We saw an echidna, maybe two, at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane when we visited Australia. The Sanctuary is a very great place. Taking the cruise up the Brisbane River to the Sanctuary was totally cool.
Ponce de Leons, Fountain of Youth, St Augustine, FL. 1513 AD. (the photo was taken yesterday by me and I'm not from 1513)
This is mostly legend as there is no proof or written record by de Leon ever finding this fountain. The irony of it is that the Taino Indians told him of such a fountain and of course he tried to kill off all the Indians and ended up being killed by them.
I just wish I could catch one! But, I am like Kavika's friend Can't Catch Fish.
The only one I ever caught was when I was 6 y/o, and it slapped me across the face as I brought it up with my cane pole, and it passed over my shoulder and fell off and back into the water behind me.
I was fishing with my Paternal Grandparents who were avid fishers. I barely got a good look at the fish before it slapped me, busting my lip and leaving a sore, red place on my cheek before it got away. My Grandfather tried to grab the fish before it fell off the hook into the water, and if Grandfather had been able to grab it I would indeed have eaten that fish with relish. And would have slapped it silly before Grandmother fried it for me.
And you are right, I think Can't Catch Fish is Kavika's Cousin. Kavika hasn't mentioned him in a while so I forgot the relationship. Thanks for the correction.
Don’t know if this is happening to anyone else, but I’m trying to connect from my laptop, I get a security alert that my connection is not private. Have tried to clear it but no success.
You may have picked up some kind of crapware that is showing that to you. They will likely want you download some kind of worse crapware to make your laptop more secure.
Do you have Windows on your laptop? If so, try doing a System Restore back to before you got that message. Preferably 5 days before at least. That should cancel out whatever it is that is affecting your system. The System Restore will not mess with any of your data files.
In case you art not sure....
Click on the Globe in the left corner of your desktop page.
Click on Accessories
You will see the System Restore in the list there, and click on it.
Once you open the System Restore you will see as list of recent Restore points. You can also click on the 'see more restore points', or something like that, and you will see more restore points to choose from.
Click on the one you want and just follow the instructions. The restore will take care of itself.
Just follow the steps once it is finished. That should take care of the issue if it is indeed a crapware.
The photo was taken yesterday at a historical preserve in St. Augustine, FL.
It's a female peacock with four chicks and three are pure white which is rare and caused by a recessive gene. They are considered by those in the know to be spectacular and to see three in one family is beyond extremely rare. We did see a full-grown one but he was playing peek-a-boo with us in the trees and undergrowth and I couldn't get a photo of him.
Totally adorable chicks. I have never seen white peacocks before. Truly amazing! That looks like a teenager along with the group. I wonder what a male white peacock's feather array would look like. That would be interesting. Or perhaps only the white ones are female.
Thanks for the info, Kavika. Is there no colors in the 'eye' of the tail feathers? It would be really beautiful if there was. The bright blue against the white fathers. And a real shame if there wasn't any colors at all.
It is not just in California. Breeding pairs of peacocks were sold as investments for $1,000 a pair to greedy next generation investors who then overbred them to the point they are now worthless. They are expensive to keep, make huge messes and make lots of ugly noises. Today peacocks are being "released" into suburban neighborhoods everywhere. Peacock breeding was basically a pyramid scheme that has now gone bust...
Interesting image. I don't think I've ever seen that one before. I always thought that Norval Morrisseau's paintings would make great stained windows because how he uses black outlines around images. You did some black outlines as well.
This is a new one that I just created, Buzz. I hate to admit it, but, I don't think I've ever seen any of his paintings. I'll have to look some up, they sound very interesting.
Here is an example of Morrisseau's artistry. He was of the Woodland Artist school. Both he and others of that school were my clients and I possessed quite a few of their works, that I left with my ex-wife when I moved to China.
As Morrisseau was a client, I know that his agent's wife wanted to start a business of creating stained glass windows from his designs, but it never got off the ground.
I'm going to move away from my usual type of artwork just a bit to show a different kind of artwork.
This is a Squash Blossom necklace and earrings I made out of safety pins, with Heishi and silver beads. It took me 3 weeks to make the necklace and earrings, and 3 weeks afterwards to heal my hands from all the pin pricks.
I made others using various colored beads and gave them to my lady friends and family. They, like this one, are one of a kind.
It was a new idea for me. The safety pins were small, and it was very time consuming to get the different beads on them so that the pins would close. It was a very tedious and time consuming project. But, I was recouping from a broken foot so I had to find something to keep me busy. Once started it was an on-going project even after I healed.
Great that you have added another "creative" element to the discussion and Group. Jewelry seems to straddle the categories of FINE, DECORATIVE and FUNCTIONAL ART all at once.
