whiteness of the birch trees really well, taken at night I guess.

----------


## Danik 2016

A bit ghostly and again they transmit a feeling of collective solitude.

----------


## North Star

> You've brought out the whiteness of the birch trees really well, taken at night I guess.


No, just after 6 pm. The sun was behind a forest on the other side of the lake seen in the picture I posted before this one, so it wasn't very dark. Hand-held, no flash.




> A bit ghostly and again they transmit a feeling of collective solitude.


Cheers, Danik.

----------


## North Star

Just this one more of these for now:

----------


## Dreamwoven

I have come to love birch trees since settling in Sweden.

----------


## Danik 2016

I like these white stems. I don´t think we have similar ones here.

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

There is something intriguing about this picture. The mast draws the eye upward, to see the first hint of sunrise beyond the lake. Love it.

----------


## North Star

Thank you. It's really the sunset, though.


Here's an older one, I posted the image below earlier but forgot about this.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Is that ice starting form on the lake beyond the rushes?

----------


## North Star

No, just sunlight reflecting from the water.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

I like this autumn colours! Also the mix of different leaves a bit wild and unkempt.

----------


## Danik 2016

Imagens Sound Forges 011.jpg
Chico

----------


## North Star

One from last month

----------


## Danik 2016

That one looks like Japanese fabric.

----------


## North Star

Yes, there's certainly an Eastern influence in it.

Another one from October

----------


## Danik 2016

I wasn´t sure. But Flicker confirmed that it is a curtain.

----------


## North Star

Two from last year

----------


## North Star

One more from the same day.

----------


## North Star

And two days earlier:

----------


## North Star

Another one from November '15

----------


## Danik 2016

An interesting group, NS. Do you have also summer photos? I imagine your pictures grouped according to season.

----------


## North Star

> An interesting group, NS. Do you have also summer photos? I imagine your pictures grouped according to season.


Sure, there are photos from summers, too.

----------


## Dreamwoven

The last picture of the sun looks a bit like an armageddon shot. Love the mist and the fiery thing under it.

----------


## North Star

Thanks, *Dreamwoven*.


And the last of these studies in ice from last November.

----------


## Dreamwoven

That must have been taken at sunrise or sunset. Gives the ice a nice crimson touch.

----------


## North Star

The sun doesn't get very high here in the winter.

Taken yesterday

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Another fantastic arrangement North Star, particularly the violet flowers.

----------


## North Star

Thanks, *Gilliatt*.

----------


## North Star



----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Wonderful mist, one of the nice things about where I live is the mist that gives its own feeling to the place.

----------


## Dreamwoven

We had a remarkable dawn today, layers of red clouds one above the other.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

odd looking buildings in the clearing

----------


## North Star

> odd looking buildings in the clearing


There's the fence which is surely not very odd, the others look like a construction site hut or a storage container and construction waste.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

> 


What is new for me is the buildings themselves. From most of your pictures I gather the impression that where you live there are large unhabited stretches of land.

----------


## North Star

> What is new for me is the buildings themselves. From most of your pictures I gather the impression that where you live there are large unhabited stretches of land.


Well, photography is the art of leaving stuff out of the frame.  :Wink:  I live in a city surrounded by that lake.

----------


## Danik 2016

> Well, photography is the art of leaving stuff out of the frame.


That´s a good definition. But I thought you lived somewhere in the country.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Another shot of the mist, very atmospheric. This is one of the things I like about Sweden, too.

----------


## Danik 2016

I love it too!

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

These black and white images are very good. I wonder how you take them, is it with black and white film?

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands long exposure nikon caribbean sea ocean piers by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

I like the sense of infinity in this picture. Piers but no land visible...

----------


## tonywalt

> I like the sense of infinity in this picture. Piers but no land visible...


Yea, maybe that's why I shoot piers. No visible land yet - still looking.

----------


## papayahed

It's been so long I don't even know how to upload anymore.

----------


## tonywalt

pier grand cayman cayman islands long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

toilet paper street photography capture mood darkness cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting photos. The pier gains an air of intimacy with the couple on it and the toilet paper...the usage is unusual and the black and white and texture contrasts brings it to life.
Hoping for more pics when you have the time (just heard your holidays are over).

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting photos. The pier gains an air of intimacy with the couple on it and the toilet paper...the usage is unusual and the black and white and texture contrasts brings it to life.
> Hoping for more pics when you have the time (just heard your holidays are over).


Yea, I've been busy with work etc (photography takes quite a bit of time and also timing) but hope to get into collaboration using models- soon this year.

----------


## Danik 2016

Have you exposed your pictures anywhere? I mean a real exposition besides Flicker and LitNet.

----------


## Danik 2016

.....

----------


## Danik 2016

.....

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

That's nice, a reflection of the red sky in water.

----------


## North Star

From Thursday and Friday:

----------


## Dreamwoven

Beautiful pictures. The piece of ice in the first one shows what can be done with a bit of imagination. The other one with the reeds in the foreground and the trees in the background (barely visible in the mist!) is also brilliant.

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful takes, NS!

----------


## North Star

> Beautiful takes, NS!
> But I have a complaint: when I put pictures into this thread I never get any comments, not even negative ones. They certainly aren´t to be compared to the great pictures that appear in this link. But the impression I get is that no one bothers to look at pictures that are included as links.


Thanks, and sorry, I haven't had much energy to spare for my own photography, much less the analysis of others' works.

The picture of a restaurant window from the outside has a few points of interest, certainly. Using windows, or whatever, to create frames inside the photograph itself is always an interesting technique. Of course, we have here lots of text too - on the outside, there's the plaque for 'Mafia parking only, all others will be towed', and on one hand, a ban on shooting, and on the other a warning that trespassers will be shot - and on the inside of the window, someone has written 'una fiesta!', and there's a declaration of love. Overall an interesting contrast of worlds, messages and emotions, separated by an invisible border.

----------


## North Star

> These black and white images are very good. I wonder how you take them, is it with black and white film?


I take all of my photos with a Nikon D7100, as raw files, and as I edit jpegs from them, I can choose among other things whether to make the image b&w (and whether to apply some filter altering the brightness of different colours when converted to monochrome), or not.

----------


## Dreamwoven

> Beautiful pictures. The piece of ice in the first one shows what can be done with a bit of imagination. The other one with the reeds in the foreground and the trees in the background (barely visible in the mist!) is also brilliant.


 The second picture of reeds and wintery trees in the mist reminds me that it happens quite often in Southern Norrland, in fact we had something like that yesterday for a brief while in the afternoon before dusk.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Now I can see that the ground or lake is covered in snow.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

These shots of trees in the mist can be related to warm front passing over. I've seen that happen from my window.

----------


## North Star

Very probably so, it was very warm on that day.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

The fruits of the birch tree are nicely caught by the light.

----------


## tonywalt

BOY SCARED dark art slender man black and white long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Frightened boy slender man on edge of frame

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean sea ocean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

> Frightened boy slender man on edge of frame


I like this one very much - the gray tones, the reflections, the framing with the man only partially in frame, the long exposure blurring superficial details, and that grainy look that reminds me of *Georges Seurat*'s pointillist drawings (especially since the beach is a frequent subject in his works too).

----------


## tonywalt

> I like this one very much - the gray tones, the reflections, the framing with the man only partially in frame, the long exposure blurring superficial details, and that grainy look that reminds me of *Georges Seurat*'s pointillist drawings (especially since the beach is a frequent subject in his works too).


Thanks. I love the works of George Seurat.

----------


## tonywalt

Love this photo: the juxtaposition of the small brush with the larger looming trees the white snow against the foggy background creates mood.

----------


## tonywalt

> 


Love this photo: the juxtaposition of the small brush with the larger looming trees the white snow against the foggy background creates mood.

----------


## North Star

Cheers, Tony.

----------


## Wizard272002

WIN_20170118_21_55_15_Pro (2).jpg
(Scary, Aren't !?)

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Lovely! Pictures taken without the sky give a finer impression of the forest.

----------


## North Star

Thanks. Yes, framing is (almost) everything.

----------


## tonywalt

> Sure, there are photos from summers, too.


Wow the last one is so much like Steichen's The Pond-Moonlight

----------


## North Star

> Wow the last one is so much like Steichen's The Pond-Moonlight


Interesting comment, *Tony* - thanks. Would you like to elaborate on what makes you say that? There's a lake or a pond in each photograph, trees, and sun near the horizon or treetops, granted. And while there is a kind of haziness to both images, it is markedly different as the *Steichen* (below) has it mostly because of petroleum jelly spread on the lens or some other such trick, while in my image it's the mist and clouds creating that haze, and also because of the vibrant colours and strong contrast from dark browns to pure white, the moods of the images are rather different. Compositional differences such as the lack of land in the foreground, wider landscape aspect ratio of the image, lack of vertical lines created by trees are also quite numerous. It's not that I'm not flattered by the comparison - *Steichen* is one of my favourite photographers - but I would just like to understand why it reminded you of the *Steichen* photograph. I know I was thinking of how *JMW Turner* (detail from _The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up_, 1839 below) could make the sun in his paintings look so captivating, and so bright that it almost burns the viewers' eyes.

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting comment, *Tony* - thanks. Would you like to elaborate on what makes you say that? There's a lake or a pond in each photograph, trees, and sun near the horizon or treetops, granted. And while there is a kind of haziness to both images, it is markedly different as the *Steichen* (below) has it mostly because of petroleum jelly spread on the lens or some other such trick, while in my image it's the mist and clouds creating that haze, and also because of the vibrant colours and strong contrast from dark browns to pure white, the moods of the images are rather different. Compositional differences such as the lack of land in the foreground, wider landscape aspect ratio of the image, lack of vertical lines created by trees are also quite numerous. It's not that I'm not flattered by the comparison - *Steichen* is one of my favourite photographers - but I would just like to understand why it reminded you of the *Steichen* photograph. I know I was thinking of how *JMW Turner* (detail from _The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up_, 1839 below) could make the sun in his paintings look so captivating, and so bright that it almost burns the viewers' eyes.


It reminded me for the primary reason is that I just watched a documentary on Steichen and your photo has in it a body of water, trees and light- that's it. A mere reminder but I agree on all of what you said.

----------


## North Star

Ah, very nice. *Steichen*'s early pictorialism work is wonderful in general - particularly those images of *Rodin*'s sculptures.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Dreamwoven

Last night we had a fall of snow, just a centimetre, but entire trees look like the plant in your picture. Looks impressive with everything in white, which picks out every little detail.

----------


## North Star

Something from two years ago

----------


## tonywalt

Rothko beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Grand Cayman Cayman Islands

----------


## Danik 2016

Quite ghostly the reflection of the light in the water.

----------


## tonywalt

> Quite ghostly the reflection of the light in the water.


Yes. I've tried the same shot without moonlight - and it's too dark. (I cut the moon out, which would make it to picturesque)

----------


## tonywalt

pier grand cayman cayman islands nikon long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star

From Sunday

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

This forum is getting even more quiet. As if that's possible.

----------


## Danik 2016

> Attachment 9802
> (Scary, Aren't !?)


No, just a bit blue!

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful pics, NS and Tony!But yes I agree it´s getting more and more quiet.However, this thread is still blooming.

----------


## tonywalt

pier east end grand cayman cayman islands caribbean pier by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## tonywalt

> No, just a bit blue!


Street Photography, I dig it.

----------


## North Star

And the last one of these

----------


## tonywalt

pier lobster pot grand cayman cayman islands pier ocean sea beach long expsoure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

black and white house cayman islands caribbbean abandoned by Tony Walton, on Flickr

A lonely photo, (for a kind of lonely forum).

Hello? anyone out there?

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful loneliness! Nobody seems to habit this landscape. And the forum is lonely too. A few of us are still there.

----------


## Dreamwoven

As Danik wrote, that we are...

