Standing Into Danger

Friday, April 19, 2019

Unbelievable!

Watching Notre-Dame Cathedral burn on Monday was heartrending.
Visiting that hallowed and gorgeous place was a highpoint of my life,
literally giving me chills and moving me to tears.
I can't imagine what this loss must mean to the people of Paris.

I thought I'd share a few photos I took of Notre-Dame.

Notre-Dame de Paris

(Our Lady of Paris)

Located on Île de la Cité (City Island) Paris, France

May 26, 2014

The Western Facade

And It's Three Portals

Left: The Virgin Portal

Middle: The Last Judgment Portal

Right: The St. Anne Portal

May 26, 2014

The Archivolts or Heavenly Court

The Right Side of the Last Judgement Portal

The lower portion shows Hell with a devil

crushing the damned souls of a rich man, a bishop, and a king.

May 26, 2014

Gargoyles

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The Interior

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

One of the Cathedral's Lovely Stained Glass Windows

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The Vault of the Cathedral

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The Blessed Virgin and Child Jesus

Sculptor: Antoine Antoine Vassé

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The Interior

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

A Moving Memorial

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The High Altar

Descent from the Cross

Sculptor: Nicolas Coustou

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

Construction Began in 1163

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The Cathedral's Massive Organ

Reconstructed by François Thierry in the 1730s

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The Slaughter of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt

Carved on the Back of the Choir Stalls

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

The South Rose Window

Notre-Dame de Paris

May 26, 2014

It is simply unbelievable that Notre-Dame has suffered such destruction.

I hope to visit it again when it is restored.

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Donnie and Me
Sisters are the best!

On Margaret's Justice
between Long and Brier Islands,
Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 31, 2018

Friday, April 12, 2019

Should We Stay or Should We Go?

I'm a mess right now.
Should we stay or should we go?

I'm biting my nails, sitting on pins and needles,
got my fingers crossed, can't decide if I want
luck to be a lady tonight or not.

Things will work out or they won't.
It's all good.

I can't focus.
I can't think.
I certainly can't produce a post.

At least this had me laughing last night.
Hope it makes you laugh too.

You Tube

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Donnie and Me
Sisters are the best!

On Margaret's Justice
between Long and Brier Islands,
Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 31, 2018

Friday, April 5, 2019

Luck Be a Lady Tonight!

It's been a while, but sometimes the stars align,
and you hit that elusive Royal Flush!

A Happy Hit!

Upstairs at the D

Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

March 27, 2019

Photo by Terry Barbour

Now if I could just get lucky at home

and catch up with everything!

One of these days I will catch my tail.

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Along the Waterfront

Brighton, England, UK

September, 2018

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.

Google Maps 2019

Location of Fremont Street

Google Maps 2019

Location of Fremont Street

Google Maps 2019

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

IWSG Day: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 ~ Better Late Than Never!

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG founder Alex Cavanaugh are:
J. H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken.

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.
I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG that members can answer with advice, insight,
a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:

If you could use a wish to help you write just ONE scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be? (examples: fight scene / first kiss scene / death scene / chase scene / first chapter / middle chapter / end chapter, etc.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy IWSG Day, Everyone!
I apologize for posting late today and for the fact
that I will be later getting around to visit today.
We arrived home late yesterday evening
after an intense week of traveling, community checking, and house hunting.

Not Quite Eight Miles High ~ Again
Sunrise Manor, Nevada, USA

April 2, 2019

March has been a month, and we have been working through a number of major things,
one of which is relocating to a warmer place.
We have possibly found a community and have possibly found a house.
More intensity to come and more writing to come.
I've had a lot of intensity this past month and little writing.

I am sad at the prospect of leaving Colorado after thirty-seven years;
but I know Terry's biggest retirement dream is to live in a sunny, snow free place,
and I support his dream.
He has made huge sacrifices for me throughout our decades together,
and now it is time for me to return the favor.

It will be hard to leave my beloved Piney Creek and my furry friends,
not to mention all the treasured connections I have with my friends, community, and home.

Upper Pool
Along My Stretch of Piney Creek
Aurora, Colorado, USA

March 12, 2019

A Furry Friend
Along My Stretch of Piney Creek
Aurora, Colorado, USA

March 12, 2019

Terry has pointed out that, if we do move,
I'll have a much bigger open space to explore:
the magnificent Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
just a few miles west of Las Vegas.

