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Month: August 2022
Travel Tuesday: reflecting former importance
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Monochrome Monday 9-16
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together!
More of my images can be seen on my own blog.
together!
Throwback Thursday: A day at the sea
12 years ago, my wife spent a week with our youngest at the north sea. Thanks to a very proposing weather forecast, I came up with the idea, to surprise them by making a day trip to visit them. So, I told the other two kids to prepare some breakfast suitable to be eaten on the road and get up that early to be able to be on the road at 6 a.m. What a surprise, when we arrived at noon. At that time, the motorway ended early and the remaining nearly 100 km had to be covered on regular country roads. Nowadays the highway reaches much closer to the coast and shortens the distance to only a little more than 3 hours.
After having dinner together, we headed back home and arrived at about 1:30 a.m. What a day!
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Wordless Wednesday: A hated one, with many names
Araneus diadematus is commonly called the European garden spider, diadem spider, orangie, cross spider, and crowned orb weaver (Gartenkreuzspinne) with her prey.
it is a beneficial insect harmless to humans.
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Travel Tuesday: reflecting former importance
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Monochrome Monday 9-15
Europe is currently suffering from a big drought. For weeks, we didn’t get enough rain. It’s the fourth drought during summer in a row. Last week, the official meter of the river Rhine, one of the big streams of Europe, in Emmerich near the border to the Netherlands reported, that the meter sunk under zero! That’s possible because level zero was declared at some time in the past and never before did the river has a lower level. Shipping is still possible but the ships are half-empty and have to sail at very low speeds. The middle of the river is deepened to being a road for the ships.
Saturday morning, I went to our state capital Düsseldorf. At this location, the river usually should be about 400m broad. You see, I’m standing in the riverbed and the river is missing about 7-8 meters of water here according to my GPS measuring at the current water level and at the regular water level visible on the ground.
You see the clouds in the sky. During the night from Friday to Saturday, some rain fronts passed in from the Atlantic Ocean. For a few hours, we got some rain for the first time in the last weeks (months). When I got up, most of the front already passed and only some drizzling remained.
In Bavaria and Austria, they got more rain than the soil could cover. Some landslides are the result and cause severe problems. I assume, most of the water will go to the river Danube and not to the Rhine 😦 But, a few kilometers east of us, they also got flood-rains. Train tracks are damaged by the masses of water. The railway company announced the repairs would also least last about 24 hours. On the pro side, we can say, that water will help fill the rivers around and the Rhine.
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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 213: “Here comes the sun”
It’s time for LAPC, the Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge, hosted by Amy, this week. She came up with the topic “Here comes the sun”.
Although this topic cries for sunrises, I have a sunset put in my selection. After a few days of heavy storms, the sun was able to calm the storm and warm our faces again. That tiny window between heavy clouds and the rough sea was the proposal for the next days. Summer came back!
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us: click here, where you can also find some more information.
A new challenge prompt is posted each Saturday at noon EST.
As always, please link to Anne’s post either as a comment or as a pingback and use the Lens-Artists tag.
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Happy World Photography Day!
Our wonderful model Mara-Jade is presenting the lasted camera model – now available! The origin of World Photography Day can be traced back to the …
Happy World Photography Day!
Throwback Thursday: Street Art Festival (pt. 2)
As proposed last week, I’m continuing with a few images taken in the schoolyard, which we stumbled upon accidentally.
I’m glad, we followed the sign leading us in the narrow street. Fortunately, the painting from the first image in the gallery below was visible from the place where we found the sign. So we went for having at least a brief look. At the end of the street, we found the schoolyard. Full of people (painters and their company), a DJ, lifting platforms, compressors, and a lot of ladders were here. The artists were working on their paintings or talk shopping. Some of them were already done while others even have not yet started.
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Wordless Wednesday: Cladonia fimbriata or the trumpet cup lichen
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Travel Tuesday: Drive on the left
When leaving the parking ground of castle Eilean Donan, I spotted this sign on the opposite road shoulder. Apparently, a number of accidents must have happened here with tourists from the continent, who forgot to be in Scotland where people drive on the “wrong” side of the road. So, they are reminded in (top to down) English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch to use the left lane for driving and not causing an accident.
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Monochrome Monday 9-14
I found this on the trunk of a rotten tree here in a local forest. Moss, lichen, and fungi get nutrition from the remains. The tiny funnels are Cladonia fimbriata or the trumpet cup lichen, less than 2 cm ‘big’.
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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 212: “Motion”
It’s time for LAPC, the Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge, hosted by Patti, this week. She got a fantastic idea and asks for photos featuring “Motion”.
While considering some common examples and refusing to follow those ideas, I ended up in more invisible examples of motions.