Thank you, Mac. I was not sure how well it might be received, and I am very glad that you and others like it. It is the only one of the many that I created that I managed to hang on to.
I am not sure at all if I would have the patience to make them at this point in my life. And I doubt that my hands would survive as well. (grin)
I did. After what seemed like weeks of dreary and rainy weather the weekend was sunny and warm and being able to take a walk was a joy. Now that image is fascinating. Is it a new one?
We're going to get the effects of the bomb cyclone tomorrow, and we had a 3.6 earthquake here this morning. Torrential rain, flooding, damaging winds, and snow in the mountains. But, we do really need the rain.
No, this is not new. This is one that I created last year. It is of a Mayan temple, and a soldier standing guard at the entry to the temple.
They did say an atmospheric river is headed our way. I'll believe it when the rain actually starts falling. Too often, we have a forecast of rain, but instead, the wind blows the storm north.
Morning Raven...sounds like time to batten down the hatches and keep your head down...you can have your earthquakes...NZ had a good shake just the other day as well...
Thanks G. Glad that you like it. Whatever it is called, I really hope we get some of it. I live in the Inland Empire area and as you say, they can predict rain in the So Cal area, but, that does not always mean we will get any. Or at least enough to do any good.
Hi shona.....shakers are not unusual here in So Cal, and we get them fairly often. They tend to help release the tension in the plates that helps prevent stronger earthquakes. So for me, I'm glad to have them. They just remind us here in So Cal that we are always up for them at any time.
But, I'll take the shakers once in a while rather than the several yearly hurricanes and tornadoes that endlessly result in severe property damage and potential loss of life.
Anoon Raven..Yes I Have friends in NZ and they constantly shake, rattle and roll frequently...They keep saying Los Angeles and San Fran the "big one" is meant to hit...
Much prefer our disasters, bush fires, cyclones and floods..at least we can see them coming...
And away we go!
Beautiful panoramic, Mac. Always one of my favorite formats.
Happy to provide a favorite, Perrie
Very nice pics, so landscapes ho!
That's a fascinating panorama view of the mountains and forests, Mac. Really great editing as well.
Very well done!
Scene from Japan
Absolutely lovely!
Thank you, Perrie. The photo is from Kyoto, a beautiful, amazing place.
Wow, truly breathtaking.
Thanks!
You have an eye for beautiful scenes.
Thank you
That's a real beauty, G. Really exquisite scenery as well.
Thanks, Raven Wing.
.
A/noon...Extremely rare to see four echidnas together...Mum, dad and two kids...Just taken the other day out the road by my sister in law...
A stroke of good luck to get such good photos of such an unusual subject.
Yes she was extremely excited as she is from Ukraine...even I have never seen four together...one or two but first time with four...
We saw an echidna, maybe two, at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane when we visited Australia. The Sanctuary is a very great place. Taking the cruise up the Brisbane River to the Sanctuary was totally cool.
Way cool
Great catch photo-wise, shona. I have never seen one of these in the wild, much a family of them.
Very nice start! Variety, quality, nice people.
Clematis flower..Spring has sprung..
The rose is called Peace..If only....
Very uplifting in these dreary rainy days to see a couple of beautiful flowers.
Not been to flash here either. No sun rather misty and a bit of a breeze...about 18oC... not quite beach weather yet...🐳🐳
Lets make it landscapes today. Here are ones I've photographed over the years and in different locations in China.
1. At the reservoir, just before the mountains, about a 20 minute walk from where we live now in Chongqing.
2. Zijingshan Park, in downtown Zhengzhou, Henan Province.
3. View from Mount Emei (a/k/a Emeishan), Sichuan Province. Clouds are below us. As Joni Mitchell sings, I've seen clouds from both sides now.
4. At a park in Chongqing
5. At a park in Chengdu, Sichuan Province
6. Another view from Mount Emei
7. A view of the mountains near where we live in Chongqing
8. I took this photo through the window of a train while travelling from Nanning in Guanxi Region to Zhengzhou.
9. This was taken at Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Zen Kung Fu in Henan Province.
.
Interesting photos.
Fascinating all, Buzz. Thank you for sharing.
Ponce de Leons, Fountain of Youth, St Augustine, FL. 1513 AD. (the photo was taken yesterday by me and I'm not from 1513)
This is mostly legend as there is no proof or written record by de Leon ever finding this fountain. The irony of it is that the Taino Indians told him of such a fountain and of course he tried to kill off all the Indians and ended up being killed by them.
A worthwhile short read on the subject.
Can you send me a bottle of water from that fountain?
That is really interesting.
A very interesting fountain, and a great read. Thank you for sharing it with us.
And here I thought we were going to talk fishing.
I'm going to...here's my monster I caught last week...18 inches and 2.5 lbs
Was it as delicious as it looks?
Mr. Giggles made me release it
Am I the only person on NT who believes in 'catch and eat' rather than 'catch and release'?
LOL!
We had enough for our fish fry so we didn't need it.
I just wish I could catch one! But, I am like Kavika's friend Can't Catch Fish.
The only one I ever caught was when I was 6 y/o, and it slapped me across the face as I brought it up with my cane pole, and it passed over my shoulder and fell off and back into the water behind me.
So fish have no fear of me catching them.
LOL. But had it not escaped, would you have eaten it if your mother fried it? I think Can't Catch Fish is Kavika's cousin.
I was fishing with my Paternal Grandparents who were avid fishers. I barely got a good look at the fish before it slapped me, busting my lip and leaving a sore, red place on my cheek before it got away. My Grandfather tried to grab the fish before it fell off the hook into the water, and if Grandfather had been able to grab it I would indeed have eaten that fish with relish. And would have slapped it silly before Grandmother fried it for me.
And you are right, I think Can't Catch Fish is Kavika's Cousin. Kavika hasn't mentioned him in a while so I forgot the relationship. Thanks for the correction.
Thanks for my first laugh out loud of the morning.
You are most welcome. My pleasure.
5 frame panorama of Grassy Point, Duluth, MN - Sunrise April 18th 2015
Lovely sunset. Great photo EG.
I cannot connect to the article through my laptop as there appears to be a security issue, so, I am connecting with my phone as long as it lets me.
Don’t know if this is happening to anyone else, but I’m trying to connect from my laptop, I get a security alert that my connection is not private. Have tried to clear it but no success.
You may have picked up some kind of crapware that is showing that to you. They will likely want you download some kind of worse crapware to make your laptop more secure.
Do you have Windows on your laptop? If so, try doing a System Restore back to before you got that message. Preferably 5 days before at least. That should cancel out whatever it is that is affecting your system. The System Restore will not mess with any of your data files.
In case you art not sure....
Click on the Globe in the left corner of your desktop page.
Click on Accessories
You will see the System Restore in the list there, and click on it.
Once you open the System Restore you will see as list of recent Restore points. You can also click on the 'see more restore points', or something like that, and you will see more restore points to choose from.
Click on the one you want and just follow the instructions. The restore will take care of itself.
Just follow the steps once it is finished. That should take care of the issue if it is indeed a crapware.
Hope this helps.
I'm in using a different browser; let's hope it's "problem solved".
Great idea. Hope it works. And you can remove the above System Restore steps if you wish.
The photo was taken yesterday at a historical preserve in St. Augustine, FL.
It's a female peacock with four chicks and three are pure white which is rare and caused by a recessive gene. They are considered by those in the know to be spectacular and to see three in one family is beyond extremely rare. We did see a full-grown one but he was playing peek-a-boo with us in the trees and undergrowth and I couldn't get a photo of him.
I'll provide a substitute for you - saw this painting in an ancient village in Sichuan Province.
Excellent, Buzz.
That's a real beauty, Buzz.
Totally adorable chicks. I have never seen white peacocks before. Truly amazing! That looks like a teenager along with the group. I wonder what a male white peacock's feather array would look like. That would be interesting. Or perhaps only the white ones are female.
The white male peacock feathers are pure white as well.
Thanks for the info, Kavika. Is there no colors in the 'eye' of the tail feathers? It would be really beautiful if there was. The bright blue against the white fathers. And a real shame if there wasn't any colors at all.
They are all white, no color at all in the feathers.
That's cool. Believe it or not, we are having a peacock problem in some parts of Southern California.
If there are just too many, then instead of banning feeding them, maybe they should start feeding people. Has anyone tried roast peacock?
If cranberry sauce is great with turkey, what do you suggest be the sides for peacock?
It is not just in California. Breeding pairs of peacocks were sold as investments for $1,000 a pair to greedy next generation investors who then overbred them to the point they are now worthless. They are expensive to keep, make huge messes and make lots of ugly noises. Today peacocks are being "released" into suburban neighborhoods everywhere. Peacock breeding was basically a pyramid scheme that has now gone bust...
Peacocks are in the pheasant family of fowl...
It appears that in California peacocks are turning out to be the foul fowls of the pheasant family.
Running late today, but, here is my Friday contribution.....with Mac's prior thoughts regarding a stained glass effect.
Awesome.
Thank you, G.
Interesting image. I don't think I've ever seen that one before. I always thought that Norval Morrisseau's paintings would make great stained windows because how he uses black outlines around images. You did some black outlines as well.
