vlkphoto

[vlkphoto]

Redoubt #2 .. [1 / 4]

Swept panorama of the interior of a redoubt at Valley Forge. King of Prussia, PA.

Troops originally built this redoubt by hand using shovels and picks. A redoubt was cleverly designed so that every part strengthened its defensive role or provided an obstacle to attack.

[vlkphoto]

King Ashurnasirpal Il makes an offering

From the palace at Nimrud, northern Iraq, exhibited at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, EN.

Assyrian, 883-859 BC Alabaster Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) lifts an offering dish (phiale) to pour an offering to the gods. His hair and beard are elaborately curled, his heavy-looking garments magnificently fringed and tasselled. Bracelets and earrings emphasize his wealth and status, while the long bow in his left hand and the sword hanging from his waist suggest his prowess as a warrior. The lengthy inscription carved across the centre of the relief records the king's titles, his early conquests and the extent of his realm, besides describing how he rebuilt and resettled his capital city of Nimrud. Ashurnasirpal Il was one of a line of energetic and expansionist kings whose campaigns brought great wealth and power to Assyria in the 9th century BC The walls of the new palace he built at Nimud were lined with carved reliefs of this type, glorifying the king and his exploits.

[vlkphoto]

Aircraft Launcher

A novel take on a landfill airfield. OGU, the Ordu-Giresun airport on the Black Sea. Gülyali, Ordu.

[vlkphoto]

Rivet

One of hundreds of stays that hold up the Brooklyn Bridge. New York City, NY.

[vlkphoto]

Falls akimbo

Dingman's Falls, Delaware Water Gap, PA.

Long exposure handheld, using the Spectre app.

[vlkphoto]

The Huts of Valley Forge: Interior: Fireplace .. (ii / ii) [2 / 2]

Valley Forge, King of Prussia, PA.

A City of Huts Refuge for the Winter Welcome to the fourth largest city in America. Arriving in this rural area in the winter of 1777, soldiers immediately began building 2000 log huts for shelter, earthworks for defense, and rubble roads to keep out of the deep, boot-pulling mud. General Washington issued orders on the sizes and locations of the huts. Soldiers cleared all the trees from the countryside for miles around, dragging back the lumber to build log walls, shingle roofs, and rough bunks and stools. Most of this mighty task was finished within a month, despite shortages of tools. For six months the log city's population rivaled Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

[vlkphoto]

The Huts of Valley Forge: Interior .. (i / ii) [2 / 2]

Valley Forge, King of Prussia, PA.

A City of Huts Refuge for the Winter Welcome to the fourth largest city in America. Arriving in this rural area in the winter of 1777, soldiers immediately began building 2000 log huts for shelter, earthworks for defense, and rubble roads to keep out of the deep, boot-pulling mud. General Washington issued orders on the sizes and locations of the huts. Soldiers cleared all the trees from the countryside for miles around, dragging back the lumber to build log walls, shingle roofs, and rough bunks and stools. Most of this mighty task was finished within a month, despite shortages of tools. For six months the log city's population rivaled Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

[vlkphoto]

The Huts of Valley Forge .. [1 / 2]

Valley Forge, King of Prussia, PA.

A City of Huts Refuge for the Winter Welcome to the fourth largest city in America. Arriving in this rural area in the winter of 1777, soldiers immediately began building 2000 log huts for shelter, earthworks for defense, and rubble roads to keep out of the deep, boot-pulling mud. General Washington issued orders on the sizes and locations of the huts. Soldiers cleared all the trees from the countryside for miles around, dragging back the lumber to build log walls, shingle roofs, and rough bunks and stools. Most of this mighty task was finished within a month, despite shortages of tools. For six months the log city's population rivaled Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

[vlkphoto]

Winterberry and wooden fence

At Valley Forge, King of Prussia, PA.

[vlkphoto]

Buddha or Bodhisattva Rides out to a City

Gandharan schist frieze from the mid 3rd century AD, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, EN.

Cross eyes and superpose left image viewed with right eye over right image viewed with left eye to have the depth pop out.

[vlkphoto]

Gandharan Buddha

Schist frieze from Gandhara, 2nd century AD, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, EN.

Gandhara After Alexander the Great passed through the area of northern Pakistan known in antiquity as Gandhara, many sculptors in the region appear to have been considerably influenced by classical styles, blending these with local eastern traditions of both style and subject. So the hero Herakles may appear beside the Buddha, and the robes of the Buddha or Bodhisattva often show classical influence. This relief shows the Buddha (centre) with a bearded figure on the viewer's left, who can be identified as the classical hero Herakles. To the right of the central figure is a figure in classical costume holding onto a female figure in traditional Gandharan attire.

[vlkphoto]

Gandhara Bodhisattva

Gandhara sculpture at Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, EN.

Schist bust of Bodhisattva Gandhara, 2nd century AD Many Bodhisattva came from princely families and were often shown in royal attire with plentiful jewellery. The cult of the Bodhisattva originated in Gandhara. They were individuals who stood on the very brink of Buddha-hood, but deferred final enlightenment in order to dedicate their lives to the welfare of all beings.

[vlkphoto]

Little Dancer .. [2 / 2]

Bronze statue by Edgar Degas. Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA.

Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen Modeled in wax 1878-81; cast in bronze around 1922 Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917 Bronze cast by the Adrien Hébrard foundry, Paris; tulle, silk Degas's sculpture of Marie van Goethem depicts the sinewy and athletic teenager — a dancer at the Paris Opera who supplemented her modest income by modeling for Degas — at rest with her chin and chest thrust forward. Her pose seems at odds with the elegance we usually associate with ballet. This figure, first modeled in colored wax, was the only sculpture Degas showed during his lifetime, and it caused a scandal when exhibited in 1881. Critics perceived the piece as vulgar and denounced the way it was displayed in a glass case, as if the ballerina were an artifact in a science museum.

[vlkphoto]

Little Dancer .. [1 / 2]

Bronze statue by Edgar Degas. Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA.

Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen Modeled in wax 1878-81; cast in bronze around 1922 Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917 Bronze cast by the Adrien Hébrard foundry, Paris; tulle, silk Degas's sculpture of Marie van Goethem depicts the sinewy and athletic teenager — a dancer at the Paris Opera who supplemented her modest income by modeling for Degas — at rest with her chin and chest thrust forward. Her pose seems at odds with the elegance we usually associate with ballet. This figure, first modeled in colored wax, was the only sculpture Degas showed during his lifetime, and it caused a scandal when exhibited in 1881. Critics perceived the piece as vulgar and denounced the way it was displayed in a glass case, as if the ballerina were an artifact in a science museum.

[vlkphoto]

Only One Earth

Plaque commemorating space flight. At the United Nations building, Manhattan, New York City, NY.

"Before I flew I was already aware of how small and vulnerable our planet is, but only when I saw it from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that humankind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations." Sigmund Jähn (1937–2019) cosmonaut of former East Germany.

[vlkphoto]

Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal

Exhibited at the National Air & Space Museum, DC.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award presented by the U.S, Congress. This medal was presented to the Tuskegee Airmen, African American pilots flying for the U,S. Army Air Forces during World War I, Awarded on March 29, 2007, the medal recognized their "unique military record that inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces." Lent by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

[vlkphoto]

Harris for POTUS #Obvsly

Once great newspapers like WaPo and LAT might have their billionaire owners acting too pusillanimous in the face of a fascist threat, but that's all the more reason for the rest of us to do the right thing.

Do your duty by country, for democracy, and vote for the idea and promise of America.