17th century, Istrian stone, Italian The Italian fountain was purchased by Henry Huntington in 1915. It was shipped from New York in 48 boxes that filled an entire railway car. Oddly enough, the fountain arrived without assembly instructions and with a few extra pieces. It eventually was installed in the garden of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
The Pink Velour Crape Myrtle is a type of Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle tree. The flower colouring changes with the season. In the summer its blooms are a bright Hot Pink changing to a burgundy in the fall.
One can find the Lagerstroemia all across the Southern Atlantic States. Similar to the southern Magnolia, the crape Myrtle has come to symbolize the American South due to its extensive planting and ability to thrive in hot, humid summer climates with regular precipitation. It has brilliant color in late summer and autumn unlike other trees/shrubs which have already exhausted their blooms.
The Horned Puffins are similar in appearance to the Atlantic Puffins and its closest relative of the North Atlantic. It differs, however, by a “horn” of black skin located above the eye, present in adult birds.
The Horned Puffin is an auk found in the North Pacific Ocean, including the coasts of Alaska, Siberia, and British Columbia. [The puffin in the first picture was taken off the coast of Alaska by my cousin during their bucket list vacation.] It is a pelagic seabird that feeds primarily by diving for fish. It nests in colonies, often with other auks.
The height of the adult puffin is approximately 20 cm (8 in), the weight is approximately 500 g (18 oz), and the wingspan is approximately 58 cm (23 in). Horned Puffins are monomorphic; in other words both the male and female exhibits the same plumage coloration.
Sexually mature puffins have a small fleshy black “horn” extending upwards from the eye, from which the animal derives its common name; the horned puffin. The Horned Puffin’s bill is red at the tip and yellow at the base. It is also larger than those of other puffin species. The puffin’s bill has fluorescent properties which it uses to attract a partner. Puffins can see ultraviolet rays, allowing them to spot luminescence on the bills of other puffins during the courtship display.
Horned puffins live among steep rocky slopes and cliffs. They prefer rock crevices or shelters under piles of rock for home and shelter which differs from other puffins that dig burrows for their shelters.
To achieve flight, horned puffins either jump off a cliff to gain momentum, or races across the water to reaching the speed required for takeoff. They fly compactly and quickly, 10 to 30 meters (33 to 98 ft)above sea level. The wing beats are constant, rapid and regular.
When the puffins are on land they walk upright gripping rock surfaces with its claws, and climbs cliffs with ease. They do spend half of their time on water, paddling along the surface with their feet. They are extremely agile underwater. Their powerful wings serve as oars and their webbed feet work as a rudder. Their plumage, like most seabirds, are waterproof. This feature allows them to dive and prevents heat loss.
The Horned Puffins feed on a diet of fish, small invertebrates, crustaceans, polychaete worms and squid. They are also known to feed on small algae and marine plants.
Landslides occur whenever they choose to happen even in the most unlikely of circumstances or in areas you least expect. This one happened on a portion of my cousin’s property. Better be careful where you walk. Never know what Mother Nature will decide to do next.
Along my cousin’s property after all the rain from Tropical Storms.
In the Summer of 1985 my parents went Road Trippin’ across the United States of America. They began their Road Trip leaving from their home in San Diego, California. They always planned what or whom they wanted to visit ahead of time.
On the road again, their next planned stop was in Washington D.C. after a side visit to my brother near Manassas, Virginia. My parents toured many of the historical sites and monuments around the area. Some of the sites were seen via a tour bus while others were seen via self-guided walking tour routes. They toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Building, the National Museum of American History, The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, The Smithsonian Castle, Capitol Hill and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue. What would be your interests if you toured Washington D.C. or your country’s Capitol?
Here you may see some of the Roads, Routes, or Pathways they took on their tour of D.C.:
The last photo isn’t exactly a pathway unless you consider going round and round on a merry-go-round one you’d also enjoy taking on occasion.,
This is my Eighth installment of my combination of Thursday Doors & Monday Window featuring Antique Automobiles. For the past seven weeks I’ve been posting Antique Automobiles from California. This week I will begin posting Antique Automobiles from Washington D. C. and then moving on to Dearborn, Michigan.
Today’s featured Antique Automobile comes from the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C..
Willys MB
U.S. military vehicle of WW II
“Jeep”
714 ORD-2 USA 717-S
The Willys MB was formally called the U.S. Army truck, 1/4-ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance. It was commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep. The Willys Jeeps were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles.
