U. S. Air Force Academy

Sculpture of B-24 Liberator

U. S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel III

Interior of the Protestant Chapel

". . . The chancel (altar area) is set off by a crescent-shaped, varicolored reredos behind the altar. The 14- by 45-foot reredos represents the arms of God ready to receive anyone who goes there in prayer. Semiprecious stones from Colorado and pietra santa marble from Italy cover its 1,260 square-foot area.

A sleek marble slab 15 feet long, formed in the shape of ship symbolizing the church, is the holy table, or altar. Four travertine marble legs support the table.

The focal point of the chancel is the cross suspended over it. Constructed of aluminum, the cross is 46 feet, 2 inches high, 12 feet wide and weighs 1,200 pounds.

Surrounding the curved steps of the altar are 12 kneelers done in needle-point by officers wives' clubs throughout the Air Force. Each kneeler, except one, contains a cross seen in the historical development of representative art within the Protestant church... " cite

United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

U. S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel II

Interior of the Protestant Chapel

"The tetrahedrons form the walls and the 99-foot-high pinnacled ceiling of the Protestant Chapel. Stained glass windows form ribbons of color between the tetrahedrons. Eight basic colors graduate from cool to warm, moving from liturgical colors of Advent to Easter, from the narthex (entrance) to the chancel (altar area). The floor is gray-white terrazzo. . .   The pews, which can seat 1,200, are of American walnut and African mahogany. They were sculptured so the end of each pew resembles a WW I airplane propeller. The backs of the pews are capped by a strip of aluminum similar to the leading edge of a fighter aircraft wing. . ." cite

United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch.

When traveling to Arizona I landed in Phoenix, Arizona hoping to photograph the bird after which the city is named. This mythological bird is consumed by fire and rises anew to start life again. Not to be found here. Instead I found the Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch where waste water is renewed for habitat use. Gilbert is a suburb of Phoenix. This bird whose seems to be on fire, it is not a Phoenix but a male Anna's hummingbird.

This park is about 110 acres and consists of ponds that are fed by the city’s sewage effluent. The effluent is filtered into underground aquifers and then pumped into the ponds. No wonder I noticed a peculiar odor when I first walked into the area. Still a great feast of water reuse. Local birders claim more than 200 species of birds so they do not seem to mind the aroma and this Curved Billed Trasher concurs.

I was familiar with the riparian word when used in its legal use as “riparian rights.” In this form it means that if one has property bordering water bodies, you as the owner have certain legal property rights of the land for a distance into the water. It is usually the land between the low and mean high tide. The water is the ponds is clear as you can see the feet of this Coot who is standing on a submerged rock. Notice that there is no web between the toes but each one looks like an oar blade.

When it comes to Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve, the word usage is in the form of riparian habitat, and it refers to the flora and fauna activities going on in the shores of a stream or lake. What is interesting to this site and others in the Southwest that I have visited, is that most of the bodies of water are “man-made.” It appears that when the birds flew south during their migrations, saw these bodies of water and decided to stay as did the Pintail above.

My elaboration in the previous paragraph leads to rewards to bird photographers. Most of the species that I closely photographed here are also common in the East Coast. But in the East these birds are not friendly and impossible to get close to photograph. How close I was to this ring necked duck? Very close, so close that at times the camera cannot focus in the birds. I have never seen a ring around the neck of this duck but there is a ring indeed around the end of the bill.

I did travel around the state and at Lake Powell, had the opportunity to capture the image of my favorite North American wader, the Wood Duck above. After 30 years of photography I finally got my first great photos of this bird in New Mexico last fall (images in one of my previous blogs).

White Daisy

U. S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel

White Trio

Daisies III

Filter:  Dry Brush.

Yellow Daisies II

Mafia Wars: Bangkok is Open (Job and Businesses in Bangkok)

Mafia Wars: Bangkok is already open for the chossen only. but if your friends have more passport they can share the passport with you.

Here the sample picture for bangkok job:


Here the sample picture for bangkok businesse:




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Mafia Wars: Hidden Loot Tigers Unleashed!
How To Play Mafia Wars on Facebook
Mafia Wars: Moscow (New Job and New Businesses)

Yellow Daisies

Edits:  Same as below but added paint dabs effects filter.

Edited in photoshop:  Burned the background, increased contrast and saturation, decreased green in highlights, unsharp mask, removed a few blemishes.

No edits.

I wanted to share a couple of links with you that have inspired me to explore this form of "photography".   Robert Creamer and Katinka Matson.  Check them out.

Peruvian Lily

Scanned flower. 

Edited in photoshop using angled strokes and dry brush filters.

Daisies

Peacock . . .

well . . . part of a peacock.

Ocean Ripples Filter, Photoshop.

Porcupine

Porcupine eating coconut.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Views from the Fire Tower, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs.

The Star of Lakshmi

The Star of Lakshmi ( the Eight Pointed Star ) is a symbol in indian Philosophy, where it represents Ashtalakshmi, the eight forms of wealth or the eight forms of the Hindu goddess of fortune and prosperity named Lakshmi. Wealth in the context of Ashtalakshmi represents prosperity, knowledge, good health, progeny, strength, and power. Mathematically, it is a complex star figure with two squares with the same center at 45 degrees.

Aum (Om) - Hindu Symbol

Aum sign, often represented as "om," or even "ohm," is the most prominent symbol in the Hindu religion. For Hindus and also, for Buddhists it is a mystic word or mantra. The Aum symbol signifies divinity and the oneness of all the creations of God. This symbol signifies the trinity of God. It is symbolic of the three main Gods of Hindus, namely Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. The three letters symbolize the three important triads: earth, atmosphere, and heaven or the three levels of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.This sign is placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred exclamation to be uttered at the beginning and end of Hindu prayers, chants, and meditation and is also freely used in Buddhist and Jain rituals.

Stop and Go II

Stop

East Portal of Tunnel No. 3 along Gold Camp Road, Colorado Springs.

Go

Mountain Biker along Gold Camp Road, Colorado Springs.

This part of Gold Camp Road is closed to motorized vehicles due to the collapsed tunnel.

Mountain Goat

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs.

Stop and Go

Red(ish) = Stop
Pony

Just a lazy morning taking in the sun.

Green = Go
Mexican Grey Wolf

They were on the move and would not slow down to pose for me.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs.

Watch Live Music

Many people like music, from young to old, everybody must be ever listen a music, there are many singer that have a lot of fans, like Bon Jovi or Tylor Smith, If you are fans of one of them you can watch your favourite singer by checking at St. Pete Times Forum Tickets, Sesame Street Live Tickets or Staples Center Tickets schedule and date.





To purchase tickets for the other place, you can check in aCheapseat.com, there you can find schedules of your favorite singers.

spend the weekend watching your favorite singer would be very enjoyable and help you forget that you are busy during weekdays through. Have a nice weekend.

Amur Tiger III

Amur Tiger II

Don't you just want to tickle him under his chin?

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs.