On The Road

Where: The Emerald Coast of Florida
My bride forgot the big camera when she brought the pups down for the
nightly illegal dog sunset fest so this was the best I could get. I’ll be
shooting pix of the rise and set for a while so I should get some gooduns.

 

Bonus sunset:

 

Next up, from Mnemosyne:

Where it was taken: Disney California Adventure, Anaheim
When: 4/16/17
Other notes or info about the picture: So everyone can see how huge the
wildflower bloom is here in Southern California, these are some wild
poppies that sprang up among the grapevines inside Disney California
Adventure.

Yes, the theme park has its own mini vineyard and, yes, they do make wine from the grapes. Obviously, it’s a collectors’ item.

 

Next up, some pictures fromPaulB:

Where it was taken: Red Square in Moscow
When: February, 2014
Other notes or info about the picture: Early Sunday morning in a cold February (hence the scarcity of other people).

 

Thank you so much, and now even more from Paul:

Where it was taken: Alaska, from a cruise ship
When: September, 2015
Other notes or info about the picture: A miniature iceberg that calved off
of a glacier.

 

Where it was taken: Seaside, Oregon
When: September, 2016
Other notes or info about the picture: Sunset on the beach.

 

Where it was taken: Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British-Columbia
When: Summer, 2016
Other notes or info about the picture: http://www.butchartgardens.com/

 

Thanks Paul – I know you’ve submitted more and I’ll run them next week!

 

There’s a boatload for the rest of the week, everyone, so do check back. Hopefully we’ll even have some pictures of Raven’s fish!

First up, from Mike Ryan:

On April 12th we visited Maui’s Ho’okipa Beach, famed as one of the best windsurfing locations.  The big surf and high winds were being utilized by scores of wave riders.  It was fun to watch the surfers launch their boards into the waves.

 

 

Please, let me know in the comments what you think of the slider and I’ll experiment so more.

 

Next up, from Carol Ryan (must be related, given the name and location!)

Where it was taken: Maui
When: March 31,2017
Other notes or info about the picture: This was taken at the top of the tallest peak of Haleakalā (“house of the sun”), at 10,023 feet.

The plant is a silversword, only found at the summit, very rare. There is a high altitude observatory at the top, the first astronomical research observatory in Hawaii. I also included two pictures of Homer’s Grove (an experimental forestation project) in the fog, which was on the way to the summit.

Sorry for the mixed up text-to-pics order.

 

 

I realize that there’s one duplicate from a previous day but it’s part of the set!

 

And to wrap up the week, from JRinWV:

Swans at Yorktown, VA
These were swimming when we drove by visiting Williamsburg and Yorktown with friends not too long ago. Really lucky, shot from the car, sunshine right, everything perfect right out the window. I was just as glad to not get out of the car, Swans are notoriously aggressive and can to a lot of damage in no time. Taken with Panasonic Lumix FZ200 F2.8 24-600mm lens in 2013.

 

 

 

 

Have a glorious day everyone!

 

First up, from Mike Ryan:

On April 12th we visited Maui’s Ho’okipa Beach, famed as one of the best windsurfing locations.  The big surf and high winds were being utilized by scores of wave riders.  It was fun to watch the surfers launch their boards into the waves.

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This is the new slider for images – what do you think? I’m posting the originals below for comparison.

 

 

Please, let me know in the comments what you think of the slider and I’ll experiment so more.

 

Next up, from Carol Ryan (must be related, given the name and location!)

Where it was taken: Maui
When: March 31,2017
Other notes or info about the picture: This was taken at the top of the tallest peak of Haleakalā (“house of the sun”), at 10,023 feet.

The plant is a silversword, only found at the summit, very rare. There is a high altitude observatory at the top, the first astronomical research observatory in Hawaii. I also included two pictures of Homer’s Grove (an experimental forestation project) in the fog, which was on the way to the summit.

Sorry for the mixed up text-to-pics order.

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I realize that there’s one duplicate from a previous day but it’s part of the set!