There were greater than 600,000 Willy MB built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the Allied forces in World War II, from 1941 until 1945. It was highly regarded, by Dwight D. Eisenhower, as one of the five pieces of equipment most vital to success in Africa and Europe. In 1991, the MB Jeep was designated an “International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark” by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
After World War II, the original Jeep continued to serve in the Korean War as well as other conflicts until updates were done with the M38 Willys MC in 1949and later the M38A1 Willys MD in 1952.
Interestingly enough, the Willys Jeep was the inspiration for recreational 4WDs and SUVs, making “four-wheel drive” a household term, and numerous incarnations of military light utility vehicles.
National Museum of American History Washington D.C.
Location: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; San Marino, California
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Huntington with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fantastic week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Good Day y’all! For this week’s challenge I dug into my archives to see what Lime or Lemon colours I could find to fit the theme. Hope y’all enjoy the selections I found.
To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in myNumbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
Here are my 156 & variation contributions for this week of Judy’s Numbers Game #35-156 (Hope the numbers right—I got in a hurry, sorry).
Coleman Warlick YMCANorth Carolina Transportation Museum Alona & Linus Carowinds Labyrinth Abilene, TexasLarry D. Waters my brother Coleman Miracle ParkHorse Anne Springs Close Greenway Coleman & his train setKristie Wilson Coleman’s cousin Lake Haigler Anne Springs Close Greenway
The Apotheosis of Washington is located in the eye of the U.S. Capital Building’s Rotunda in Washington D.C.. It was painted by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. The painting depicts George Washington rising to the heavens in glory, flanked by female figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame and surrounded by six groups of figures.
The Apotheosis of Washington was painted in the true fresco technique. Constantino Brumidi was born and trained in Rome; having already painted in the Vatican and Roman palaces prior to emigrating to the United States in 1852. He was a master of creating the illusion of three-dimensional forms and figures on flat walls. He painted frescoes and murals throughout the Capitol from 1855 until his death.
The Apotheosis of Washington, was painted in eleven (11) months at the end of the civil war. A rainbow arches at George Washington’s feet and thirteen maidens symbolizing the original states flank the three central figures.
George Washington, The United States of America’s first president, had a substantial impact on the nation. He never actually graced the halls of the United States Capital, however, his presence, influence, and his likeness is everywhere. There are approximately thirty-five (35) pieces of art which include Washington’s likeness in the U.S. Capitol.
Where one decides to Pull Up a Seat is as individual and unique as you are. For a unique experience why not select a horse of your choosing to Pull Up a Seat, let’s ride. Giddy Up Horsey!
These horses and their riders all apart of an equestrian exhibition at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in May of 1978. They were captured on 35 mm film by my dad as my parents were delighted with watching the show.
Clare from Clare’s Cosmos is asking all of us once again to share our desktops. All you need to do is share the photo (not your actual desktop) you have set as your wallpaper. Provide whatever information you desire about the photo. Use a pingback, or post a link to her blog hereso she knows you’ve joined in on the fun. Then, enjoy sharing the fun around.
Come on along and join the fun. Share one or more, it doesn’t matter whether the photos are from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or your smartphone wallpaper(s).
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s desktop photos. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome to “The Numbers Game #34”.Today’s number is 155. To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in myNumbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
Glencairn Gardens is ideal for a Spring stroll through the gardens of blooming azaleas, pansies, wisteria, and periwinkle. When visiting the Gardens be sure to meander through the Veterans Garden which pays tribute to Veterans of all branches of service. Also, during Spring, you be able to enjoy the blossoms of Viburnum, Pink and white Dogwoods, Redbuds, peonies, magnolia trees, and flowering Yoshino and Kwanzan cherry trees.
There is beauty to be seen no matter when one decides to visit Glencairn Gardens. Summertime brings on the colourful bright blooms of crape myrtles, daylilies and hundreds of other annuals.
The trails through the Gardens pass by several fountains, ponds, as well as the vast variety of flowering plants and trees. we enjoy strolling pass the Fountains, especially when they are flowing during the springtime. We always stop by the Veterans Garden when we go visit and remember our family members who have served in our Armed Forces.
Glencairn Gardens began in 1928 as a backyard garden by David and Hazel Bigger who lived in the h9use that serves as the park’s welcome center. It was the inspiration for Rock Hill’s annual Come-See-Me Festival which is a festival celebrating music, frogs, and fun. The Bigger’s gifted this Gardens to the City of Rock Hill through a deed in 1958. The peak blooming season is from the end of March to the middle of April. The Veterans Garden was created with the partnership with The American Legion Post 34 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2889. It h9onors women and men from the past, present, and future who served in the United States armed forces.
This is my Seventh installment of my combination of Thursday Doors & Monday Window featuring Antique Automobiles. This is the final one from this batch of antique automobiles from California. Next week I will begin posting Antique Automobiles from Washington D. C. and then moving on to Dearborn, Michigan.