The off-centre picture of the abandoned cabin that can be seen through, gives the picture something extra.

----------


## qimissung

It's still hanging in there, Tony. It looks like a lot of people visit, but they seem to stay hidden. Your pictures are still beautiful. You could be a professional, I think.

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned bar northside grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

That´s phantastic, Tony, with windows and door framing the landscape in the background!

----------


## tonywalt

east end black and white grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

window bodden town grand cayman cayman islands caribbean window sea ocean beach sky by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful pics. Tony and North Star. Nice contrast between Tony´s framed landscape under an almost grey sky and the majestic sunset/ aurora of NS.

----------


## Dreamwoven

I always think sunsets and sunrises make ideal picture subjects.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Sea and sky merge into a continuous blue. The boat and the plants are forms detached from it.

----------


## tonywalt

> Beautiful pics. Tony and North Star. Nice contrast between Tony´s framed landscape under an almost grey sky and the majestic sunset/ aurora of NS.


thanks Danik! haven't seen your stuff in a while, look forward to it.

----------


## Danik 2016

Thanks, Tony. I usually take pics only when I travel, Tony. So I´ve got to practice more.

----------


## tonywalt

russell banks pool cigarettes cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool lighter minimalism cayman islands nikon by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Minimalistic. Liked the composition with the book.

----------


## tonywalt

> Minimalistic. Liked the composition with the book.


 Thanks. i love changing things up. there's so many genres to explore. never bored.

----------


## Danik 2016

You could make pics of a object series, what in paintings is called "Stillleben".

----------


## tonywalt

> You could make pics of a object series, what in paintings is called "Stillleben".


I could. (I googled that word).

----------


## Danik 2016

I´m looking forward to it.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Ingenious contrasts! I had to go to Flicker to find out what was the object of the picture.

----------


## Snowqueen

Hi there!  :Seeya: 

Here are the most recent pics I've taken. 






This is an old one.

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful pics, Snowqueen!
I like the bird mostly and the one that seems to be taken from a boat or ship.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

A lonely almost accidental moon.

----------


## Snowqueen

Very nice shot, North Star. 




> Beautiful pics, Snowqueen!
> I like the bird mostly and the one that seems to be taken from a boat or ship.


Thanks for taking a look, Danik. I forgot to mention the first two pictures were taken during my recent visit to Kaghan Valley. 
The bird is called Asian Koel and it is commonly found in Indian subcontinent.

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Loved the color combination. And the plants in the foreground remind me of the delicate Japanese paintings.

----------


## tonywalt

bird attacks cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting colour contrast between the birds and the white background and also between the attacking bird and the two resting ones.

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting colour contrast between the birds and the white background and also between the attacking bird and the two resting ones.


Thanks, in a miminalist mood

----------


## kiz_paws

Love that picture, Tony.  :Smile:

----------


## Universe of Ed

I don´t know if this counts as "take a picture" but i create a lot of pictures, and post them on instagram and youtube by the name of "Universe of Ed"...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYEDHfQj...y=universeofed

Edgar Sacadura  :Banana:

----------


## kiz_paws

Wow... a picture paints a thousand words indeed!
Great work, Ed!  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> Love that picture, Tony.


Thanks!

----------


## North Star



----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful flower! Reminds me of the days when this thread was more alive.

----------


## tonywalt

> 


Perfect aperture

----------


## tonywalt

cats on beach in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

That is a really awesome picture, Tony!  :Smile:

----------


## Dreamwoven

I agree. It makes me want to know what happens next...

----------


## kiz_paws

> 


What a lovely capture of a flower's beauty!  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> That is a really awesome picture, Tony!


Thanks. They made friends

----------


## tonywalt

man on pier cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

How peaceful and dreamy!  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

stormy long exposure seven mile beach grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

birds on 2 wires by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I like how you choose just the right angle for shot, Tony.  :Smile:

----------


## Dreamwoven

The pier has a strange wobbly appearance, especially nearer the person sitting at the end...

----------


## Danik 2016

> stormy long exposure seven mile beach grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Reminds me of a water colour picture.

----------


## Danik 2016

> birds on 2 wires by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Nice simetry. These birds look like they are waiting for their breakfast.

----------


## tonywalt

pier in south sound grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

What a perfect place to sit, drink maguerittas and write haiku!  :Wink:

----------


## tonywalt

> What a perfect place to sit, drink maguerittas and write haiku!



What a great idea. i shall do that!

----------


## tonywalt

tv on beach in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Your tv-on-the-beach photo sends a strong message, if I may indulge. It left me with the impression that despite the perfection and beauty of nature right in front of mankind, the television is still a necessity. The television take the foreground, nature gets the back. And that is a bleak thought, although mighty true in these times. If this is what you were saying, my gawd, you said it well. On the other hand, it might well be a modern art styled photo. Either way, it speaks, Tony. Wonderful indeed!

The pier photo eases one into tranquil thoughts; the water is smooth as glass and the 'hut' is very inviting.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> Your tv-on-the-beach photo sends a strong message, if I may indulge. It left me with the impression that despite the perfection and beauty of nature right in front of mankind, the television is still a necessity. The television take the foreground, nature gets the back. And that is a bleak thought, although mighty true in these times. If this is what you were saying, my gawd, you said it well. On the other hand, it might well be a modern art styled photo. Either way, it speaks, Tony. Wonderful indeed!
> 
> The pier photo eases one into tranquil thoughts; the water is smooth as glass and the 'hut' is very inviting.


I think technology is giving us a case of nature deficiency. thanks for all those nice words!

----------


## tonywalt

woman on south sound grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

You do those interesting pics, minimalistic and intriguing.

----------


## kiz_paws

The Woman in the photo is PERFECTLY centered -- the skies melt into the water, all is calm and all is bright.... LOVE it!  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> You do those interesting pics, minimalistic and intriguing.


Thanks. I try to have a narrative to them, makes it fun.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Yes, I can see that, like wondering what the woman looking out to sea is thinking...

----------


## tonywalt

> Yes, I can see that, like wondering what the woman looking out to sea is thinking...


Likely, the meaning of it all. The good news is: she found it!

----------


## tonywalt

balloon on beach in grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful Picture. I specially liked the colour contrast that draws the eye to the balloon.

----------


## Dreamwoven

Again, simplicity is the key...

----------


## tonywalt

black and white photo of a pier in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

I'm beginning to see that black-and-white pics will make a big comeback. Lots of potential...

----------


## tonywalt

pier grand cayman cayman islands in south sound by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

The Balloon On A Beach is absolutely lovely. I, too, liked the contrast.
The Pier -- reminds me of one we call "The Wobbly Pier" up in the North... Someday I will TRY to load a photo of this magnificent beauty.
The hut on the pier seems like just the place that I would love to check out.
Gorgeous photos, Tony! You are talented.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> The Balloon On A Beach is absolutely lovely. I, too, liked the contrast.
> The Pier -- reminds me of one we call "The Wobbly Pier" up in the North... Someday I will TRY to load a photo of this magnificent beauty.
> The hut on the pier seems like just the place that I would love to check out.
> Gorgeous photos, Tony! You are talented.


Thanks!

----------


## Danik 2016

> black and white photo of a pier in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


I like how the person in front draws the eye.

----------


## tonywalt

> I like how the person in front draws the eye.


Thanks This forum sure is slower than say 4 years ago. i know there's a lot more social media sites out there, but theres not a whole lot of literature forums/sites. Trying to figure out what happened.

----------


## Danik 2016

I think literary forums where the rage around 2004-2007 when most of them were started. There have been migrations to other social media, but there also has been a considerable decrease of interest in reading and producing literature. There are a lot of literary forums out there but most of them with very little activity. Some of them look like tombstones covered with ads of Nike and Adidas.
I am also in a German forum. It is smaller, but there is currently more activity than on Litnet.

----------


## tonywalt

> I think literary forums where the rage around 2004-2007 when most of them were started. There have been migrations to other social media, but there also has been a considerable decrease of interest in reading and producing literature. There are a lot of literary forums out there but most of them with very little activity. Some of them look like tombstones covered with ads of Nike and Adidas.
> I am also in a German forum. It is smaller, but there is currently more activity than on Litnet.


I debate the decrease in reading literature. Certainly the production of literature is on the increase, albeit electronic.

----------


## tonywalt

beach south sound cayman islands long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Rothko is one of my favourite artists, and although it's rarely seen in my litnet postings, i have quite a few prints that i've shown which reference him fairly obviously.

Because i've overexposed: this photo looks like a cold and snowy place. i suppose we all like to photograph places not common to where we live.

----------


## kiz_paws

This photo reminds me of how our northern beaches look towards the end of October ... you can see steam rise if you get up early enough.

Your photo is gorgeous!  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> This photo reminds me of how our northern beaches look towards the end of October ... you can see steam rise if you get up early enough.
> 
> Your photo is gorgeous!


Thanks. I shall google your northern beaches.

----------


## tonywalt

payphone in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

guard house, grand cayman cayman islands caribbean clouds by Tony Walton, on Flickr

This is much more saturated, higher calories - but I still do shots like this from time to time. This type of high dynamic range of luminosity is generally not well received in contemporary photography circles. But there is a time and place for it, i think.

----------


## kiz_paws

The dangling telephone speaks volumes. Wow! Loved that.

The Guard House photo I really loved; the house and foliage stand out against the sky. I agree with 'there is a time and place for it'. Well done, Tony.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

street photography cayman islands caribbean jealousy nikon capture composition minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pay phone cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I believe that you caught the jealousy right on, Tony, lol.  :Smile: 
The dangling payphone receiver with the trash on the ground speaks to me of the situation of we, the modern man, if you will. I loved the black and white effect.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> I believe that you caught the jealousy right on, Tony, lol. 
> The dangling payphone receiver with the trash on the ground speaks to me of the situation of we, the modern man, if you will. I loved the black and white effect.


Thank Kiz

----------


## North Star

From today

----------


## Danik 2016

> pay phone cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Wery familiar this image of the dangling, possibly destroyed pay phone. An image of destruction and abandonment.

----------


## Danik 2016

> From today


Icy serenity!

----------


## tonywalt

apple minimalism minimal by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

> From today


Gorgeous photo, North Star!

----------


## kiz_paws

> apple minimalism minimal by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Love the colors and that apple almost looks 3D!  :Smile:

----------


## Danik 2016

I agree with kiz. One almost wants to take that apple out of the picture. And I liked the combination of colours too, specially the contrast between two different shades of reds.

----------


## tonywalt

wine at pool cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

For what its worth i dont smoke, but marlboro red is a nice tone of red

----------


## kiz_paws

This picture sends complete relaxation vibes.
I like the textures and the mix of colors chosen.

----------


## Danik 2016

> wine at pool cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> For what its worth i dont smoke, but marlboro red is a nice tone of red


A (post)modern Stilleben picture!

----------


## tonywalt

Thanks all. Never thought of Stilleben. Your know your art!

----------


## tonywalt

holding hands street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr



Black and White.

----------


## Dreamwoven

It looks like she is holding a flaming torch!

----------


## kiz_paws

I love how you have captured innocence ... a wee tot, with his/her chubby little arm, holding onto the finger of the caregiver (be it dad, mom, whoever..)
Were it color, you'd have lost the effect. Black and White totally worked.
Loved it, Tony.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

I tried to capture the racial component

----------


## tonywalt

wine in corner pool minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I absolutely love the 3d effect, Tony.
There is also something poetical in the circles in the water .. I imagined a very gentle rain causing this splash evidence if you will.
Lovely.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> I absolutely love the 3d effect, Tony.
> There is also something poetical in the circles in the water .. I imagined a very gentle rain causing this splash evidence if you will.
> Lovely.


thanks, it was a nice gentle rain, i was under the cabana drinking wine. Moment later my neighbor kid knocked over the wine glass with his water gun. Ha! That's the poetry of things!

----------


## kiz_paws

Glargh! That was a sizeable glass, too!
Doggone kids these days.... lol

----------


## Danik 2016

> wine in corner pool minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Lovely colour contrast. How did you manage to make it look like a painting?

----------


## tonywalt

> Lovely colour contrast. How did you manage to make it look like a painting?


the exposure is very long, gives it a fuller colour. i'm using primary colours, often and alot. And I shoot at golden hour right at sunset the light is coming across This has the effect of highlighting essential tones and shapes filtering out extraneous or unwanted detail. It is a method of simplifying a scene. I am looking to simplify my images as much as possible by isolating the subjects against uncluttered clear backdrops while at the same time retaining a sense of the environment in which I found them.

alternatively, if you use a fast shutter speed like on a smart phone, you will get a crisp sharp photographic looking photo. long exposure takes out the sharpness and brings in a painterly somewhat saturated look.

----------


## tonywalt

street photography guitar girl on beach smith cove cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

hippy girl on beach on stormy day in grand cayman

----------


## kiz_paws

......

----------


## kiz_paws

What a gorgeous photo, Tony. I want to walk the beaches there for sure some day...  :Wink:

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting how you combined girl and stones!

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Been away for sometime, catching up on on the wonderful images.

I was in west Texas this past October on business, found some free time to visit Monohans Sand Hills.
A few pics taken with the I phone:

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Hmmm, well, I'm trying to edit the above post, reduce and add a couple more, but no luck so far.

----------


## Gilliatt Gurgle

Let's see how this works...

Regarding the face image above; a few of the old timers may recall the face on Mars image that NASA captured with Viking I in 1976, 


well turns out I discovered a similar one on earth as I was trudging through the sand. (for scale the "face" is roughly 4 cm long)

"Waves in the Sand"



"I was Thirsty"

----------


## tonywalt

> Let's see how this works...
> 
> Regarding the face image above; a few of the old timers may recall the face on Mars image that NASA captured with Viking I in 1976, 
> 
> 
> well turns out I discovered a similar one on earth as I was trudging through the sand. (for scale the "face" is roughly 4 cm long)
> 
> "Waves in the Sand"
> 
> ...


Love these, what mood and minimalism. art!

----------


## tonywalt

amish on train to san diego. It&#x27;s a candid street photography and I wasn&#x27;t able to get the perfect settings, combined with the mother was aware of me and trying to move away. Nonetheless, it came out ok by Tony Walton, on Flickr

amish on train to san diego. It's a candid street photography and I wasn't able to get the perfect settings, combined with the mother was aware of me and trying to move away. Nonetheless, it came out ok. It was too rushed to get perfect settings and compose, then again that lends alot of authentic beauty to street photography

----------


## kiz_paws

> Let's see how this works...
> 
> Regarding the face image above; a few of the old timers may recall the face on Mars image that NASA captured with Viking I in 1976, 
> 
> 
> well turns out I discovered a similar one on earth as I was trudging through the sand. (for scale the "face" is roughly 4 cm long)
> 
> "Waves in the Sand"
> 
> ...


Love these photos! That last one could be a post card for sure!

----------


## kiz_paws

> amish on train to san diego. It's a candid street photography and I wasn't able to get the perfect settings, combined with the mother was aware of me and trying to move away. Nonetheless, it came out ok by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> amish on train to san diego. It's a candid street photography and I wasn't able to get the perfect settings, combined with the mother was aware of me and trying to move away. Nonetheless, it came out ok. It was too rushed to get perfect settings and compose, then again that lends alot of authentic beauty to street photography


I think that you did nicely, Tony. I really love the effect of street photography.

----------


## tonywalt

books in a room by Tony Walton, on Flickr

books by the window around sunset

----------


## Dreamwoven

This picture has a nice look to it. The off-centre pile of books in a dark part of the room is appealing.

----------


## tonywalt

man on pier in the cayman islands edward hopper david hockney by Tony Walton, on Flickr


man on pier in cayman islands

----------


## Danik 2016

> Let's see how this works...
> 
> Regarding the face image above; a few of the old timers may recall the face on Mars image that NASA captured with Viking I in 1976, 
> 
> 
> well turns out I discovered a similar one on earth as I was trudging through the sand. (for scale the "face" is roughly 4 cm long)
> 
> "Waves in the Sand"
> 
> ...


Specially the last pic is intriguing.

----------


## Danik 2016

> man on pier in the cayman islands edward hopper david hockney by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> man on pier in cayman islands


Very interesting and yes, very hopperian. I think few painters (or photographers) pictured human isolation as he did.

----------


## tonywalt

Sam by Tony Walton, on Flickr

My dog, sam the corgi

----------


## Danik 2016

> Sam by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> My dog, sam the corgi


Sam is cute, beautiful, dignified and loves the eye of the camera. He poses like a king.This is your warmest picture. No Edward Hopper here!

----------


## tonywalt

> Sam is cute, beautiful, dignified and loves the eye of the camera. He poses like a king.This is your warmest picture. No Edward Hopper here!


Thanks! Warmth. hhmmm. an interesting concept. #troubledartisttypes

----------


## tonywalt

girl on a pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Back to slightly unsettling images

----------


## kiz_paws

I really like your 'slightly unsettling images'! You really do catch a moment perfectly, Tony.

As for SAM THE CORGI!! Oh my, I want to take him home! He is so adorable. He also looks freshly bathed and brushed, sporting a very smart lookin' doggy! Love it.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

man on pier in grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Almost a ghostly effect -- love it, Tony!

----------


## Wizard272002

WIN_20170209_12_15_38_Pro.jpg
This is me. Scary, aren't I?

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Lovely, Tony.
I love that there is that hint of color, in the girl's red dress.

----------


## kiz_paws

> WIN_20170209_12_15_38_Pro.jpg
> This is me. Scary, aren't I?


LoL  :Wink:

----------


## tonywalt

girl staring into ocean in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Very cool effect, Tony!
Gorgeous picture.

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool lighter cards 2018 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Gorgeous colors...
Wondered why the photo-retouch on the cigarettes ... we all know what they is, lol!  :Wink:

----------


## tonywalt

oh, marlbros sold in the UK and here (British) can only show the name once on the front. not the back. It's one of the many many death nails to cigarette sales. (warning messages, taxs to the roof, cannot advertise, cannot display the name but once in very small letters)

BY the way, i dont smoke! but i love rectangular primary colours packaged (and who doesnt!)

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

smith cove grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Snowqueen

Tony and Gilliatt, very nice pictures, guys. Keep them coming...

Here are a few random pics. 

Asian keol


Laughing dove


My little nephew had a bad hair day.

----------


## Danik 2016

> smith cove grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Loved your pics, Tony, specially this wild solitude!

----------


## Danik 2016

> Tony and Gilliatt, very nice pictures, guys. Keep them coming...
> 
> Here are a few random pics. 
> 
> Asian keol
> 
> 
> Laughing dove
> 
> ...


Absolutely cute, all of them, SQ! Nice to "see" you again!

----------


## kiz_paws

Tony and Snowqueen, thank you for sharing your gorgeous photos with us.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> Tony and Gilliatt, very nice pictures, guys. Keep them coming...
> 
> Here are a few random pics. 
> 
> Asian keol
> 
> 
> Laughing dove
> 
> ...


Beautiful shots!

----------


## Dreamwoven

The picture. of an Asian koel is remarkable. So clear and the red eye and inside the beak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_koel, and its feathers. Wonderful!

----------


## Snowqueen

*Danik, Tony and Kiz_paws*, thanks for your kind comments and so glad to know you like my pics. I'll be back with more soon. 

Thank you, *Dreamwoven*. I love taking photos of birds. Asian koel is an extremely shy bird and very difficult to capture especially if it is a female.

----------


## tonywalt

footbridge, grand cayman, cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

a little artistic license, but i like painterly at times, many time. This time: some gardens close to my house in cayman

----------


## tonywalt

ice cream cone large by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Snowqueen

> ice cream cone large by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Pretty cool shot, Tony and really liked your photostream.

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> footbridge, grand cayman, cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> a little artistic license, but i like painterly at times, many time. This time: some gardens close to my house in cayman


Yes this looks painterly indeed. I love these strong colours.

----------


## Danik 2016

> pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Nice colour effect. But what happened to the pier?

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice colour effect. But what happened to the pier?


The pier fell into disrepair, just a few posts left

----------


## tonywalt

pier in cayman islands caribbean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

chair on beach grand cayman cayman islands long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cowboys mexico street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

fishing on pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> fishing on pier in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Interesting pictures.This last one reminds me very much of Edward Hopper.

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting pictures.This last one reminds me very much of Edward Hopper.


Thanks! - i've seen his work, like it!

----------


## kiz_paws

Gosh, I have missed posting here --- Tony, the last photos are awesome. I had to chuckle at the pimp buckle, ha ha!
The posts remaining of the pier with the long exposure had a cool ghostly effect.

----------


## tonywalt

> Gosh, I have missed posting here --- Tony, the last photos are awesome. I had to chuckle at the pimp buckle, ha ha!
> The posts remaining of the pier with the long exposure had a cool ghostly effect.


Thanks Kiz!

----------


## tonywalt

girl and dog scared something coming towards them in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on bar cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man on pier grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> man on pier grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr


The mood of the picture again reminds me of Hooper.

----------


## Danik 2016

> pool grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


How did you get the "blackening effect"?

I thought it was the movement of the water.

----------


## tonywalt

> How did you get the "blackening effect"?


It is the shadow of trees, i underexposed that area more.

----------


## M Kirkpatrick

> It is the shadow of trees, i underexposed that area more.


Your photos are great Tony,the cayman Islands look like a great place to live, shall we swop homes? You can have the nice cold damp air here in the UK and i will swim
in the warm waters there, fair swop i feel.
Warmest regards Michael.

----------


## tonywalt

> The mood of the picture again reminds me of Hooper.


Thanks. I love Hopper (and, also for the purpose of photographic reference: degas, manet, david hockney...those

----------


## tonywalt

> Your photos are great Tony,the cayman Islands look like a great place to live, shall we swop homes? You can have the nice cold damp air here in the UK and i will swim
> in the warm waters there, fair swop i feel.
> Warmest regards Michael.


ha! i love England. (of course, we are british here,,,so i go there alot)

----------


## Danik 2016

> girl on bar cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


This and the above "Girl with dog" are phantastic too. Did you ever expose your pics in a galery?

----------


## tonywalt

> This and the above "Girl with dog" are phantastic too. Did you ever expose your pics in a galery?


I have a few times in the 2 galleries on island

----------


## Danik 2016

Did you ever send them anwhere else? I´m not of the business, but there must be spezialized foto galleries in US or UK.

----------


## tonywalt

> Did you ever send them anwhere else? I´m not of the business, but there must be spezialized foto galleries in US or UK.


There is and i do at times show them. The contemporary photography world is tough. art is tough. but, i do it in feast and famine and all in between.

----------


## tonywalt

girl in room francesca woodman long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I am sure glad that you share your talents here, Tony.  :Smile: 
I love the girl and dog in the water -- expression captured brilliantly!
You sure do have a gorgeous place to live.

----------


## tonywalt

> I am sure glad that you share your talents here, Tony. 
> I love the girl and dog in the water -- expression captured brilliantly!
> You sure do have a gorgeous place to live.


Thanks Kiz!

----------


## tonywalt

hand line fishing in south sound grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

south sound beach grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Thanks for keeping one of my favorite threads going with such wonderful pictures, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

> Thanks for keeping one of my favorite threads going with such wonderful pictures, Tony.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

pier in grand cayman cayman islands pier ocean nikon by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl sitting in bar alone smoking and drinking whisky and rum in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> girl sitting in bar alone smoking and drinking whisky and rum in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


I liked how you captured the somewhat bored look of this girl.

----------


## kiz_paws

I loved that pier ... looks 3D!

The girl in the bar was captured excellently, too... her eyes, wary, keep watch. I'd like to see this one as a black and white .... wonder what effect that would have (no, I am not judging you, Tony. *smiles* ... just thinking aloud if you will).

Keep 'em coming!

----------


## tonywalt

> I loved that pier ... looks 3D!
> 
> The girl in the bar was captured excellently, too... her eyes, wary, keep watch. I'd like to see this one as a black and white .... wonder what effect that would have (no, I am not judging you, Tony. *smiles* ... just thinking aloud if you will).
> 
> Keep 'em coming!


Thanks! i've got a black and white of her some where. i'll find

----------


## tonywalt

girl colourful hair pirates week grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned phone in grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Very cool photography, Tony. Well captured.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> Very cool photography, Tony. Well captured.


Thanks Kiz

----------


## tonywalt

grand cayman cayman islands long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

long exposure of kid in grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Great photos, I love the effect of that child in the water.

----------


## tonywalt

phone off hook grand cayman cayman islands caribbean street photography at golden hour by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

woman umbrella fisherman grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

marlboro on grand cayman cayman islands street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

surfer in east end grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

two guys on east end wall grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl in the blues cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Dreamwoven

Nice contrast between the calm water in the pool the girl is in and the more choppy water just behind her head.

----------


## tonywalt

man on seawall east end grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man on dock grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

ocean in grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Such gorgeous photography!
I think that you must live in Eden, it is that beautiful there, Tony.

----------


## Snowqueen

Here are a few shots of birds... 



I spotted this pair of Indian Robin hopping around. Male is different from female with black underparts while female has mostly grayish plumage. They are very common here and prefer stony and arid areas. 





Bay-backed Shrike with a catch. It's also one of the common residents of Pakistan.

----------


## tonywalt

> Here are a few shots of birds... 
> 
> 
> 
> I spotted this pair of Indian Robin hopping around. Male is different from female with black underparts while female has mostly grayish plumage. They are very common here and prefer stony and arid areas. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Love LOVE these. the first one has perfect aperture size, blurring the peripheral

----------


## tonywalt

> Here are a few shots of birds... 
> 
> 
> 
> I spotted this pair of Indian Robin hopping around. Male is different from female with black underparts while female has mostly grayish plumage. They are very common here and prefer stony and arid areas. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Love LOVE these. the first one has perfect aperture size, blurring the peripheral

----------


## tonywalt

seven mile beach paddleboard cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> Here are a few shots of birds... 
> 
> 
> 
> I spotted this pair of Indian Robin hopping around. Male is different from female with black underparts while female has mostly grayish plumage. They are very common here and prefer stony and arid areas. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wondeful pics, Snow, I like how you captures their expressions! I think you have noticed the spam storm, which probably set the webmaster working on the site.

----------


## Danik 2016

> seven mile beach paddleboard cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Wonderful photo, with its outlined figures and the contrast between light and shadow.

----------


## Snowqueen

Thank you, Tony! Really like your shot and those silhouettes. May I ask, what kind of lens you use for outdoor photography? 

Thanks, Danik. So glad to know you liked my photos. 
I didn't know it was a spam. Have you been experiencing it too?

----------


## tonywalt

> Wonderful photo, with its outlined figures and the contrast between light and shadow.


Thanks! just at sunset, my favourite time

----------


## tonywalt

> Thank you, Tony! Really like your shot and those silhouettes. May I ask, what kind of lens you use for outdoor photography? 
> 
> Thanks, Danik. So glad to know you liked my photos. 
> I didn't know it was a spam. Have you been experiencing it too?


I use https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-NIKKOR-...6ZY65EQ8GVZ2W8

thanks for liking the photo

----------


## tonywalt

caterpillar on the beach grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rocks in water grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier looking at ocean grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

What a lovely picture, Tony. She looks so delicate.
Love the effects.

----------


## tonywalt

> What a lovely picture, Tony. She looks so delicate.
> Love the effects.


Thanks Kiz. It's off of a reject pile(not the lack of beauty of the girl, but just eh), but i do like long exposure photography. Long exposure is a kind of expressionism, with texture and mood that I cannot capture in conventional fast shutter photography.

----------


## tonywalt

girl at nightclub by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> girl on pier looking at ocean grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


This picture is magical too!

----------


## tonywalt

rainy day lobster pot cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> This picture is magical too!


Thanks. Still love doing long exposure.

----------


## tonywalt

Rainy foggy day cayman islands

----------


## tonywalt

Rainy foggy day cayman islands

lobster pot rainy grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

south sound grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Pompey Bum

> girl on pier grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Really haunting, Tony. She looks like a ghost.

----------


## kiz_paws

Her vivid contrast against the background is well done.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> Really haunting, Tony. She looks like a ghost.


Thanks. the long exposure has a haunting effect - cuz of the eerily calm ocean and the overcast sky

----------


## Pompey Bum

Yes, and also the contrasting perspectives, which are a little unnerving. She's far away, so she's tiny, but she also stands between the verge of the dock and the exact point of the horizon, which makes her a kind of giantess. And obviously the three large areas of different grays contrast with her small red dress. So the focus is on the woman, and all this spooky, stormy energy seems to be emanating from her. It's a great picture.

----------


## tonywalt

> Yes, and also the contrasting perspectives, which are a little unnerving. She's far away, so she's tiny, but she also stands between the verge of the dock and the exact point of the horizon, which makes her a kind of giantess. And obviously the three large areas of different grays contrast with her small red dress. So the focus is on the woman, and all this spooky, stormy energy seems to be emanating from her. It's a great picture.


Thanks!- i sure try to unnerving. Unsettling.

----------


## Danik 2016

> girl on pier grand cayman cayman islands caribbean by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Very interesting effect, Tony! Not necessarily haunting, but the long exposure transforms the otherwise common scene. The girl might also be a water nymph or a goddess.

----------


## tonywalt

pills floating by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

White Winged Dove - Grand Cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

welsh corgi looking at pills by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pills floating by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl at lone star cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Messing around with an iphone

----------


## tonywalt

black and white road driving along on a road trip by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Driving at about 40 mph on a rainy evening. More of an abstract photograph

----------


## Danik 2016

> girl at lone star cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> Messing around with an iphone


Reminds me of a painter, Gauguin maybe.

----------


## tonywalt

> Reminds me of a painter, Gauguin maybe.


Thanks. Just experimenting with painterly looks, which I like more than many in the photography world.

----------


## tonywalt

girl on a boat smoking by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I really love that painting effect, Tony! Awesome!

----------


## tonywalt

birds in cayman islands woodpeckers by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man working in cayman islands at night by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

lying on beach in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rainy day man in the window in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

eats cafe cayman islands photography on an iphone by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

street photography no parking cayman islands sea by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

painterly girl on chair nude cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I must've missed a few photos, Tony!
Well I must say that the rain one was really awesome. Great effect.
And the Café one is just like a postcard, it was that good.
They are all great; you have a talent, glad you share here!

----------


## Danik 2016

> eats cafe cayman islands photography on an iphone by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Wonderfull, this one. You have an enormous feeling for colors and atmosphere.

----------


## tonywalt

> Wonderfull, this one. You have an enormous feeling for colors and atmosphere.


Thanks! - always trying to find Edward Hopper stuff

----------


## tonywalt

girl at bar grainy film in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Interesting grainy effect, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting grainy effect, Tony.


As in:

Someone: "what is he(she) like?"

Other person: "ooh, he(she) is uuum, well, interesting" :Smile:

----------


## kiz_paws

Hmmm, let me re-word my comment, I thought that the picture of the girl lost in thought, captured with that grainy effect, was cool. And I did like it. You are full of great artistic ideas.

Now go and pet your doggy for me, kay?  :Wink:

----------


## tonywalt

street photography in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> Hmmm, let me re-word my comment, I thought that the picture of the girl lost in thought, captured with that grainy effect, was cool. And I did like it. You are full of great artistic ideas.
> 
> Now go and pet your doggy for me, kay?


Simon the corgi says Hello!

----------


## tonywalt

gloves minimalism in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Huh, they look alive these gloves!

----------


## kiz_paws

Yes, I think that they look 3D!

----------


## tonywalt

car on rainy in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl watching tv on sofa SIGNED by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girls running in red shoes by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Loved the angle of the girl watching tv.

The girls running in red shoes one is awesome. I stared at that one for a bit and thought it could have a place in the den here! Great pix, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

> Loved the angle of the girl watching tv.
> 
> The girls running in red shoes one is awesome. I stared at that one for a bit and thought it could have a place in the den here! Great pix, Tony.


Thanks Karalynne! I have alot of fun taking these. (I need to get back into the poetry games section too. I will!)

----------


## tonywalt

party people black and white nikon by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

I think that you have captured pure joy in this delightful black and white, Tony. It made me smile, too.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

> I think that you have captured pure joy in this delightful black and white, Tony. It made me smile, too.


Thanks Kiz - every now and again (often) black and white works better than colour - if it's just emotion or mood being captured.

----------


## tonywalt

girl in tree cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

An abandoned building to cheer you up this Monday morning

tiara beach hotel cayman brac abandoned by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on sofa cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Abandoned hotel pic captured the desolate nature of being left to wrack and ruin.. Well done.

Girl on sofa, sexy. However, I viewed her fingers with a pianist's mind, and thought she would be able to reach the Rachmaninoff stretches that are so astounding to someone with short fingers (like me)….

Great photos, as always, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

> Abandoned hotel pic captured the desolate nature of being left to wrack and ruin.. Well done.
> 
> Girl on sofa, sexy. However, I viewed her fingers with a pianist's mind, and thought she would be able to reach the Rachmaninoff stretches that are so astounding to someone with short fingers (like me)….
> 
> Great photos, as always, Tony.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

gloves black surrender by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

poetry book pool minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands abandoned house window frame by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting frame and interesting message!

----------


## Danik 2016

> party people black and white nikon by Tony Walton, on Flickr


One of my favorites. Looks like an old pic way before the digital camera. Clothes and hairstyles look like decades ago too. A very expressive pic.

----------


## kiz_paws

I really liked the gloves surrender one, simple but yet very cool!

----------


## tonywalt

> One of my favorites. Looks like an old pic way before the digital camera. Clothes and hairstyles look like decades ago too. A very expressive pic.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

> One of my favorites. Looks like an old pic way before the digital camera. Clothes and hairstyles look like decades ago too. A very expressive pic.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool lighter by the pool again by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> I really liked the gloves surrender one, simple but yet very cool!


Thanks. they are wedding gloves taped onto a window, after a wedding shoot

----------


## Danik 2016

Posting on this forum is becoming more and more difficult.

----------


## tonywalt

corgi dog profile nikon monochrome black and white by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Such a beautiful dog! Great pic, Tony!

----------


## tonywalt

> Such a beautiful dog! Great pic, Tony!


Thanks!- he was watching an andrei tarkovsky film, intensely

----------


## tonywalt

> oh, I do not know how insert a photo (


I insert from Flickr:

Click on the pointing arrow, copy and paste the Bbcode righ onto the posting space (i can walk you thru it if you want)

----------


## tonywalt

pabst blue ribbon by the pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Gorgeous photo, Tony! The blue is so intense.

----------


## tonywalt

Thanks Kiz!

----------


## tonywalt

shoes on man lying down street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool at night by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## qimissung

Really your stuff is so good, I don't know how you are not making a fortune, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

> Really your stuff is so good, I don't know how you are not making a fortune, Tony.


Thanks. I make a small fortune (literally small), and that's good enough

----------


## tonywalt

pool at night cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool at night minimalism cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

dock waves night cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

curtains light shadow exposure cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

night club girl man threatening by Tony Walton, on Flickr

street photography

----------


## tonywalt

waves grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

amtrak train in Georgia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

amtrak train in Georgia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

curtains marriott light in a hotel near richmond virginia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## kiz_paws

Such a great variety of effects you have used in this last bunch of photos, Tony!
The black and white CURTAINS one is hauntingly beautiful; also liked the red curtains one, just something about it...
Thanks for uploading for us.

----------


## tonywalt

> Such a great variety of effects you have used in this last bunch of photos, Tony!
> The black and white CURTAINS one is hauntingly beautiful; also liked the red curtains one, just something about it...
> Thanks for uploading for us.


Thanks Kiz. i'm in the US at the moment. taking a photos when i can

----------


## tonywalt

people at watergate hotel bar by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

shenandoah national park drive by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

snow road bend shenandoah national park november 26 2018 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

toilet paper hotel virginia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I would love to see an exposition of your pictures here in Brazil, specially the Cayman ones. I think they would be a success.

----------


## tonywalt

> I would love to see an exposition of your pictures here in Brazil, specially the Cayman ones. I think they would be a success.


Thanks! I love Brasil. I worked for Banco Rural for quite a long time - spending time in Belo Horizonte. I like that part of Brasil

----------


## tonywalt

> I would love to see an exposition of your pictures here in Brazil, specially the Cayman ones. I think they would be a success.


Thanks for the compliment! I loved, loved my time in Belo Horizonte working with Banco Rural. Beautiful there.

----------


## Danik 2016

Does that mean that you exposed your pictures here at that time?

Minas used to be a frienly state. I don´t know how it is today.

----------


## tonywalt

> Does that mean that you exposed your pictures here at that time?
> 
> Minas used to be a frienly state. I don´t know how it is today.


I did alot less photography then, certainly not polished. I'll try and find some that i did in Minas

----------


## tonywalt

> Does that mean that you exposed your pictures here at that time?
> 
> Minas used to be a frienly state. I don´t know how it is today.


I did alot less photography then, certainly not polished. I'll try and find some that i did in Minas

----------


## tonywalt

amtrak train book by window by Tony Walton, on Flickr

(Infinite Jest is the book)

----------


## tonywalt

luggage that looks like a man in miami airport by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

shenandoah national park road by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## alcala0001

https://youtu.be/dENI884P2MQ

EDIT: It's not a picture of me. It's a video of me engaging in my OTHER other hobby!  LOL

----------


## tonywalt

> https://youtu.be/dENI884P2MQ
> 
> EDIT: It's not a picture of me. It's a video of me engaging in my OTHER other hobby! �� LOL


That's beautiful music and a genre i love

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## tonywalt

shenandoah national park road by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

race photograph marathon by Tony Walton, on Flickr

Me. Running/Walking a half marathon.

----------


## Danik 2016

> shenandoah national park road by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Enjoyed those ghostly night pictures.

----------


## Danik 2016

> race photograph marathon by Tony Walton, on Flickr
> 
> Me. Running/Walking a half marathon.


Hello! You seem to be enjoying your marathon.

----------


## tonywalt

boat in bodden town cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

boat on beach grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

hands on window by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

dog bodden town by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

hydrant night photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

hydrant night photography iphone by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

East End Grand Cayman Cayman Islands night photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

speed limit cayman islands street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

boat in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blue boat northside cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

boat in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool in cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned building cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

balloon in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned building cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach minimalism cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

window abandoned house cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

bed light shadows by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sign on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

window abandoned building cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

keep out on the beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

infinite jest on train by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

parrots cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

toilet and basin minimal by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

parrots cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

south sound cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

abstract beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

red glove by pool cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

basketball hoop cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

the loop west bay abstract beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

abandoned building cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

hard rock cafe cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach west bay cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## qimissung

Gorgeous as always, Tony. Are you a millionaire yet, you're so talented?

----------


## tonywalt

> Gorgeous as always, Tony. Are you a millionaire yet, you're so talented?


Thanks. HA! I am no millionaire.

----------


## tonywalt

house north side cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

gas station cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

dog bodden town cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

national gallery cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blurry ocean cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blurry ocean cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blurry ocean cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blurry ocean 4 cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blue ocean number 5 cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach Cayman Islands seven mile beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

long exposure cayman islands beach van gogh by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

umbrella beach minimalism cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman beach long exposure by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

ocean blurry sky cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

wormslose plantation savannah georgia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Gorgeous new pics, Tony!

Standing out: the difference of colors from Cayman to Georgia.

----------


## tonywalt

reading room cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl, portrait cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

road blur shenandoah national park by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sea cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

light in hotel room richmond virginia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Pompey Bum

These just keep getting better and better, Tony. I love the pool table colored road in Road Blur. I was going to say it was your best, but your spooky girls on piers always get to me, too.

----------


## tonywalt

> These just keep getting better and better, Tony. I love the pool table colored road in Road Blur. I was going to say it was your best, but your spooky girls on piers always get to me, too.


Thanks! it keeps me interested in the world!

----------


## tonywalt

marlboro on street cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

woodlands cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

green car camana bay by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

photo by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

snow road bend shenandoah national park november 2018 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pink walls and window by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

nude swimmer in pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

grassy beach west bay loop cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man gazing out window cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

curtains cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

long exposure sea by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

public phone by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blue chairs and mural by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sargasso sea cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

crosses in the water cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

bar at northside cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man alone on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

coca cola by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool minimal photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

windows yellow cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

phone hanging cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Beautiful pix...

Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
tailor STATELY

----------


## tonywalt

rental sign cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> Beautiful pix...
> 
> Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
> tailor STATELY


Thanks Tailor! Sorry, Mr. Tarradiddle

----------


## tonywalt

shot on iphone. really like the light leakage

car on a road parked at night iphone photo by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blurry beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier poles in cayman islands black and white by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Secret III

Took this photo a while ago.

----------


## tonywalt

pier aftermath east end many pier posts by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

traffic lights cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Pompey Bum

I don't know how I missed those pier pictures, Tony, but they are magnificent (and like your best work--for me anyways, vaguely menacing). Great pictures.

----------


## tonywalt

Thanks. I appreciate it. Yes, glad to know somewhere spots some thing unsettling about the photos. Life is unsettling, me thinks - at times.

----------


## tonywalt

traffic lights cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

shenandoah national park window by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Pompey Bum

Absolutely brilliant, Tony. Not only the colors but the images--a forking road above, a winding road below, and distant mountains. One of your best.

----------


## Danik 2016

I specially like your pictures framed by windows. But, please, please don´t sell the traffic lights to capcha.

----------


## tonywalt

> Absolutely brilliant, Tony. Not only the colors but the images--a forking road above, a winding road below, and distant mountains. One of your best.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

> I specially like your pictures framed by windows. But, please, please don´t sell the traffic lights to capcha.


Thanks there! Sell traffic lights to "Capcha" what's that mean? :Smile:

----------


## Danik 2016

It was meant as a joke. Did you never have to prove on line that you aren't a robot by identifying elements in photos? That's captcha. One of the elements they ask one to identify are traffic lights.

----------


## tonywalt

> It was meant as a joke. Did you never have to prove on line that you aren't a robot by identifying elements in photos? That's captcha. One of the elements they ask one to identify are traffic lights.


Ha! that's what I thought. sure, traffic lights is a common captcha. Good one!

----------


## MANICHAEAN

Dayan

----------


## tonywalt

road sign cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Nice contrast, Tony, looks like a watercolor. Hope your pictures are all safe.

----------


## tailor STATELY

:Smile: 

Ta ! _(short for tarradiddle)_,
tailor

----------


## tonywalt

barkers beach grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman brac cayman islands in sepia bluff road by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach car window cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

south sound frame cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I like this play with frames and textures very much. The first looks like watercolors.I also like the black and white picture, with the houses as frames, and the framed in sea.

----------


## tonywalt

grand cayman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sea wall east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

country &amp; western edward hopper in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sea wall east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

plug in wall fine art photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Pensive

Very nice additions!
I would add here some photos including my own selfie!
Location: Estonia

----------


## Pensive

More of autumn

----------


## Pensive

Kbaty Poland

----------


## tonywalt

> Kbaty Poland


Hey there, these didn't come out. try flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cruise ship on rainy day cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> cruise ship on rainy day cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Fantastic!That lokes like the German Phantom Ship.

----------


## Danik 2016

> Hey there, these didn't come out. try flickr


Couldn´t access your pictures pensive. When I try to post something on this forum I get the same error messages.

----------


## tonywalt

> Fantastic!That lokes like the German Phantom Ship.


Thanks. Yea, quite overcast, rainy!

----------


## tonywalt

kids in haiti by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on a pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/?

----------


## tonywalt

woman on beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

motel doors 2019 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

corgi in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

mother and kids blurry cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier pink sunset cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

stormy pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

grocery store cart cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

street photography cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

minimalism cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

woman on fence cayman islands airport by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

texas highway by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

peru street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved these pics, Tony. Specially the last one, one instantaneous of Peruvian life.

----------


## tonywalt

> Loved these pics, Tony. Specially the last one, one instantaneous of Peruvian life.


Thanks! Enjoy taking these!

----------


## tonywalt

east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl in white dress on pier in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

liquor store cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

2 people walking on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

woman walking on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

traffic lights cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

ocean blurry sky cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rothko beach in east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

seven mile beach cayman islands on rainy day by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rainy seven mile beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach on rainy day cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach on rainy day CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands large aperture by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool playing cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

breakers beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> pool playing cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Hopper esthetics including Hopper isolation. Come to think of it, your portrayed figures look always lonely even if they aren´t alone.

----------


## tonywalt

> Hopper esthetics including Hopper isolation. Come to think of it, your portrayed figures look always lonely even if they aren´t alone.


Thanks. I'd have to agree. Not sure if it's deliberate, but it surely is. Maybe it's the human condition, for some, many, all.

----------


## tonywalt

Renee at breakers cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Breakers, Cayman Islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

bedroom cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Renee in breakers Cayman Islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl hammock in Cayman Islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

blurry woman cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

couple on a pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

the final curtain cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

car on beach rainy cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rainy day beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Wonderful texture experiments.

----------


## tonywalt

> Wonderful texture experiments.


Thanks. Fun to change it up.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rainy beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

seven mile beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Any more posts.

----------


## Danik 2016

I love this textury pics your posted, Tony. This thread is still one of the best things of LitNet.

----------


## tonywalt

> I love this textury pics your posted, Tony. This thread is still one of the best things of LitNet.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

barkers beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

A family connects with each other. Some street photography.

Family connecting by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach abstract cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

breakers cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I specially enjoyed the last picture with it´s lighted clouds. What about the people with the phones? They don´t look quarantined.

----------


## tonywalt

> I specially enjoyed the last picture with it´s lighted clouds. What about the people with the phones? They don´t look quarantined.


Thanks, this was before the Great Playgued

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

party people Tony Walton by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

basektball hoop cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Buh4Bee

Beautiful shot! Particularly if you love B- ball.

----------


## tonywalt

saragasso sea cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man on amtrak train in georgia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Buh4Bee

This picture speaks volumes. Haven’t been on Amtrek in a long time, but there is something about riding the train.

----------


## tonywalt

> This picture speaks volumes. Haven’t been on Amtrek in a long time, but there is something about riding the train.


Thanks. The bar cart is still shockingly expensive (in Amtrak trains)

----------


## tonywalt

Hey George Orwell, Here we are staring into blue screens

Cayman Islands 14 May 2020 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved specially the two last pics. The color contrast of the first and the people looking at their mobiles. I guess, they were not posing for the picture.

----------


## Danik 2016

I would never guess that this is a basketball hoop. It looks like a symbol.

----------


## tonywalt

> Loved specially the two last pics. The color contrast of the first and the people looking at their mobiles. I guess, they were not posing for the picture.


Thanks. Believe or not, they're not posing. People be like that with their mobiles, it's a drug - and not a good one. Anyway, what can we do.

----------


## Danik 2016

Same here, Tony. But it´s the eye of the photographer that captures the symmetries.

----------


## tonywalt

> Same here, Tony. But it´s the eye of the photographer that captures the symmetries.


Thanks. All is well here in the Cayman Islands. Completely well.

----------


## tonywalt

coconut trees cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

barkers beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

barkers cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool green blue rothko cayman islands this be the verse by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

south sound cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Tony by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands edward hopper couple by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I liked this last group, Tony.

About the Edward Hopper couple. Your picture made me realize the effect bodily contours can have on the atmosphere of the picture.

The couple you photographed, although separated and with its back to the observer exhales a calm and even friendly atmosphere due to their soft round contours.
In Hopper the sharp contours usually suggest an implacable hard loneliness.

----------


## tonywalt

> I liked this last group, Tony.
> 
> About the Edward Hopper couple. Your picture made me realize the effect bodily contours can have on the atmosphere of the picture.
> 
> The couple you photographed, although separated and with its back to the observer exhales a calm and even friendly atmosphere due to their soft round contours.
> In Hopper the sharp contours usually suggest an implacable hard loneliness.


Thanks. True, it's street photography - and I would not have chosen them as models due to their formless figures, but it somehow works. There is a massive disconnect between them though, life bees like that.

----------


## Danik 2016

Yes, you are right, in fact one wouldn´t take them for a couple. From behind they just look like any man or woman sitting beside each other. But that´s what makes the picture interesting.

----------


## tonywalt

bar north side cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

The people on you island look all lonely. But that is probably the perspective of the photographer.

----------


## tonywalt

> The people on you island look all lonely. But that is probably the perspective of the photographer.


I would say they are melancholic. Maybe they are expressions of self-portraiture, at times. Not all the time, though, happily.

----------


## tonywalt

girl smoking cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

No, of course not. But maybe it is this tinge of melancholy or loneliness that sets the atmosphere of the picture. It suggest, for example, that the girl lighting the cigarette, has a whole world of her own.

----------


## tonywalt

> No, of course not. But maybe it is this tinge of melancholy or loneliness that sets the atmosphere of the picture. It suggest, for example, that the girl lighting the cigarette, has a whole world of her own.


I can confirm that she is much in a world of her own, ha. I like your point on the rounded people sitting at the boardwalk. skinny people would give in a more aggressive edge.

----------


## tonywalt

waves at dock in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

yellow light cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

chairs white cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

This looks very wintry. It is the colour of snow, but there isn´t any snow on the abandoned chairs.

----------


## Danik 2016

> waves at dock in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Uau! These waves are gorgeous!

----------


## tonywalt

> Uau! These waves are gorgeous!


Thanks!! It's at the Dock in the Cayman Islands, waves are breaking over the dock. Gives a cool effect.

----------


## tonywalt

> chairs white cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Thanks! I really love minimalism. But the vacant chairs and folded umbrellas creates a certain mood

----------


## Danik 2016

It really does! I feel it is an atmosphere of absence, very common in these Corona times.

----------


## tonywalt

post office in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Gigantic but looks totally empty.

----------


## tonywalt

> Gigantic but looks totally empty.


Everyone came to the post office, right after i shot this. Maybe.

----------


## tonywalt

car window looking at beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

rothko beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Is that blue sand, Tony?

----------


## tonywalt

> Is that blue sand, Tony?


The sand is on the bottom on the 2nd photo. the first photo is the sea and sky, no sand. (there is no blue sand in the Cayman Islands)

----------


## Danik 2016

Of course not, Tony, but it might have been a trick of the lens.

----------


## tonywalt

> Of course not, Tony, but it might have been a trick of the lens.


Ha, lots of tricks, but I left the sand in one of them

----------


## tonywalt

edward hopper photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

st. augustine florida by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Again, a nice colour contrast. And even the empty door and the empty window are a sign of loneliness. I have an idea of Cayman Isles as a happy island with people going about all the time, but that is not what your pictures show.

----------


## Danik 2016

> edward hopper photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr


A Tony Hopper picture I should say.Expressive body language. And I notice that you only show the faces of the people, who permit it.

----------


## tonywalt

> Again, a nice colour contrast. And even the empty door and the empty window are a sign of loneliness. I have an idea of Cayman Isles as a happy island with people going about all the time, but that is not what your pictures show.


Thanks. Well, I'm a bundle of joy myself. I try to relay that in my photos and drawings, but maybe it's not working (wink).

----------


## tonywalt

Rothko beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Cayman Islands rainy day at beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I particularly like the red beach. At least, on my tablet it is red.

----------


## tonywalt

> I particularly like the red beach. At least, on my tablet it is red.


Yea, it's copper red. Abstract stuff. I really love Mark Rothko, and lots of stuff i do reference his work.

----------


## tonywalt

rainy day cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Don´t know Mark Rothko, but I like your color contrasts, like here.

----------


## tonywalt

> Don´t know Mark Rothko, but I like your color contrasts, like here.


Thanks. Cannot go wrong with primaries red,blue and yellow.

----------


## tonywalt

ducks cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Wonderful pic. But lol, even the ducks seem to be professional loners. There they stand in a slightly dignified attitude, seemingly without taking any notice of each other.

----------


## Danik 2016

Magic!

----------


## Danik 2016

> pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Magic!

----------


## tonywalt

> Magic!


Thanks Danik!

----------


## tonywalt

pier at cayman kai cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## NikolaiI

Those ducks are very photogenic. . . Great shot.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

night club proposition cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Very espressive picture. The girl seems to be afraid.

----------


## tonywalt

> Very espressive picture. The girl seems to be afraid.


She should be.

----------


## tonywalt

Cayman islands pier by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

corgi dog by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Lol. Cute and dignified at the same time! Loved picture and subject. Is that your dog, Tony?

----------


## tonywalt

> Lol. Cute and dignified at the same time! Loved picture and subject. Is that your dog, Tony?


thanks, yes, that's Simon, my corgi

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

May I steal a identified copy of Mr. Simon for my animal pics collection?

----------


## tonywalt

Simon said, "Sure, I would autograph if I didn't have stumpy paws"

----------


## Danik 2016

Warm thanks to Simon. I really will miss his autograph. On the subject on paws and writing I recommend the rather extensive Memories of Cat Murr, a German self educated Cat Gentleman, who suggests that the problem of cat writing is due to the position of the tumb.

----------


## tonywalt

I'll look that up. Simon listens to catcher in the rye on audio - and is going thru a Holden Caulfield phase

----------


## Danik 2016

That´s good too!

Here you are:
"Now that I could read fluently, and was daily cramming myself with
more and more new notions, I felt the most irresistible urge to wrest my
own ideas from oblivion, born of my native genius as they were! Yet to
do so called for the art of writing, which is admittedly very difficult.
However carefully I might watch my masters hand as he wrote, I just
could not manage to pick up the actual mechanics of the thing from him.
I studied old Hilmar Curas,24 the one manual of calligraphy that my
master possessed, and almost reached the conclusion that the mysterious
difficulty of writing could be removed only by wearing the large cuff
seen on the diagram of the writing hand depicted in that book, and that
it was due only to the special facility my master had acquired that he
wrote without a cuff, just as an expert tightrope walker can eventually
do without his balancing pole. I kept a keen eye open for cuffs, and was
on the point of tearing up the old housekeepers nightcap and adapting it
for my right paw when, in a flash of inspiration such as persons of
genius are wont to have, the brilliant idea which solved everything
occurred to me. For I surmised that the impossibility of my holding a
pen or pencil as my master did might lie in the different structure of our
hands, and in that surmise I was correct! I had to devise another way of
writing, suited to the build of my little right paw, and as you might
expect, devise it I did. Thus do whole new systems arise from the
particular organic structure of the individual!"

E T A Hoffman-THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF THE
TOMCAT MURR

----------


## tonywalt

watergate hotel by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved this characteristic decoration!And your mirroring picture. But is the name really Watergate?

----------


## tonywalt

> Loved this characteristic decoration!And your mirroring picture. But is the name really Watergate?


thanks! , yes. Watergate Hotel is quite famous (in America) for the location of the burglary involving President Richard Nixon (resigned as President). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal

----------


## tonywalt

man on dock cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting shades of blue in both last pictures. And liked the lonely man sitting with the back to the photographer...

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting shades of blue in both last pictures. And liked the lonely man sitting with the back to the photographer...


Thanks. Long exposures on both creates that kind of blue mood

----------


## tonywalt

camana bay cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Beautiful bay. And you people are like Brazilians. You love a mobile device.

----------


## tonywalt

Yes, true, they love mobile phones. They tend to talk more than text. It's interesting.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Miami Youth Age by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Very clever indeed! One has to guess the look of the old man.

----------


## tonywalt

> Very clever indeed! One has to guess the look of the old man.


He may have picked her up, one never knows.

----------


## tonywalt

bird on pier east end of cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved it! He looks like he was the owner of the pier :Biggrin: .

----------


## tonywalt

> Loved it! He looks like he was the owner of the pier.


A fine property!

----------


## tonywalt

girl on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I like the contrast between the girl and her cluttered table against the almost fading background of heaven and sea.

----------


## tonywalt

> I like the contrast between the girl and her cluttered table against the almost fading background of heaven and sea.


Thanks. She has lovely hair, thick, blondish, textured, and looking into the post-sunset.

----------


## tonywalt

pier in cayman islands edward hopper by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Edward hoppery indeed! The pier seems to mingle with the sea.

----------


## tonywalt

> Edward hoppery indeed! The pier seems to mingle with the sea.


Thanks. Another overcast day, late. I think this dude was trying out a new rod.

----------


## Francis Meadows

At the risk of offending you Tony, which is certainly not the intention, but out of pure curiosity: are these digitally edited before upload? I like how the background always seems to "blur" a bit. Adds a sense of adventure to the pics.

Francis

----------


## tonywalt

> At the risk of offending you Tony, which is certainly not the intention, but out of pure curiosity: are these digitally edited before upload? I like how the background always seems to "blur" a bit. Adds a sense of adventure to the pics.
> 
> Francis


Most, and almost all of these photos are long exposures of 20 seconds or more. With like long exposure the background is going to be overexposed to the point of complete lightness. Also, I focus on one are of the photo and let other parts (often the background) stay out of focus. I do this with a large aperture setting. Finally, yes, I edit a little on colour more often than not.

----------


## tonywalt

men at bar by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

STOP SIGN IN CAYMAN islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girls at at work by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

gas station cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Francis Meadows

> Most, and almost all of these photos are long exposures of 20 seconds or more. With like long exposure the background is going to be overexposed to the point of complete lightness. Also, I focus on one are of the photo and let other parts (often the background) stay out of focus. I do this with a large aperture setting. Finally, yes, I edit a little on colour more often than not.


Do you use a tripod with such long exposures?

I like the men at the bar pic. The expression on the face of the guy looking back is a mix of wonder and threatening at the same time.

Francis

----------


## tonywalt

> Do you use a tripod with such long exposures?
> 
> I like the men at the bar pic. The expression on the face of the guy looking back is a mix of wonder and threatening at the same time.
> 
> Francis


hi Francis, I definitely use a tripod, and a remote 'snapper' for the long exposure. Yea, the bar gay is kind of interesting. Just a street photography shot, and the massive guy next to them makes it a interesting composition, for a snap of everyday life.

----------


## tonywalt

. by Adeosun Olamide, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

phone off the hook by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

. by Adeosun Olamide, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

phone off the hook by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

woman on fence cayman islands airport by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting photographer, Adeosun Olamide, in the way he captures the expressions of the faces.

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting photographer, Adeosun Olamide, in the way he captures the expressions of the faces.


Yea, he really captures my eye. an amateur photographer, and a good one.

----------


## tonywalt

gas station cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Night picture, I suppose. Love the color contrast.