 

And to wrap up the week, from JRinWV:

Swans at Yorktown, VA
These were swimming when we drove by visiting Williamsburg and Yorktown with friends not too long ago. Really lucky, shot from the car, sunshine right, everything perfect right out the window. I was just as glad to not get out of the car, Swans are notoriously aggressive and can to a lot of damage in no time. Taken with Panasonic Lumix FZ200 F2.8 24-600mm lens in 2013.

Note- this is the accordion slider  – what do you think?

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Have a glorious day and weekend, everyone!

 

For those that celebrate, happy(?) 4/20!

For the rest, have a great day!

 

For all, here’s a treasure, courtesy of hedgehog the occasional commenter:

Where it was taken: Amica’s Pizza, Salida, Colorado
When:  April 9, 2017
Other notes or info about the picture:   An informal meetup of (left to right)  Miss Bianca, evinfuilt and me.  Amica’s has excellent wood-fired pizza and excellent sangria.   evinfuilt and I were in Salida for an SCA event and we were able to meet up with Miss Bianca.  We had a grand time!

If I were still living in the area, I’d have been there. I love Salida and there’s a good chance I’ll be moving there, Buena Vista, or somewhere nearabouts.

 

Next up, from BillinGlendaleCA:

Where it was taken: Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA
When: April 10, 2017
Other notes or info about the picture: Night view of Downtown Los Angeles.

Where it was taken: Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA
When: April 10, 2017
Other notes or info about the picture: Panoramic night view of Los Angeles, with Mt. Washington at the left and Palos Verdes peninsula at the right.

 

Where it was taken: Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA
When: April 10, 2017
Other notes or info about the picture: The Hollywood Sign with the San Fernando Valley at the left.

As always, thank you and do send more!

 

Last up for Thursday, from RLChina:

 

Where it was taken: Yongshou China
When:  April 2 2017
Other notes or info about the picture:   20,000 karst hills adorn the river valley…Scootered all day to take in the breath-taking scenery

 

Have a great day all, and travel safely! I’ll get the slider widget working for tomorrow’s post.

 

A bit late – blame the host! – some beautiful submissions from Schlemazel:

Where they were taken: Belle Isle, Michigan
When: Sunday 2-APR-17
Other notes or info about the pictures:
In Michigan for the World Womens Ice Hockey Championship.  USA women are proving they are worth every nickle the squeezed out of the misogynist tightwads at USAH! Beat Canada 3-2 in OT to win the World Championship.

Sunday was a rest day so we took a drive down to Belle Isle in Detroit. The park is lovely but it was too early for flowers, looks like they planted a field of daffodils but they were just budding.  We visited the aquarium which really is a Victorian setting, I wish I could have gotten a decent pictures of the inside but a combination of lighting and crowd made most not worth sharing.

I didn’t notice a lot of name plates so I can’t tell you individual flowers, sorry. But on a cold & rainy day these were a real day brightener

 

First up, the Belle Isle Orchids:

 

Belle Isle Orchids

 

Next, the Belle Isle Amaryllis:

 

Belle Isle Ameryllis

 

And finally:

the main room of the conservatory & the aquarium (which has a very Victorian feel to it):

 

Belle Isle

 

Thank you so much, and sorry for the delay in putting these up! Hopefully their glory is reflected even more around you as Spring is finally taking hold all over (or Fall and its charms, for those antipodals among you).

Oh, and folks, what do you think of the more gallery approach as opposed to all of the pictures in one post sequentially like I normally do? Do let me know as I can do the same type of gallery for the emailed-in pictures if you prefer.

 

Have a wonderful day, all.

A few pics of one of the more visited sights in Mallorca, the Catedral de Santa María de Palma de Mallorca. Begun in 1229 by Jaume I (King James I of Aragon) it was not finished until 1601. Repairs began in 1602 and continue to this day. From Wikipedia:

*”Built by the Crown of Aragon on the site of a Moorish-era mosque, the cathedral is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and its nave is 44 metres tall. By way of comparison, the height of the central nave reaches 33m in Notre Dame de Paris , 38m in Reims, 42m in Notre-Dame d’Amiens and 48m in Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, the highest of all Gothic cathedrals.”*

I’ve seen all of those in France, but never made it to Spain or any Mediterranean islands.

The 1st pic is of the front of the Cathedral, and the 2nd is a close up of
the same doors showing a little bit of the mastery of the stone carvers
that I have found throughout my wanderings about this fabled isle.