1913 Rolls Royce
Town Carriage
6 Cylinders
California
After doing a bunch of research, I think the antiques I’ve posted thus far were captured by my dad when they toured The Nethercutt Collection located in Sylmar, California. The Collection houses what it calls “functional fine art.” It contains a collection of pristine vintage automobiles and unique antique mechanical music instruments.
The Brown Thrasher’s name stems from its unique feeding behavior of foraging on the ground for its food. It usually forages amongst leaf litter and other thick ground cover. It quickly sweeps or thrashes its long bill in a side-to-side motion thrashing through leaf litter and other ground cover to uncover food. Its distinctive feeding strategy of thrashing for its food is shared with western relatives like the Bendire’s Thrasher.
Brown Thrasher Aka Toxostoma rufum
The Brown Thrasher can be seen in abundance throughout the Eastern and Central United States. Interesting enough, the Brown Thrasher is the only thrasher which lives primarily east of the Rockies and central Texas. It is the state bird of Georgia. The photos of these Brown Thrashers were taken in Lancaster County, in the Piedmont region of South Carolina.
Brown Thrasher “Mimic Thrush”
It is known as the “Mimic Thrush”, however, it is out mimicked by the Northern Mockingbird. It only repeats one or two phrases unlike the mockingbird which repeats three or more. Its sound is more mellow and musical in quality.
Brown Thrasher range map by ABC
Springtime is the best time of the year if you desire to spot a Brown Thrasher. After they pair off, they tend to become more elusive, staying hidden underneath thick cover. They are monogamous during breeding season and both males and females incubate the eggs ( around 3-5) and feed the nestlings. Even so, the females still do the majority of the incubation.
The Brown Thrasher typically feeds heavily on insects during the breeding season and on fruits, berries, and seeds during other times of the year.
This was one of the many stops on my parents cross country vacation during the summer of 1985. They visited The Smithsonian Institution Building on their Washington D. C. Tour.
The Smithsonian Institution Building is Aka Smithsonian Castle, The Castle
The Castle was the first Smithsonian Building. It was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. and built between 1847 and 1855 to house the Smithsonian Institution, which was established by Congress in 1846. It was designed in the Norman Revival style, which combines late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs. It is made up of Seneca red sandstone from the Seneca Quarry in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Close Up of Joseph Henry Statue
The Joseph Henry Statue is located at the entrance of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or “Castle.” Joseph Henry was the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1846 to 1878. The bronze statue of him was commissioned in 1880 and installed in 1883. At its installation it faced the Smithsonian Building (The Castle.) In 1965, the bronze statue was turned to face the National Mall.
Continuing our adventures from long ago at California’s Great America; we come to segment #5 of the series with TheLobster; won’t you Pull Up a Seat and ride with us.
At Marriott’s Great America in Santa Clara, California; The Lobster was located in the Yankee Harbor section of the amusement park. The ride in Santa Clara opened for the public in 1976. This Lobster was an Eyerly Aircraft Monster ride.
This Lobster has six (6) arms with the end of each arm having four (4) passenger cars. The Lobster in Santa Clara ride had to lower two arms at a time to allow for the unloading and loading of eight passenger cars simultaneously. This was repeated two additional times per cycle to complete the unloading and loading for all six (6) arms.
This outing was so long ago I do not remember if I rode this ride or not, but then again my dad did take the shot.
You can no longer ride this particular Lobster ride since the Santa Clara location of Great America closed, however, you may ride a similar one at the Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing with us your time and thoughts. Remember you may click on each image for enhanced visibility. I appreciate y’all very much.
I’m hoping to have some sunny sunshine anyways. We’ve been having a tremendous amount of rain and wind from the outskirts of Hurricane Debby/Tropical Storm Debby ( now Tropical Depression Debby). At least I can dream of sunshine even if we do not get it for several days yet.
Dawn from The Day Afteris this week’s host for Monochrome Madness with her chosen theme of Shadows and Silhouettes . I decided to display my shadows in two different monochrome aspects to see which aspect the shadows are represented better.
These photos were all taken at Hume Lake Christian Camps located in Hume, California. They were taken by my dad using his Minolta XG-7 35 mm camera. For enlarged viewing click on each image.
Locations: Hume Lake Christian Camps; Hume, Fresno County, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Sequoias with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much. Have a wonderful day.
Click on each photo for enlarged viewing of images. These were taken at Hume Lake Christian Campgrounds in Hume, California by my dad back in 1979 with his Minolta XG-7 35 mm camera. Fun and relaxing times can be had at Hume Lake.,
To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in Judy’s Numbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
I’m using a Word in place of the number 154 this week. My Word I’m choosing to use is Julian.