----------


## tonywalt

> Night picture, I suppose. Love the color contrast.


Thanks. that is night, and pretty dark in this area (industrial park)

----------


## tonywalt

Phone off the hook cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man on boat in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> Phone off the hook cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Great! The whole island seems to be off the hook

----------


## tonywalt

> Great! The whole island seems to be off the hook


Well, uncertainty is always there.

----------


## tonywalt

office cayman islands minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

That´s very empty indeed, Tony. The representation of absence. Like the offices in Corona times. I liked it very much.

----------


## tonywalt

> That´s very empty indeed, Tony. The representation of absence. Like the offices in Corona times. I liked it very much.


Thanks.

----------


## tonywalt

Stay Happy. Stay Free and Question Everything

party people CAYMAN ISANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

office edward hopper by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cigarettes pool lighter minimal by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Nice combination of colors. What did you do to make the pool look so blue?

----------


## Danik 2016

Something I didn´t notice before: They all wear the same expression.You captured the joy but also a kind of defiance in it.

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice combination of colors. What did you do to make the pool look so blue?


colour filters on lightroom. i like david hockney and some of the blues in his painting.

----------


## tonywalt

.....................

----------


## tonywalt

sign in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

beach rothko cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

What happened to the sleeping guy, Tony?

----------


## tonywalt

> What happened to the sleeping guy, Tony?


Really was not happy with it, after I looked at it closely.

----------


## tonywalt

gas station in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

west bay cayman islands minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands pier by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl at smith barcadere cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Just beautiful!

----------


## tonywalt

plane windows grand cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Nice contrast! Don´t desert this page, Tony! You are the only one.

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice contrast! Don´t desert this page, Tony! You are the only one.


Ha! Thanks! I still don't know why people are not migrating back to forums from the hell that is Facebook, others. It's such a better quality flow of information on a forum. (if anyone is a member of a literature page or art page on facebook, oh, they would know).

----------


## Danik 2016

I agree with you. I am no friend of social nets, to many people there and not much contact. I remember that, when I was on Twitter, people enjoyed re-twitting such very original statements, as "Good morning", "Hello", Good night", "Thank you", etc...If you tried a longer sentence then that, it was met with much suspicion, no re-twitts then.

----------


## tonywalt

> I agree with you. I am no friend of social nets, to many people there and not much contact. I remember that, when I was on Twitter, people enjoyed re-twitting such very original statements, as "Good morning", "Hello", Good night", "Thank you", etc...If you tried a longer sentence then that, it was met with much suspicion, no re-twitts then.


Twitter seems to be the brighter of the dull gold. I do get some semi-conversations there, and have decent sharing with other photographers, artists. But what facebook, twitter, etc lack is coherent discussion. Facebook is so big that someone invariably posts clickbait things on a literature page, like "Does God hate puppies" - and awwwaaaaaay the conversation goes.

Eh, what can be done, perhaps our attention spans are shrinking, for real.

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Enchanting in this kind of mist. Ever collected the pics in a book? Internet is ephemeral.

----------


## tonywalt

> Enchanting in this kind of mist. Ever collected the pics in a book? Internet is ephemeral.


Physical books are a tough business, lucky to break even. That said, I might. I do print and sell many of these photographs. A print looks much better than digital, that is for sure.

----------


## Danik 2016

I know it is not easy, you need an experienced editor to make a good project of the book for you, there are the matters of costs, of publicity, you will want to sell the book.

----------


## tonywalt

beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## stlukesguild

Full Moon Through the Trees

----------


## tonywalt

nicely composed.

----------


## tonywalt

pool minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool corner final minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Minimalistic indeed, Tony, but interesting.Never saw such a grey pool!

----------


## Danik 2016

> Full Moon Through the Trees


Loved that, StLuke. Reminds me of the German romantic pictures.

----------


## tonywalt

pool minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> Minimalistic indeed, Tony, but interesting.Never saw such a grey pool!


Well, if you want reality - just look outside.

----------


## tonywalt

girl on pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on a sofa by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

GIRL ON beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Dog looking in fridge by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

LOL. Cute animal! He seems to have found something interesting in the Fridge.

Something has changed in the perspective of the pics. The distance to the object seems to be much shorter in your recent posts.

----------


## tonywalt

> LOL. Cute animal! He seems to have found something interesting in the Fridge.
> 
> Something has changed in the perspective of the pics. The distance to the object seems to be much shorter in your recent posts.


Yea. He is cute. I just happened to be shooting with a 50mm "portrait" lens, so it's closer stuff. Just coincidental, I think.

----------


## tonywalt

girl on tennis court by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

tiara beach hotel cayman brac abandoned by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

An impressive ruin, Tony! Good shot!

----------


## Buh4Bee

I remember your little corgi. What a cutie.

----------


## Buh4Bee

You present a complete picture every time between the composition of loneliness and vibrant color. Just like your poems. YOu suppose you have a heart of an artist!

----------


## tonywalt

> You present a complete picture every time between the composition of loneliness and vibrant color. Just like your poems. YOu suppose you have a heart of an artist!


I'll take "loneliness and vibrant colour" Cheers!

----------


## tonywalt

running on beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I like the frozen movements and the colours in the most recent pics.

----------


## tonywalt

> I like the frozen movements and the colours in the most recent pics.


Thanks. I love primary colours.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

A very decided Cayman boy. I liked the color of the sea. Those beaches look deserted but clean.

----------


## tonywalt

girl in pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

a Cayman Girl

----------


## Danik 2016

Now that´s more like Gauguin!Good contrast between the water and the vegetation with the girls head in front of it.

----------


## tonywalt

> Now that´s more like Gauguin!Good contrast between the water and the vegetation with the girls head in front of it.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

gas station cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

west virginia street photography - edward hopper by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved this different view from the islands with the Guitar player in the foreground.

----------


## Danik 2016

> west virginia street photography - edward hopper by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Quite hoppery yes, the desolate or absent look of the girl. Only the green of the grass is perhaps a bit to lively!

----------


## tonywalt

> Quite hoppery yes, the desolate or absent look of the girl. Only the green of the grass is perhaps a bit to lively!


Thanks. Influenced also by William Eggleston http://egglestonartfoundation.org - my favourite photographer

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands airport by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

There is some problem with the last link, Tony.
The colours in 4982 are beautiful, again it is like a painting.

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting pics. They look more like a collection of objects.

----------


## tonywalt

pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

> There is some problem with the last link, Tony.
> The colours in 4982 are beautiful, again it is like a painting.


Thanks! yea, really loving all kinds of blue lately.

----------


## Danik 2016

One notices that. Lovely studies of blue.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I like the (probably spontaneous) symmetry of man and woman. It is a sign of togetherness I think.

----------


## tonywalt

> I like the (probably spontaneous) symmetry of man and woman. It is a sign of togetherness I think.


Yes, true, true, people do mirror each other, if they are close - Even if one has just met the person, mirroring takes place.

----------


## tonywalt

grocery store liminal spaces by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Very clean and absolutely empty! Did you take that picture during the lockdown?

----------


## tonywalt

> Very clean and absolutely empty! Did you take that picture during the lockdown?


Took recently. thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

street photography miami by Tony Walton

----------


## tonywalt

train in new mexico by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl floating in pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Interesting, somewhat ghostly pic!

----------


## tonywalt

school bus cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Unusual view of a school bus! Interesting color contrast!

----------


## tonywalt

> Unusual view of a school bus! Interesting color contrast!


I love a bit of minimalism, and just yellow and blue makes my day.

----------


## tonywalt

minimalism by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I liked this solitary to me almost desolate minimalist landscape!

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands diner by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

STOP SIGN CAYMAN ISLANDS by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved this sign and the contrast with the Cayman landscape.What has to stop is left to the imagination of the reader.

----------


## Danik 2016

Diner looks confy, allbeit empty. I liked the different shades of blue and the unkempt vegetation.

----------


## tonywalt

> Diner looks confy, allbeit empty. I liked the different shades of blue and the unkempt vegetation.


ha, true Danik. Maybe destroying the beauty of nature can be stopped. Sometimes. Glad you 'get it' - that said, in today's world metaphors are a lost art.

----------


## tonywalt

payphone cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Two views.




Two things. by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Tony, I didn´t identify the object on the left.

----------


## Danik 2016

> payphone cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


This one doesn´t work anymore, but it looks somehow poetic in its abandonment. We still have some of these here. Nowadays the prostitutes use them to leave their phone number on it.

----------


## tonywalt

> Tony, I didn´t identify the object on the left.


Those are just some massive containers at the dock. Sort of commerce versus nature thing.  :Smile:  just something to shoot. a contrast

----------


## tonywalt

> This one doesn´t work anymore, but it looks somehow poetic in its abandonment. We still have some of these here. Nowadays the prostitutes use them to leave their phone number on it.


Ha, true. Brazil always had the coolest payphones, those orelhões - they were especially cool when i was a kid. I'd go out of my way to make a call from one. Interesting back story: Chu Ming Silveira (April 4, 1941 – June 18, 1997) was a Chinese Brazilian architect and designer, creator of the Orelhão telephone booth.

----------


## WolfLarsen

Brazil's payphones are the coolest LOOKING phones in the world. They're lovely to look at. Using them was a different experience entirely. But I will say this, public phones in the United States of America were even worse! At least I thought so.
But the design of the Brazilian public phones was great. You could talk on the phone and be in the shade, even a little bit protected from some light rain. Great idea! Great design! But, they didn't always work very good. And sometimes I took out my frustration on the public phones in Brazil and made them even worse. I used to have trouble with my temper back then. Then again, I did some pretty mean things to public phones in the USA as well. I'm sorry for blabbering so much. I miss Brazil. I miss Brazil with all my heart. I hate Brazil. I love Brazil.

----------


## Danik 2016

I wanted to paste two pics of "orelhões" here but those posting icons don´t appear any more.

----------


## tonywalt

Untitled by chu e kato, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

O tempo não para by Pablo Castro, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

payphone cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

https://www.google.com/search?client...+n%C3%A3o+para

----------


## tonywalt

windows in plane by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

It makes me want to travel by plane again. But as usual the plane looks deserted as if it was flying by itself without passengers or crew.

----------


## tonywalt

> It makes me want to travel by plane again. But as usual the plane looks deserted as if it was flying by itself without passengers or crew.


Great opening for a movie: opening scene, interior of plane, empty, hum of engine, camera moves through empty aisle, opens door to empty cabin. Then shot of man with a bag of money, unwrapping a parachute.

----------


## Danik 2016

Lol, yes!

"I was born at the age of 33 on the day Christ died; I was born at the 
Equinox, under the hydrangeas and the aeroplanes in the heat.
I had the soulful gaze of a pigeon, a tunnel, a sentimental motorcar. I 
heaved sighs like an acrobat.
My father was blind and his hands were more wonderful than the night.
I love the night, the hat of every day.
The night, the night of day, from one day to the next.
My mother spoke like the dawn, like blimps about to fall. Her hair was 
the color of a flag and her eyes were full of far-off ships.
One day, I gathered up my parachute and said: Between two swallows 
and a star. Here death is coming closer like the earth to a falling balloon.
My mother embroidered abandoned tears on the first rainbows.
And now my parachute drops from dream to dream through the spaces 
of death."

Vicente Huidobro-Altazor
https://www.pequeñodios.cl/wp-conten...LINGUE-web.pdf

----------


## tonywalt

girl alone on iphone by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I liked specially the picture of the girl contrasting with the background and this self assured bather :Biggrin: !

----------


## tonywalt

> I liked specially the picture of the girl contrasting with the background and this self assured bather!


Thanks Danik!

----------


## tonywalt

grape tree leaf (1 of 1) by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

True, true - funny how people come to this wall and ponder. But they do.

----------


## Danik 2016

A beautiful color combination, Tony! And every man is an island!