This conservation area is a world-renowned geological wonder
with some of the most diverse flora and fauna found on our planet.
It consists of 195,819 acres within the Mojave Desert,
and it encompasses 600 million years of geological history.
redrockcanyonlv.org

Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area
Mount Wilson (left) and Rainbow Mountain (right)
A few miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

April 2, 2019

For me the highlight of this special place is the Keystone Thrust Fault
where older gray Paleozoic limestones and dolomites have ridden over
younger red and tan Jurassic sandstones.

The Keystone Thrust Fault
Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area
Wikimedia
Attribution: Ken Lund
Originally Posted: Flickr

There are spots in Red Rock Canyon
where you can place one foot higher on ancient limestone
and the other lower on young sandstone,
and the temporal difference is 250 million years
(give or take a few million).

The paleoenvironments represented by the limestones
and the sandstones are equally impressive.
Five hundred million years ago,
an ancient ocean existed in this area,
where limey sediments accumulated for 250 million years.
One hundred eighty-five million years ago,
a vast desert of sand dunes existed in this location,
where windblown sands roamed for 10 million years.

Concurrent with the demise of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period,
sixty-five million years ago,
monumental forces shoved the older rocks
on top of the younger like a plow pushing snow.

At that pivotal time, the ancient Farallon oceanic plate began to subduct or sink
below the western edge of the North American continental plate.
As a result the Sierra Nevada granite batholith intruded
(think Half Dome, Yosemite),
forming the core of the modern Sierra Mountain Range in California
and creating compressional forces that thrust the Paleozoic limestones
east and over the Jurassic sandstones in the Keystone Thrust.

Half Dome, Yosemite,

a classic granite dome of the Sierra Nevada Batholith

Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Wikimedia

Attribution: Jon Sullivan

And what does all this have to do with this month's IWSG question?
It is oh so much easier to write about rocks than to write a romantic, erotic scene.
I'd love to conjure up a genie to grant a wish for help with that!

The just-announced genre for the next IWSG anthology
is Middle Grade Historical: Adventure/Fantasy.
Perhaps I can come up with a rock angle!

Happy Writing in April!
I'm looking forward to visiting around!

On Southwest Airlines

Over Kanab, Utah, USA

March 26, 2019

Photo by Terry Barbour

Friday, March 22, 2019

You Can Keep Your Day Job

London, England is a wonderful city to explore.
No matter where you look, there is something interesting to see.
Many people come to experience its history,
rambling through time along its famous streets.

I find the city's skyline ever-changing and compelling,
a schizophrenic jumble of old and new.

Old and New

A tugboat pulls a barge under Cannon Street Railway Bridge

against a modern skyline

Thames River, London, United Kingdom

September 10, 2018

Sometimes, especially when dealing with historical overload,
it's fun to look around and watch people working and playing.

More New Than Old

Thames River, London, United Kingdom

September 10, 2018

As Terry and I walked along the Thames looking at the busy river,
my eyes were drawn to The Vase, a striking new skyscraper
that curves continuously. Its thousands of glass panels
reflect light from above and capture motion from below,
creating a dynamic and shimmering display
that changes with the interplay of sun and clouds and moon.

To preserve the gleam and sparkle and luster and glitter,
those thousands of glass panels have to be cleaned,
and that was the action that drew my eyes to One Blackfriars: The Vase.

Window Cleaners

One Blackfriars (The Vase)

London, United Kingdom

September 10, 2018

For those of us who struggle with acrophobia,
the sight of window cleaners dangling from the top of a skyscraper
can be a mesmerizing, palm-liquifying, and chilling event.

Cleaning Windows

One Blackfriars (The Vase)

London, United Kingdom

September 10, 2018

Whenever I see window cleaners suspended from a high-rise,
I come to a full stop, heart pounding, breath frozen.
I could not do it.

As someone who has been plucked sobbing and shaking
from trees, poles, fire lookout towers, cliffs, and skinny ridges,
it would take one powerful motivation to make me pick up a squeegee
and sky walk at One Blackfriars or any other structure:
life or death ~ maybe
one hundred million dollars ~ maybe.
I'd likely die of fright.

This is definitely not for me!
You can keep your day job.

Checking Lines Before the Drop

170 meters (558 feet)

One Blackfriars (The Vase)

London, United Kingdom

September 10, 2018

Would you sky walk with a squeegee?
What really scares you?

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Along the Waterfront

Brighton, England, UK

September, 2018

Note:

The modern glass-clad skyscrapers that have sprouted in London's skyline are not without controversy. One Blackfriars, nicknamed The Vase, joins other iconic buildings such as the Shard, Walkie Talkie, Cheesegrater, and Gherkin which rear above the lower layer of historical and contemporary structures.

One Blackfriars has been described with a range of adjectives from atrocious to monstrous and stunning to striking. It is less affectionately known as The Tummy. People love it or hate it. Count me among those who love it.

Ian Simpson is the architect who created the vision for One Blackfriars. His inspiration was a 1952 sculpture by Finnish artist Timo Sarpaneva, the asymmetrical Lansetti II Vase.

Sadly, the interior of the building is largely off-limits to the public. Its primary function is to provide exclusive and luxurious apartments for the super rich, and the public viewing platforms were essentially scrapped.

If I won a kabillion dollars in a lottery, I might be tempted to buy an apartment, despite my acrophobia. However I'd likely never summon the courage to walk into my private sky garden between the inner and outer layers of the building's double envelope facade.

metmuseum.org (Lansetti II Vase)

simpsonhaugh.com (Architects)

theb1m.com (Details and Schematics)

arabianknightonline.com (Building Details)

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of London, United Kingdom

Google Maps 2019

Location of London, United Kingdom

Google Maps 2019

Location of One Blackfriars (The Vase)

Google Maps 2019

One Blackfriars

London, United Kingdom

Google Maps 2019

Friday, March 15, 2019

Before the Blizzard: A Different Palette

Tuesday, March 12th brought our area welcome warmth from the winter cold,
even if the sun shone through broken clouds.

The thought of a coming blizzard pushed me outside
and into the open space along Piney Creek to enjoy the 62º F (16.6º C) weather.

Middle Pond along "My" Stretch of Piney Creek

Aurora, Colorado, USA

March 12, 2019

Aside from the sky and water,
nature had painted the landscape with a palette of taupe.

Some people consider taupe a bland or dull color,
but to me it speaks of rest and regeneration:
a pause, a breathing space before bursting into action.

A Breathing Space along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Taupe is not a single color somewhere between brown and gray.

It is a continuum of colors from brownish gray to dark tan,

and can be tinged with rose, mauve, or sand.

A Pop of Rose Taupe in Sere Cottonwood Leaves

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

A Continuum of Taupes

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Taupe Tinged with Mauve and Sand

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

When I wander in this pale landscape, I relax.

Its soothing colors remind me that it's good to take a time out,

to forget about all the MustDos and ShouldDos that drive me daily,

to just be and roam peacefully,

to browse with my camera like winter deer on twigs, stems, and dry grasses.

A Deer Browses in the Open Space

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Twigs, Stems, and Dry Grasses

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Some may think the winter landscape is drab and dead,

but not me; it is a place of quiet wonder and beauty,

if one takes the time to look with curious eyes.

Life on the Edge ~ "My" Lower Pond

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Canada Geese on the Move

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Water Drop

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Taupes Blending in Taupes

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Taupes and Complementary Blues

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Winter Cottonwood Buds ~ A Promise of Spring

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Doves

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Ice Melting on "My" Upper Pond

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

A Winter Muley

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Corrugated Cottonwood Trunks

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Snowmelt along a Rivulet

(More Taupe, including the original color: that of the "average French mole")

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

A Stand of Cottonwood Trees

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

Fluffy Winter Bullrushes

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

A Portrait in Taupes

Along Piney Creek

March 12, 2019

No matter the time or season,

this beautiful and special open space restores my soul.

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Yours Truly
On the Bay of Fundy

Westport, Long Island, Nova Scotia

Notes:

1. The Original Taupe:

The word taupe is derived from the French noun for mole, and originally the color taupe referred

to the average color of the French mole (European mole or Talpa europaea). It wasn't until the

1940s that the color taupe began to include a variety of shades.

Wikipedia

The "French" Mole: Talpa europaea

Wikimedia

2. Some Shades of Taupe:

Source for color information and color chart: ColorPsychology.org (at site: click on gray in top bar)

Article Title: Taupe Color

Author: Dena Przybyla

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of Aurora, Colorado, USA

Wikimedia

"My" Open Space Along Piney Creek

Where I Often Walk

Google

Aurora Open Space Along Piney Creek

Google

Friday, April 19, 2019

Unbelievable!

Friday, April 12, 2019

Should We Stay or Should We Go?

Friday, April 5, 2019

Luck Be a Lady Tonight!

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

IWSG Day: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 ~ Better Late Than Never!

Friday, March 22, 2019

You Can Keep Your Day Job

Friday, March 15, 2019

Before the Blizzard: A Different Palette

Follow by Email