Visiting Beautiful Julian
From where I used to live in San Diego; we would drive east on I-8 towards the mountains for a day of exploring, hiking, and a stop for Apple pie Julian Pie Shop before returning home. The first half ( more or less) are from our day trip back in 1978. The rest of the photos are from a virtual trip I took with a friend of mine from San Diego this past weekend.
Julian is a popular destination in the beautiful Cuyamaca mountains. It is approximately 0ne (1) hour and six (6) to fourteen (14) minutes away from the Allied Gardens Neighborhood in San Diego. The route we took takes us through the backcountry and into the Cuyamaca mountains past Cuyamaca State Park and Stonewall Peak (both wonderful places for hiking.)
When visiting Julian it is like stepping back in time to the days of Julian’s beginning rooted in the 1870’s gold rush. You can see where gold was discovered plus several historical buildings which date back to the 1870’s. When you go hiking in the area, you won’t want to miss stopping by Lake Cuyamaca for relaxation and great photo opportunities of the amazingly beautiful scenery. If you’re inclined to go out on the lake the area does have boat rentals or you might decide to fish along the bank.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting Julian with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a great rest of your week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park (now known as San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Epiphyllum Epiphyllum Trail San Diego Wild Animal Park
This Epiphyllum was captured by my dad while walking along the Epiphyllum Trail at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (Now recognized as San Diego Zoo Safari Park).
The Epiphyllum Trail is located between Walkabout Australia and Condor Ridge at the Wild Animal Park. The Trail is a beautiful tribute to these orchid cactuses. The Epiphyllums bloom in April and May to an unforgettable glorious burgeoning of brilliant tropical jewel-toned blossoms.
Brian from Bushboy.blog asks us to post our last photo on our SD card or phone on the last day of the month. No editing. Explanations not necessary. Create a Pingback or leave a link in comments to Brian’s blog. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard. Your last photo doesn’t have to be on the very last day of the month if you didn’t take any photos on that day. Maybe it was earlier in the month when the last photo was taken.
From My iPhone:
Coleman in his new Grave Digger shirt
From my Canon EOS Rebel T3i:
Patterson Pond Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
From My Dad’s Slides taken with his Minolta XG-7 35 mm Via My Wolverine Digital Converter:
San Diego Wild Animal Park San Diego, California, USA
The House Sparrow is a common to abundant resident throughout the Carolinas. These birds can be found nesting almost everywhere people live. They are often strongly associated with man-made habitats. They are found in the Piedmont region year-round in good numbers with counts sometimes as high as 300 in a single day.
Passer domesticus Seen at Martha Rivers Park Gastonia, North Carolina was
The House Sparrow is a small bird with a typical length of merely 16 centimeters (6.3 inches). Females and young birds are colored pale brown and grey. The males have brighter black, white, and brown markings.
The House Sparrow feed on almost any type of seed or grain, and also enjoy eating insects. Even though insects are considered highly nutritional being rich in protein calcium, and low in carbohydrates; I think I will pass.
South Carolina Ornithologists consider the House Sparrow to be noisy, quarrelsome, and aggressive. I have not noticed them being aggressive. I have seen them flighty and a little noisy, but then I like hearing the variety of sounds from different birds.
The House Sparrow, having originally been native to Eurasia, has adapted to and thrived within man-made environments throughout the world for hundreds of years.
The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest building in San Francisco from its completion in 1972 until 2018 when the new construction of the Salesforce Tower which surpassed its height.
The Transamerica Pyramid is a pyramid shaped 48-story modernist skyscraper in San Francisco, California. The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two “wings” to accommodate an elevator shaft on the east and a stairwell and a smoke tower on the west. The building’s top 212 feet is the spire. At the top of the spire are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions thereby forming the “Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck.”
It is located between Clay and Washington Streets in the city’s Financial District. It once housed the headquarters for the Transamerica Corporation. Even though the Transamerica Corporation moved its U.S. headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland; the building is still associated with the company by its depiction on the company’s logo.
This week’s Monochrome Madness theme was selected & hosted by Sarah from Travel with Me; she has selected Trees as the theme for this week.
Trees are almost everywhere we go regardless of whether we are in the city, the country, near the beach, or in the mountains. I love spending time in the forests and especially when the forest is in the mountains.
Looking back over my dad’s old slides as I have been doing these past few weeks, I have been enjoying the memories, or seeing what my parents enjoyed doing back in years past. The trees here are from their time in the Sequoia National Forest.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 