Outback Sunrise #1

Outback Sunrise #1

Image taken in Autumn/March from a Hot Air Balloon 300 feet high in the Central “Red Center” Australian Outback Alice Springs, Northern Territory. The water vapor from the trees is the mist highlighted in the sun’s rays. Temperature later in the day was 114 Fahrenheit.

Three Mallards #1

Three Mallards #1

Close up of the three Mallards - Autumn on the Otakaro (Avon) River at the Mona Vale Garden Park, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Mount Saint Helens 2017

Mount Saint Helens 2017

Mount Saint Helens is a horseshoe shaped crater partially filled by a young lava dome is what remains of the once conical Mount St. Helens or Louwala-Clough. It is an active stratovolcano that erupted in 1980 located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is 96 miles south of Seattle, Washington, and 50 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who made a survey of the area in the late 18th century.

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Trondheimsfjord

Trondheimsfjord

Trondheimsfjorden, pronounced [ˈtrɔnhæjmsˈfjuːrən]), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third longest fjord at 130 kilometres (81 mi) long. It is located in the west central part of the country, and it stretches from Ørland in west to Steinkjer in north, passing the city of Trondheim on its way. Its maximum depth is 617 metres (2,024 ft), just inside of Agdenes. It was an important waterway in the Viking Age, as it is still today. Four giant squids have been found in the fjord, which is among the highest concentrations in the world.[2]. Åsenfjord, inner reaches of Trondheimsfjord near Stjørdal is where the largest German Battleship - Tirpitz -was moored during parts of WW2.

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Oia Wind Mill

Oia Wind Mill

Village of Oia, Santorini, in the Cyclades Island Group, Greece. This is a crescent shaped Island that is the volcanic caldera that was left from a very large volcanic island that erupted in 1450 BC. Oia sits 550 feet on top of the crest that remains. It is believed to be a candidate for the lost city of Atlantis and the resulting tsunami devastated Minoan Crete. It is noted for it’s brilliant blue domed churches with white walls perched on the top of the 550 foot cliffs. Donkey’s or walking are the local mode of transportation. The island can only be reached by ship.

 

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The Drink

The Drink

This lion statue is part of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) designed 1651 by Gian Bernini for Pope Innocent X. Located in the Piazza Navona Rome.

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Sumela Manastiri on Mt. Mela

Sumela Manastiri on Mt. Mela

On the cliffs of Mt. Mela over looking the Altindere valley the 4th century  Sumela Greek Monastery 34 miles SE outside of Trabzon, Turkey in Altindere National Park.

 

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Morning Fog

Morning Fog

Uva Mira Winery on the slopes of the majestic Helderberg Mountains located in the Stellenbosch region of the Western Cape, South Africa  had a award winning 2006 Chardonnay.

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The Kill #1

The Kill #1

Cape Buffalo vs Pride of 20 lions near the Mombo Camp,Okavango Delta - Botswana.

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La Habana Vieja

La Habana Vieja

Restored portion of Old Havana Cuba circa late 1700's buildings.

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Harpy Eagle

Harpy Eagle

Harpia  harpyja - Harpy Eagle Panama's National Bird. "Cheyenne" is in captivity at EL Parque Summit, Panama. www.summitpanama.org. It is a Neotropical species of eagle that inhabits the tropical lowland rainforests in the upper canopy layer. It ranges from Mexico to Brazil and northern Argentina but it is now rare. It is a threatened species. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found in the Americas and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world.

 

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Sweet Nectar - Infant White Faced Monkey

Sweet Nectar - Infant White Faced Monkey

St. Edwards North Door Stow

St. Edwards North Door Stow

 

The shallow north porch of St. Edwards Church, a medieval-built Church of England parish church, serving Stow-on-the-Wold ('Stow'), Gloucestershire, is from the 17th century masks a 13th-century molding on the north door, which is framed by yew trees. The trees are estimated to be 300 years old. It is suggested that JRR Tolkien who frequently stayed in Stow used the North Door as the bases for his visualization for the “Doors of Durin or the Westgate of Moria to Middle Earth” in his book the “The Fellowship of the Ring”. You decide if it makes sense or not.
The door was replaced in 1923 as a memorial for George Edward Hookham who died at age 31. The information about this person appears above the door on the inside. It is as follows:

"To the glory of God. These doors presented by Mark Hookham are in memory of his son George Edward Hookham late Capt. Royal Gloucester. Hussars, who died 6th of April 1923, Aged 31 years, having served in the Great War in Palestine and Egypt."

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Western United States

Western United States

View from the Glacier National Park Lodge of Glacier Lake astride the Continental Divide in Montana's Northern Rockies mountain chain of the Western United States.

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Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge as seen through the trees inside the Tower of London ramparts. It (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London to connect the City of London directly to the northern landfall in Tower Hamlets. It has become an iconic symbol of London. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-blue color.

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Stonehenge #1

Stonehenge #1

Stonehenge is on the Salisbury Plain in the county of Wiltshire, near Amesbury, England.  It is a UNESCO’s World Heritage site of a circular pattern of mysterious collection of ancient stones, arranged into a man-made structure believed to be approximately 5000 years old. It currently consists of a circular bank of earthworks where concentric rings of standing stones majestically rise from the Plain. The standing stones (sarsens) consist of massive blocks up to nine (9) metres tall weighing around 25 tons, set vertically into the earth. Sitting horizontally across the sarsens are ‘blue stones’ (due to their colour when wet or cut) weighing up to four (4) tons. These blue stones are cut and crafted, and then dovetail joined together. Researchers agree that the blue stones originated from Wales, 250klm away. Though there are differing theories as to how they came to be in Wiltshire.

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Winter Harbor Lighthouse

Winter Harbor Lighthouse

Nod to Frances H. Burnett

Nod to Frances H. Burnett

Renaissance Faire Fairies: Autumn Fairy #1

Renaissance Faire Fairies: Autumn Fairy #1

Autumn Fairy’s fall colors camouflage her to blend with the tree leaves. Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Diminutive fairies of one kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human child. Wings, while common in Victorian and later artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore; even very small fairies flew with magic. Their camouflage green clothing and underground homes were credited to their need to hide and camouflage themselves from hostile humans, and their use of magic a necessary skill for combating those with superior weaponry.

More photos of Renaissance Faire Fairies in Explorations

Blue-Footed Booby & Chick #2

Blue-Footed Booby & Chick #2

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

250 mm lens from 952 feet above Macchu Picchu at the Sun Gate at Sun rise. Machu Picchu is located 120 km northwest of Cusco; at 2,430 meters it is hidden from the world in dense jungle covered mountains above the Sacred Valley - Urubamba Valley. This 'Lost City' is the most beautiful and impressive ancient Inca ruins in the world. Bingham was not the first to discover it. In 1901 the Cusco explorers Enrique Palma, Gabino Sanchez and Agustín Lizarraga are said to have arrived at the site.

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Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

Treatise American Goldfinch

Treatise American Goldfinch

White Birch Copse at Twilight #1

White Birch Copse at Twilight #1

The tall stately mirific copse of white birch trunks stand as sentinels in the blue twilight hues as the fall foliage of Peninsula State Park is enveloped in the darkness of the night. The bark of the stately white birch trees rising to the canopy appears to have eyes. The ancient lore, says the birch tree “eyes” served as guides along arduous mountain journeys so that travelers would be seen safely home.

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