#middle georgia

[vintagepipemen]

Unidentified campus police officer, Middle Georgia College, 1972.

[andrewpcannon]

We are opening back up tomorrow!

It has been a good holiday season! We dedicate that time to family. Tomorrow, January 22, we are back in full swing until December 2025. There are many things to be excited about for 2025, we are offering fewer custom products and limiting time in the workshop a little more. We will also be participating in fewer holiday markets because those add a little too much strain for how much work we are…

[sudden-stops-kill]

'green' pecans...trees appear healthy...not sure whats going on

[macmusicguy]

63

Short titles, vacations, mail, and banana splits. Anybody know of a good place to get a REAL banana split in middle Georgia? from TomsTypewriter.com

[mysharona1987]

Jimmy Carter, Godspeed.

The only POTUS in history anyone ever truly considered a genuinely nice person that simply wanted to do good for the world.

[illustratus]

The Emperor of Byzantium Basil II during the Georgian campaign, 1020 by Giuseppe Rava

[marleneoftheopera]

About half of the Title Song, with Nadim Naaman and Georgia Wilkinson!

[lionofchaeronea]

Icon (cloisonné enamel on gold) by an unknown 12th century artist, depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Now in the Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia.

[leroibobo]

the church in the monastery of the cross in jerusalem, palestine.

the monastery was originally consecrated in the fourth century under the instruction of roman emperor constantine the great, while palestine was under roman rule. some years later, it was given to kartlian (basically roman georgia) king mirian III after the conversion of his kingdom to christianity. it remained a georgian orthodox monastery until 1685, when the then heavily-indebted georgians sold it to the greek orthodox patriarchate of jerusalem.

its murals retain both georgian and greek inscriptions. in the last picture, georgian text is on the left, and greek on the right.

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

My Two Cents On The “ Is David Tennant Queer” Drama

As some of you know, I spent a solid third of the past year working on a movie-length video essay about David Tennant. This video essay features an eight minute section titled “Gender, Vulnerability, and Why David Tennant Is A Queer Icon”, which does not speculate on David’s own sexuality, but discusses the queer coding and subversion of gender norms in plenty of his roles and his importance as an ally to the LGBT community. At the same time, I was also coming to terms with my own identity as nonbinary and bisexual, and it ended up playing a crucial role in me finally working up the courage to come out to my parents. Characters like Crowley and the Doctor, both in terms of how they present themselves and how and who they love, have been absolutely instrumental in me developing my queer identity, and my comments section was full of people who had had similar experiences, who’d realized they were trans, nonbinary, gay, etc thanks to David and his characters. And as a result, I won’t deny that if David himself were to be queer, it would mean a lot to me.

Do I think David is queer? It’s certainly possible. I see a lot of how I express my queerness in how david chooses to express himself, most prominently through his frequent queer coding of characters who don’t necessarily have to be played as such. This can especially be seen through his Shakespeare characters, such as Richard, Hamlet, and some would argue Benedick as well. When I was 15 I played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, who I chose to play as a closeted young gay man harboring an unrequited crush on Romeo. I think I saw this role subconsciously as an outlet for my own repressed queerness, both of gender and sexuality, as I had experienced an unrequited crush on my female best friend the previous year which I was still in denial about. I’ve described my gender identity as “a girl with a chaotic tortured gay man inside of her that needs to be let out every once in a while”, which has never been more true than with Mercutio- a character who I might add, I took a great deal of inspiration from David when playing! In terms of using roles as an outlet for one’s queerness, I could absolutelt see this being true with David, especially when it comes to Crowley, who seems to have had an impact on David’s style, behavior, etc in a rather similar way to how he’s impacted me. I don’t want to act like David wearing pink docs means he must be gay, I think people should be allowed to wear whatever they want regardless of sexuality, but taken in conjunction with so many other things about him, it does make one wonder, and the fact that a seemingly straight man has been so many people’s queer awakening is a bit puzzling to say the least. I won’t pretend that these “signs” (if you interpret them that way), haven’t been increasing somewhat in the past year, and if I got to share my own coming out journey with the man who inspired it, I would be absolutely thrilled. I also can’t specifically think of an instance where David has SAID he is straight, as opposed to Taylor swift, who has.

With all of that said, where I personally draw the line is when mere speculation crosses into interfering with the subject’s personal relationships and the sense that one is OWED something. I believe that what matters to David more than anything is being a husband and a father. I believe he adores Georgia and his children and would not do anything in the world that he believes would jeopardize his family. As happy as I would be for David if he were to come out (probably as bi) I realize that that would put so much unwanted attention on his marriage and family and I think that’s the last thing he wants. I don’t think it’s IMPOSSIBLE that he and Michael Sheen are having a passionate love affair behind everyone’s backs, but I absolutely don’t consider it my place to insist that they are, because as much as I may feel like I do, I don’t know these people! And besides, if David were cheating on Georgia, he really would not be the person I thought he was.