This is a new one that I just created, Buzz. I hate to admit it, but, I don't think I've ever seen any of his paintings. I'll have to look some up, they sound very interesting.
Here is an example of Morrisseau's artistry. He was of the Woodland Artist school. Both he and others of that school were my clients and I possessed quite a few of their works, that I left with my ex-wife when I moved to China.
As Morrisseau was a client, I know that his agent's wife wanted to start a business of creating stained glass windows from his designs, but it never got off the ground.
A very interesting artwork/painting. Thank you for sharing it.
Happy Saturday everyone....
One of my favorites.
Thank you Kavika. I'm really glad you like it.
A bit scary, with Inuit influence, absolutely PERFECTLY framed.
Thank you, Buzz. Glad you like it.
I remember that one from before. It is a very powerful image.
I can see the images in the article when viewing on my phone as I am now, but not on my laptop; be home tomorrow on my iMac & catch up.
So very sorry you are having trouble with you laptop. Glad you will be home tomorrow so you can catch up and really enjoy the artwork.
Sunset at Stone Creek, fountain and reflections.
Nobody can outdo you, the Sunset King.
Thanks, Buzz.
Ooh WoW!! That is beyond beautiful, Kavika. It looks almost like a fantasy! The contrast between the red red sky and the bright white of the fountain.
Just awesome!
Spectacular! Great image.
Thanks, RW.
Happy Sunday...and here we go...
A flaming image, and the broad frame in that case is not distracting, and does complement the image.
Thanks Buzz. I'm glad you like it.
I'm going to move away from my usual type of artwork just a bit to show a different kind of artwork.
This is a Squash Blossom necklace and earrings I made out of safety pins, with Heishi and silver beads. It took me 3 weeks to make the necklace and earrings, and 3 weeks afterwards to heal my hands from all the pin pricks.
I made others using various colored beads and gave them to my lady friends and family. They, like this one, are one of a kind.
Very lovely - takes me back to my "weekend hippie" days back in the 1960s when I would sit and string those tiny beads into necklaces myself.
It was a new idea for me. The safety pins were small, and it was very time consuming to get the different beads on them so that the pins would close. It was a very tedious and time consuming project. But, I was recouping from a broken foot so I had to find something to keep me busy. Once started it was an on-going project even after I healed.
Great that you have added another "creative" element to the discussion and Group. Jewelry seems to straddle the categories of FINE, DECORATIVE and FUNCTIONAL ART all at once.
Thank you, Mac. I was not sure how well it might be received, and I am very glad that you and others like it. It is the only one of the many that I created that I managed to hang on to.
I am not sure at all if I would have the patience to make them at this point in my life. And I doubt that my hands would survive as well. (grin)
Back home on my iMAC
© A. Mac/A.G.
Beautiful Fall scenery, and all the better when reflected on the serene water below.
Ah, to just sit there and meditate....
Hope everyone's had a good weekend.....
I did. After what seemed like weeks of dreary and rainy weather the weekend was sunny and warm and being able to take a walk was a joy. Now that image is fascinating. Is it a new one?
We're going to get the effects of the bomb cyclone tomorrow, and we had a 3.6 earthquake here this morning. Torrential rain, flooding, damaging winds, and snow in the mountains. But, we do really need the rain.
No, this is not new. This is one that I created last year. It is of a Mayan temple, and a soldier standing guard at the entry to the temple.
Very glad you like it.
They did say an atmospheric river is headed our way. I'll believe it when the rain actually starts falling. Too often, we have a forecast of rain, but instead, the wind blows the storm north.
Very interesting image.
Morning Raven...sounds like time to batten down the hatches and keep your head down...you can have your earthquakes...NZ had a good shake just the other day as well...
Thanks G. Glad that you like it. Whatever it is called, I really hope we get some of it. I live in the Inland Empire area and as you say, they can predict rain in the So Cal area, but, that does not always mean we will get any. Or at least enough to do any good.
Hi shona.....shakers are not unusual here in So Cal, and we get them fairly often. They tend to help release the tension in the plates that helps prevent stronger earthquakes. So for me, I'm glad to have them. They just remind us here in So Cal that we are always up for them at any time.
But, I'll take the shakers once in a while rather than the several yearly hurricanes and tornadoes that endlessly result in severe property damage and potential loss of life.
Anoon Raven..Yes I Have friends in NZ and they constantly shake, rattle and roll frequently...They keep saying Los Angeles and San Fran the "big one" is meant to hit...
Much prefer our disasters, bush fires, cyclones and floods..at least we can see them coming...
A lot of very nice pictures, thanks for sharing
It's almost that time again.
© A. Mac/A.G.
I'll be closing this week's article down around noon tomorrow. Thanks for another successful weekend of creativity.