----------


## Danik 2016

> grape tree leaf (1 of 1) by Tony Walton, on Flickr


While your humans are static, this leaf seems so alive!

----------


## tonywalt

girl in east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> girl in east end cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Beautiful!

----------


## Danik 2016

> pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


You must love this way of Cayman into the wide world!

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands coconut by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Enjoyed the pictures, specially these palm leaves framing the picture!

----------


## tonywalt

> Enjoyed the pictures, specially these palm leaves framing the picture!


Thanks Danik

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Very delicate contrasts. Again, it looks more like a painting than a photo.

----------


## tonywalt

I love street photography. This lady bolted from her chair, and ran after me a millisecond after I took the shot. It was a great day.

jamaica by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Lol! I believe you. She has quite a decided look about her. Bet you didn´t get her consent so as not to spoil the picture!

----------


## tonywalt

pier in cayman islands edward hopper by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands traditional shop by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

I loved this house. What fore is this container at the side, Tony?

----------


## Danik 2016

> pier in cayman islands edward hopper by Tony Walton, on Flickr


I specially loved the colours of the sea!

----------


## tonywalt

> I loved this house. What fore is this container at the side, Tony?


That is a cistern for water. That one is 'modern' from the 70's - but they a typically concrete.

best, Tony

----------


## Buh4Bee

Hey Tony,

This looks like it could be from the northeast usa- the Adirondack chair.

B

----------


## tonywalt

cayman airways cockpit by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

mr arthurs cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Buh4Bee

> cayman islands coconut by Tony Walton, on Flickr


This is a nice classic picture.

----------


## Buh4Bee

> mr arthurs cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Color tones are beautiful in this one. Thanks for posting. Enjoy your photography.

----------


## tonywalt

> Color tones are beautiful in this one. Thanks for posting. Enjoy your photography.


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

watergate hotel 2021 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

Hell Cayman Islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pier 2021 by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> watergate hotel 2021 by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Is this a play, Tony? It looks more like a theater than a hotel and the people very hopperian!

----------


## Danik 2016

Nice pics, altogether!

----------


## tonywalt

> Is this a play, Tony? It looks more like a theater than a hotel and the people very hopperian!


Thanks, it's a random shot in the Watergate hotel bar of Washington DC. They were not actively participating, although the guy had clearly spotted me, shooting them.

(The watergate is a lovely hotel, i must say, and a great residential place too)

----------


## Danik 2016

I didn´t express myself well, Tony. I meant especially the room that looks like an auditorium or maybe a conference room.

----------


## tonywalt

> I didn´t express myself well, Tony. I meant especially the room that looks like an auditorium or maybe a conference room.


That's true. The bar is big, and is laid out like an airports, seating wise.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands abstract by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> That's true. The bar is big, and is laid out like an airports, seating wise.


I would never guess that this is a bar!

----------


## Danik 2016

Cayman has a very own atmosphere! Or, maybe it´s in your pictures!

----------


## tonywalt

> Cayman has a very own atmosphere! Or, maybe it´s in your pictures!


Seems lonely, the island - not me(of course).

----------


## tonywalt

train window by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

The small waves of the pool look like painted with aquarelle. How did you manage that, Tony?

A Happy New Year!

----------


## tonywalt

Happy New Year danik. The sun is dead above, and i'm doing this on long exposure with a smart phone. plus this is my nephew here, he stood still.

----------


## tonywalt

boat man in cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands overcast by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

couple on wall cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

pool ladder south sound cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

girl on chair by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

westin hotel cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

smith bacadere cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> smith bacadere cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


I like it´s somber air.

----------


## Danik 2016

> cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Again a silly question: What are these white round structures, Tony?

----------


## tonywalt

> Again a silly question: What are these white round structures, Tony?


Those are the dock posts to tie your boat rope to, when docking up to the pier. every dock in cayman is littered with them.

----------


## tonywalt

shopping cart 2022 jpg by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

sunday morning cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Great pics!
The shopping car looks as if it´s going to take a swim!

As for the desolate cup, here is a special song for it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtKS3jpXt6I

----------


## tonywalt

> Great pics!
> The shopping car looks as if it´s going to take a swim!
> 
> As for the desolate cup, here is a special song for it!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtKS3jpXt6I


Thanks! I love that cup (my "yellow mug") - got a blue and a red, but love them less.

----------


## tonywalt

Here is my dog Simon the Corgi, on the stairs. He hates posing. Treats involved. 

corgi cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIII!He looks so tenderly! Would you mind posting the picture on WLF too?

----------


## tonywalt

seven mile beach, grand cayman early in the morning. i over expose the shot, sun is behind me, really low.

beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

corgi dog cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

man pier cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Great photo tonywalt.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

----------


## Danik 2016

> cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr


A moment of grave cuteness!

----------


## tonywalt

kids on pier fishing final jpg by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

A great shot !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

----------


## Danik 2016

Nice picture! Are they family? I ask you because you usually avoid showing the faces of the persons you photograph.

----------


## tonywalt

> Nice picture! Are they family? I ask you because you usually avoid showing the faces of the persons you photograph.


hi there, it's not, just some kids on a pier

----------


## tonywalt

seven mile beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

:Frown:  I can't access for some reason https://www.flickr.com/photo.gne?short=2nckDyN

: Page Not Found
Oops! Looks like you followed a bad link.

If you think this is a problem with Flickr, please tell us.

Here's a link to the home page.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

----------


## Danik 2016

Same with me, Tony.

----------


## tonywalt

seven mile beach 3 april 3 2022 fina jpg by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Beautiful... worth waiting for  :Smile: 

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

----------


## Danik 2016

> seven mile beach 3 april 3 2022 fina jpg by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Loved this combination of colors! How can a beach still be that white!

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Blue delineated by blue;
the ripples are mesmerizing... 
no surf to speak of ? 
A cloudy day, too. 
A yellow skirt... 

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

----------


## tonywalt

> Blue delineated by blue;
> the ripples are mesmerizing... 
> no surf to speak of ? 
> A cloudy day, too. 
> A yellow skirt... 
> 
> Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
> tailor STATELY


Thanks, shot in a lagoon, not much surf. there's a reef in the distance

----------


## tonywalt

model in white sheets nude by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

> Thanks, shot in a lagoon, not much surf. there's a reef in the distance


I hadn't thought of a lagoon... cool !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

----------


## tailor STATELY

> model in white sheets nude by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Interesting composition... the hand splays out like a flower... the lower right gathering of the sheet as well.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

----------


## tonywalt

> Interesting composition... the hand splays out like a flower... the lower right gathering of the sheet as well.
> 
> Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
> tailor


Thanks. Thanks.

----------


## tonywalt

ball pool final jpg by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Page Not Found
Oops! Looks like you followed a bad link.

If you think this is a problem with Flickr, please tell us.

Here's a link to the home page.

----------


## tonywalt

light in hotel room richmond virginia by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

The water polo ball in the water is quite a statement: the placid water in contrast to the raging conflict therein. 

The composition of shimmery light and dove gray shade in the next makes it appear as if an apparition resides.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

----------


## tonywalt

> The water polo ball in the water is quite a statement: the placid water in contrast to the raging conflict therein. 
> 
> The composition of shimmery light and dove gray shade in the next makes it appear as if an apparition resides.
> 
> Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
> tailor


Thanks Tailor, that's what I was going for.  :Smile:

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

> light in hotel room richmond virginia by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Loved this! I t´s as if an light entity was about to present itself.

----------


## Danik 2016

> light in hotel room richmond virginia by Tony Walton, on Flickr


Loved this! I t´s as if an light entity was about to present itself. Read Taylors comment after having made mine.

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Beautiful delineation  :Smile: 

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

----------


## Danik 2016

Delicate color study!

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tailor STATELY

Beautiful  :Smile: 

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

----------


## tonywalt

> Beautiful 
> 
> Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
> tailor


Thanks!

----------


## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Impressive, Tony! Looks like a gigantic blue field traversed by two roads.

----------


## tonywalt

> Impressive, Tony! Looks like a gigantic blue field traversed by two roads.


Thanks. Strangely, the powers that be thought putting an artificial runway carpet onto the beach would be a good idea. Who knows.

----------


## tonywalt

lovers wall cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

They must be crazy, Tony! Charming wall, charming picture!

----------


## tonywalt

lovers wall cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

a mayan in guatemala by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

mayan woman guatemala by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## tonywalt

fisherman in guatemala by Tony Walton, on Flickr

----------


## Danik 2016

Loved these pictures Tony, specially the first one. In the second pic the woman seems to be protecting her face. Against the shot?

----------


## tonywalt

> Loved these pictures Tony, specially the first one. In the second pic the woman seems to be protecting her face. Against the shot?


Thanks. The second pic was taken from my car window. She may have been guarding from the shot, or the cold weather hard to say at this point. I am back in Cayman.

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## tonywalt

Xela Guatemala, 2 Mayans eating by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tailor STATELY

Very colorful.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

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## tailor STATELY

duplicate

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## Danik 2016

Enjoyed the expressions, Tony!

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## tonywalt

corgi in the cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Lo!!Simon looks rather resigned: "Click, again!"

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## tonywalt

window in dominica by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tonywalt

balcony in dominica island by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tailor STATELY

Very nice  :Smile: 

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
McGonagall, er, tailor

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## Danik 2016

Enjoyed the pics. Wonderful sky colors.

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## tonywalt

> Enjoyed the pics. Wonderful sky colors.


Thanks!

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## tonywalt

san diego by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tailor STATELY

Cool photo  :Smile:  The perspective is quite disorientating.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

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## Danik 2016

Enjoyed the picture very much. Your travels were inspiring, tony.

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## tonywalt

captains bakery cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

I like the contrast of the iluminated empty bakery and the darkness outside.

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## tonywalt

> I like the contrast of the iluminated empty bakery and the darkness outside.


Thanks Danik. i really like edward hopper, so he's always an influence (also, william eggleston, the photographer)

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## Danik 2016

Will look this last one up!

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## tonywalt

watergate hotel couple by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tonywalt

man with umbrella street photography by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Liked this picture very much, Tony, picturing the walk against the colorful background, with the usual Hopper touch.

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## tonywalt

girl on bar cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tonywalt

pool in cayman by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Missed your pictures, Tony! Enjoyed specially the color study with _The Stone Matress_

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## tonywalt

> Missed your pictures, Tony! Enjoyed specially the color study with _The Stone Matress_


Thanks. I thought i would document my day by the pool with pink glasses, pink towel and a margaret atwood book..........

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## tonywalt

san diego by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Interesting monument!

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## tonywalt

seven mile beach cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Looks good, shades of blue contrasting with the rainy landscape here!

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## tonywalt

cayman islands seven mile beach by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tonywalt

A very old and traditional local shop in the Cayman Islands

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tailor STATELY

Beautiful view  :Smile: 

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

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## Danik 2016

Enjoyed specially the combination of the colorful shelves and the glass door which makes the landscape look like a painting.

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## tonywalt

Thanks Danik and Tailor

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## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Thanks for all your beautiful pictures and poems, Tony. Happy New Year!

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## tonywalt

Thanks Danik! Happy New Year all

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## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## tonywalt

cayman islands by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Enjoyed, Tony! An auspicious year for Cayman Islands too!

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## tonywalt

> Enjoyed, Tony! An auspicious year for Cayman Islands too!


Auspicious? What happened?

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## Danik 2016

Just wishing a Happy New Year, Tony!

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## tonywalt

> Just wishing a Happy New Year, Tony!


Happy New Year Danik!

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## tonywalt

cayman islands in edward hopper style by Tony Walton, on Flickr

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## Danik 2016

Yes. It looks more like a painting than a photograph .

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## tailor STATELY

Enjoyed  :Smile:  I like EH's paintings  :Smile:  From wikipedia: "Hopper created subdued drama out of commonplace subjects 'layered with a poetic meaning', inviting narrative interpretations."... cool !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

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