So many queer people see themselves in David and his characters, and that is beautiful. And I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with having theories that David might be queer himself. However, it must be acknowledged that these theories are THEORIES, and they should not be used to invalidate people’s real life relationships- after all, it’s totally possible to be bi/pan and also be in a loving and healthy heterosexual relationship like David and Georgia at least seem to be in! If David were in fact “one of us”, I would welcome him with the openest of open arms, but unless and until he himself decides to proclaim himself that way, I will not expect anything of him other than to be the incredible artist and person we know and love.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

The Medieval Cave City of Vardzia, in Georgia (South Caucasus), c.1150-1283 CE: this cave city was originally built as a fortress that lay hidden within the mountain, and it included more than 6,000 caves, 25 wine cellars, 15 chapels, an apothecary, a forge, a bakery, farming terraces and an irrigation system

This enormous cave complex is carved along a section of the Erusheti mountain range, which is located at the foothills of the Caucasus, in southern Georgia (Sakartvelo). As this map illustrates, Georgia stands right at the crossroads between Europe and Asia.

Vardzia was designed to serve as a fortress, particularly in the event of a Mongol invasion. The entire cave city was originally concealed within the mountain (though much of it is now exposed) and it could only be accessed through a series of hidden passageways that began near the banks of the Mtkvari River, which runs through the valley below. The city was also protected by defensive walls, and it contained a secret escape tunnel, along with several dead-end tunnels that were designed to delay and confuse any invading forces.

In its prime, the cave city at Vardzia was inhabited by tens of thousands of residents. It featured more than 6,000 chambers spread out across nearly 20 different levels, all of which were connected by an intricate labyrinth of tunnels, staircases, terraces, and hidden passageways. The city included 25 wine cellars (which is almost enough to survive a Mongol invasion), 15 churches,  dozens of monastic cells, hundreds of additional dwellings, a nunnery, a throne room, a library, a bakery, an apothecary, a forge, several dining halls, a cemetery, a bell-tower, a series of stables, farming terraces, and an irrigation system, among other things.

Water was supplied using a system of aqueducts that were connected to the river in the valley below, providing the inhabitants with both drinking water and agricultural irrigation.

Vardzia also functioned as a Georgian Orthodox monastery; in addition to its many chapels, it also contained dozens of monastic chambers that were inhabited by monks, along with a large collection of religious manuscripts and relics. Many of the inner chambers at the site were decorated with elaborate frescos depicting the life of Christ, the history of the Georgian Orthodox Church, and major figures from Georgian history/folklore.

Unfortunately, most of the original structures at Vardzia were destroyed by a massive earthquake that struck the region in 1283 CE, less than a century after the site was completed. The earthquake sheared away part of the mountainside, exposing the cave complex and demolishing almost two-thirds of the site.

The surviving cave system represents only a fraction of the original city, which now contains less than 645 chambers and only 13 levels. The network of caves stretches roughly 500 meters across the cliffside.

When the earthquake tore through the site in 1283, much of the fortress and many of its defenses were also destroyed, and Vardzia lost most of its military and defensive purposes, but the site continued to operate as a monastery for several centuries after that. It narrowly escaped the Mongol Invasions of the 1290s, but it was eventually raided by the Persians in 1551. The invading forces looted many of the valuable artifacts from the site and burned most of the remaining manuscripts, relics, and other items that were stored within the cave system, leaving permanent scorch marks along the walls of the inner chambers.

Vardzia was ultimately abandoned after the Ottomans took control of the site in 1578.

Medieval portrait of Queen Tamar, the "Mountain Queen:" this portrait is one of the few Medieval frescoes that still decorate the inner chambers of Vardzia

The cave city of Vardzia is often associated with Queen Tamar the Great, who ruled over the Kingdom of Georgia from 1184 to 1213 CE, during a particularly successful period known as the "Golden Age" of Georgian history. Queen Tamar was also recognized as the Georgian King, with Medieval sources often referring to her as "King Tamar," because she held the title of queen regnant (meaning that she possessed the full power, position, and authority of a sovereign king). She was the first female monarch to be given that title in Georgia.

The initial phases of construction at Vardzia began under the command of Tamar's father, King Georgi III, but most of the complex was later built at the behest of Queen Tamar herself, who owned several dedicated rooms at Vardzia and frequently visited the cave city. Due to her relationship with the cave complex at Vardzia, Queen Tamar was also known as the "Mountain Queen."

Some of the monastic caves at this site have been revived in recent decades, and they are once again inhabited by a handful of Georgian monks.

Many of the remaining structures at Vardzia are also open to the public, though many of the chambers and passageways are narrow, steep, and difficult to access. I visited Vardzia during one of my first trips to Georgia back in 2012, and it truly is a spectacular site, especially in the chambers where the Medieval frescoes are still intact.

Sources & More Info:

Atlas Obscura: Vardzia Cave Monastery

CNN: Exploring Vardzia, Georgia's Mysterious Rock-Hewed Cave City

Lonely Planet: Vardzia

Globonaut: 5 Facts about Vardzia, Georgia's Hidden Cave City

Wander Lush: Vardzia Cave Monastery (complete visitor's guide)

[andrewpcannon]

Jacksonville Beach, Florida Cedar Bar Top

[sudden-stops-kill]

painted bunting

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

I think whoever made me forgot to paint all the spots. I don't mind anymore—I've realized that I am who I was meant to be.

Dahl's Whip Snake (Platyceps najadum)

Eastern Europe to Asia - from Croatia to Iran

Status: protected in the EU, protected by law in some countries

[mysharona1987]

The body count of the people in this picture. It must be astronomical.

[iwozlegit]

|| 🍍• Just realised Hell’s Greatest Dad is literally just The Devil Went Down To Georgia.

…like it’s literally the devil beefing with some guy about who’s better…

The devil starts the banger all cocky, but then Johnny cooks him second…

Hear me out hear me out