The 3rd pic is of the nave, where resides the main altar, as well as the
Rose Window and a…. candelabra? whose purpose I am unsure of. (take note
of the X-mas tree laying on the floor awaiting…. erection)

Just…wow! Such a great photograph in a challenging environment!

The 4th pic is of one of the many crypts in the floor of the cathedral.
There were many crypts in the cathedral, both above and below the floor. A
number of the ones in the floor bore the “skull and crossbones”. Due to the
eras this church was built, I theorize that it is because they were plague
victims, but for all I know it is actually indicative of a curse being put
upon the inhabitant or those who might disturb the bones of those there
interred.

The 5th pic is of a “relic”, the ulna of a martyr or a saint. I do not
remember who it was (nor do I care, the Church has a Saint/martyr for every
season and every reason, usually more than one) and obviously enough, to
Catholics at least, the words “Rest in Peace” mean nothing. To me it means
Catholics are really weird. But as a failed Catholic, I already knew that.

Neat! I’ve only seen dark, semi-coagulated phials of ancient blood.

The last 2, are of the Cathedral from the far side of the man made lake
underneath the old sea wall, one in day light, and one from during my
previously mentioned 3 am stroll around the bay. The first is by far the
better picture, but the 2nd…. there is something about the lighting that
captures my imagination. I see things.

Thank you OzarkHillbilly, and do send more. I’m sorry it took so long to get to these magnificent pictures! Folks, he went through over 700 shots to amass this great contribution!

As always, we welcome your pictures, and have a wonderful day, whether you’re travelling the world or just your front yard!

More great stuff from Le Comte de Monte Crist fka Edmund Dantes:

This was a nice little snorkel trip and rest stop at a place accessible only by boat, as I remember.

My camera battery kept crapping out (didn’t do it anywhere else on the trip, just in the catacombs). Once the Paris cemeteries filled up, all the older bodies were exhumed and the bones lined up underground in a macabre setting. I took several lousy dark photos without flash (camera lighting is prohibited in order to preserve the bones), but with the battery issues the camera shut down on me. The first time it happened, I didn’t think to check the settings on restore, and it defaulted to flash. This is my single illegal photo, one which actually shows the walls as they are.

 

When: April 2010
Where: St Sulpice

This is the plaque marking the Rose Line (the old Prime Meridian) in This classic Paris church. This was featured in the DaVinci Code.

Funny story – I got to see the gypsy shift change here. My wife and her sister had gone to meet their aunt and her husband at the Pompidou for lunch and to arrange a dinner time family get-together (they lived in Igny at the time, and have sense moved to Strasbourg).  Me, the brother in law and kids were supposed to catch up with them at St Sulpice and got the schedule botched. Our first try at the church it was 2 pm, we saw a woman begging with an English lettered beggar sign, and she had a child that was filthy, two or three years old that you would not want anywhere close to your pockets (I watched the kid scrabbling at tourist pockets).  Anyway, shortly before 3 pm, we came back. At a couple of minutes before three, we are standing outside. Up comes a hound gypsy woman with a hand lettered beggar sign in English. First gypsy girl leaves and the second one takes her place. Kid does a double shift.

Too damned funny.

 

When – August 2012
Where: Key West

This was on the Western Union, a cable layer which no longer sails. I was on a guy’s diving trip.
Evenings aboard her were magical. They’d serve food and drinks and play sea chantys.
That evening, while stars were in the sky, we saw a thunderstorm about 10 nm away.

 

When – October 2009 (I think)
Where- Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
This was a Natural Habitat trip. It was kind of a beast to get to – it was as far to Churchill as it is from home to Venezuela.  It isn’t quite to the Arctic Circle, but it is on the Churchill River/Hudson Bay confluence just south of the boundary to Nunavut.
In Churchill prior to the ice forming on Hudsons Bay, the polar bears get super hungry. They come into town to scavenge.  When that happens, they tranquilize them and helicopter them about 50 miles away. There was a mother and child this time dangling under the helo.

 

Much more tomorrow and later this week. Have a good one, travel safely, and do send in pictures from your adventures and the sights you see. We all grow from that sharing.