- Listen to the wind
2. Listen to the waves
3. Listen to the surf
4. Listen to the snow falling down
5. Listen to the foliage
5. Listen to the rain
6. listen to the normal surf 
7. Listen to the spring, the creek, and the river
8. Listen to the time
9. Listen to the fun
10. Listen to Feng-Shui?
Motion means change. Change of speed, location, direction, power, and lots more. Everything flows and you can’t keep it except the memories.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us: click here, where you can also find some more information.
A new challenge prompt is posted each Saturday at noon EST.
As always, please link to Anne’s post either as a comment or as a pingback and use the Lens-Artists tag.
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feathers
More of my images can be seen on my own blog.
feathers
Throwback Thursday: Street Art Festival
Last Saturday, we finally met again: monthly photographers roundtable. After nearly one year without a common trip. The past 2,5 years were hard and now it has to become routine again. But, I won’t complain. Despite the overall situation, I was out quite often. And, to be honest, there were a few meetings without a camera, simply for having a talk or celebrating a birthday. But, I missed the regular common photography trips. They are often challenging because you have to leave your comfort zone and face unknown places as well as unknown photography topics. So, this time street photography and art photography from a nature and wildlife photographers perspective. Once started, you have to find your flow first and work on the perspective. Consider, what you want to show. Are you keen enough to photograph strangers? And don’t forget the legal regulation!
Although only 3 of us met in Geldern, a small town near the Dutch border. Each year (with interruptions – sic) on the last weekend of the state’s summer holiday they organize a Street Art festival. This year it was held for the 42nd time. I got notice last year from our newspaper but wasn’t aware of being a regular festival. Unfortunately, it was canceled on very short notice. So, I was very happy one of the other photographers had it on her list and was planning to go (even alone). So, my destination was also found and we would either have a meeting of 2 in Geldern and another one elsewhere with the others. but, it came out that only 4 of us were available that day because of vacations and one had to cancel with short notice. So, there were three of us in Geldern.
All of the painters created their pieces of art with colored chalk. In between, some street musicians presented their skills; fortunately, only very few booths offered drinks or food. I was quite surprised to see so many female artists painting. I guess, 80% of the painters were female as well as many of the solo musicians.
The festival starts on Saturday morning and lasts until Sunday noon. So, the species of art are not supposed to be ready on Saturday evening and you can view them creating their paintings. It’s really fascinating.
The only downside was, that some musicians were too close to each other while playing, although there was plenty of room. So, their music overlapped and it was not nice listening to that noise carpet.
On our way back to the cars, we discovered another interesting site by following a sign in the streets: a schoolyard was decorated by talented graffiti artists. But, I leave that for next week.
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Wordless Wednesday: hated but protected
Wasps are under nature protection, although humans usually hate them.
During summer, they invite themselves to our barbeques because they need meat to feed their larvae. In late summer and fall, they invite themselves to our coffee tables to get a porting of sweet cake, ice cream, or fruits. Although the larvae need meat, the adults feed themselves from pollens, honey, and overripe fruits. Thus, our cakes and especially plum cakes fit perfectly in their nutrition ☹️ and we have them around us each day with nice weather.
On hot days, they also come over to ponds, poodles, and bird baths to fetch some water for their larvae. These are leaves of water lilies in a pond. When there is a bit of water on such a leaf, they use it. If not, they have to stand on a leaf and drink directly from the pond’s water.
Soon, their breeding season is over. Then, the adults (all females) are unoccupied and roam around to find some sweet food and the humans are annoyed again.
Because of their importance to nature, they are protected. In case, you find a nest, you have to leave it alone. There are very high fines when a wasp nest is destroyed. In case, the nest is endangering humans, they can order a beekeeper to relocate the nest carefully.
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Travel Tuesday: Picture postcard from Scotland
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Monochrome Monday 9-13
When I passed these trees, I knew they would look great in monochrome. And they do!
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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 211: “What’s Your Groove?”
Anne will be our host next week, Saturday, August 6. Her intriguing theme will be What’s Your Groove.
For me, it’s to be filled with wonder about the marvelous nature. Getting out with my camera (sometimes quite early) and enjoying the nature. Each season has its beauty. Each place has some nature to discover.
Those years when my camera was on baby pause, it was hardly missed. Seeing nature’s glory and not being able to capture and transform it into a memory.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us: click here, where you can also find some more information.
A new challenge prompt is posted each Saturday at noon EST.
As always, please link to Anne’s post either as a comment or as a pingback and use the Lens-Artists tag.
Take care!
in between
More of my images can be seen on my own blog.
in between
Throwback Thursday: last year in Namibia
I met this handsome predator a few times. They prowl alone through the land, always looking for prey.
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Wordless Wednesday: great eagle owl
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Travel Tuesday: seen from above
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