2019 An Image A Day: Travels, Landscapes, Birds, Wildlife & People

View from the Viking Boat

Lamego, Portugal As the Viking River Boat cruised up the Douro River from Porto, we passed the hillside village of Lamego. I was awestruck at the conservation of the Portuguese. They use almost every square yard of dirt to grow something, mainly grapes for the port wine industry. But there are gardens there also along with olive trees. We would arrive in Pinhao later in the day where we would spent the remainder of our river cruise. The high water levels caused by spring rains closed the locks ahead. Viking apologized profusely and offered us an extreme discount on a future cruise. We'll take advantage of that in May of this year. So with nothing else to do, I walked around Pinhao and you;ll see some of my photos of the people and place. Stay tuned.

Lisbon's Commerce Square

The large square is often the starting point for many tours of Lisbon. Our Princess tours was no different. Our group was about 25 and like all tourists they were not really paying attention to their surroundings. I was. I spotted them right away, 3 thieves looking like three vultures on a limb looking at prey. I motioned my wife to look at them and to be careful. The tour guide heard me, looked at the three Portuguese men and pointed them out saying, "Be careful here, those men are pickpockets." Everyone looked at them. I took a photo of them and then walked over to a policeman. I introduced myself as a retired cop and we connected right away. I pointed out the three suspects and he said he would watch them. This was too much for the thieves and they walked off after giving me the one finger salute. We laughed about it later but taking their photo was probably not the wisest thing to do. It's one reason my wife and I are always on the look out for pickpockets and other thieves when we travel. We refuse to be victims. PS: They're not in this photo.

Walking the Dog

You've probably seen this one in B&W from last year but it was taken in Lisbon and I'm sticking with the location. It's one that I remember. I'm generally pretty sneaky taking random photos of people on the street and they never know I've photographed them. This young lady caught me. I just smiled and continued on.

Alfama Cafe

Alfama is one of the oldest districts in Lisbon. It is a maze of narrow cobble stone streets and ancient houses and small cafes and stores. Alfama was orginally outside the city walls and was associated with poverty and squalor where only the poor and disadvantaged lived. As Lisbon grew, Alfama attracted the sailors who would discover new worlds as crew of the Portuguese explorers.

Elevator de Santa Justa Lift

Located in the historic section of Lisbon is the Elevator de Santa Justa. Designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard who was a student of Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Ponsard after studying under Eiffel, returned to his home city of Lisbon to design his iron masterpiece: the Elevator de Santa Justa. The tower is 45 meters in height (seven stories) and it includes two elevator cabins, decorated in wood and mirrors. The tower's architecture is called Neo Gothic.

Rainbow Over Lisbon

Last year on our travels we arrived in Lisbon, Portugal to a wet and chilly morning. At lunch the hotel waiter told us not to miss the view from the roof lounge. He was right. The clouds cleared and God's rainbow appeared.

25th of April Bridge

As you enter Lisbon, Portugal on a cruise ship, you pass under the 25th of April Bridge. It stretches across the estuary of the Tagus River connecting Lisbon with the municipality of Almada. It was opened in 1966 and originally named the Salazar Bridge after Portugal's dictator. The name was changed after the people booted him out and renamed the date of their "carnation revolution." The bridge upper deck carries six car lanes while the lower deck has carries a double track railway.

Rouen Market

I found this market in the shadow of the Rouen Cathedral. This is the kind of place you want to sample everything. I was waiting for the lady to move into position for the perfect composition. Markets photograph better with people and this elderly lady didn't disappointment me. I'll start a new series tomorrow. I hope you've enjoyed Normandy.

View from Top of the Abbey

After climbing up to the top of Mont Saint Michel I took this photo of the mud flats and roadway to the abbey. We'll leave Normandy and go somewhere else next week. Thanks for all of your kind remarks.

Holy Arches

The largest city in France's Normandy is Rouen. Rouen has one of the most impressive Gothic cathedrals that I've ever seen. In the heart of the historic city, the cathedral has been the epitome of the development of Gothic art, since the start of its construction in the 12th century on the foundations of a 4th century basislica and an 11th century Romanesque edifice. Destroyed during the Viking invasions in 841 and, partially, in 1944, by allied bombardments, the cathedral is a living structure, perpetually evolving. Its 19th century cast iron spire rises to a height of 151 metres (the highest in France). The cathedral is also the only one in France to possess an adjoining archiepiscopal palace still occupied by an archbishop today. The choir of the cathedral contains the tombs of the Dukes of Normandy, including that of Rollon, founder of the duchy in 911, and the heart of Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy. Monet painted more than thirty views of Rouen Cathedral in 1892–93. Moving from one canvas to another as each day progressed, he painted the facade with highly textured brushstrokes that convey the aspect of sculpted stone and make the atmosphere and light palpable. Monet later finished the works in his studio at Giverny, carefully adjusting the pictures both independently and in relation to each other. Hence, most are signed and dated 1894, as is this example. In 1895, Monet exhibited twenty of his cathedral pictures at Galerie Durand-Ruel in Paris.

Erwin N. Cooper, 2nd Lt

One of the most sobering sights of this old man's life was a visit to the American Cemetery at Normandy, so many crosses, so many lives. While my wife and I were visiting the American Cemetery we came upon a class of French children and their teacher. My wife speaks excellent French and she was translating for me. He was giving them a history lesson about what happened here 78 years ago and got it right. It seems that politicians had a short memory of the sacrifice made here. This is a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson after French President DeGaulle ordered all American forces out of France in 1964. “Ask him about the cemeteries, Dean!" In 1966 upon being told that President Charles DeGaulle had taken France out of NATO and that all U.S. troops must be evacuated off of French soil President Lyndon Johnson mentioned to Secretary of State Dean Rusk that he should ask DeGaulle about the Americans buried in France. Dean implied in his answer that that DeGaulle should not really be asked that in the meeting at which point President Johnson then told Secretary of State Dean Rusk: "Ask him about the cemeteries Dean!" That made it into a Presidential Order so he had to ask President DeGaulle. So at end of the meeting Dean did ask DeGaulle if his order to remove all U.S. troops from French soil also included the 60,000+ soldiers buried in France from World War I and World War II. DeGaulle, embarrassed, got up and left and never answered.”

Normandy: Omaha Beach Today

The remains of the Mulberry Harbor from June 6th, 1944 is left to remind us of D-Day. The Mulberry Harbour was built for D-Day in June 1944. The Mulberry Harbour’s purpose was to ease and speed up the unloading process so that Allied troops were supplied as they advanced across France after breaking out from Normandy. The success of D-Day could only be maintained if the advancing troops were supplied and more men landed. The Mulberry Harbour was one of the greatest engineering feats of World War Two.

Inside Mont Saint Michel

This is one of the open hallways inside the abbey of Mont Saint Michel. The architecture is gothic. Gothic architecture is a style that flourished in Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture. Originating in 12th-century France, it was widely used, especially for cathedrals and churches, until the 16th century.

Mont Saint Michel in Normnandy

Le Mont Saint Michel is an island about a kilometer off the northwestern coast of Normandy region of France. It sits at the mouth of the Couesnon River near the town of Avranches. The abbey was built in the 8th century after the bishop Aubert claimed he was visited by the Archangel Michael who pressed him to build a church atop the island in the bay. The subsequent French kings bought the story and they supported a major Benedictine abbey on Mont Saint Michel. After it was built, Mont San Michel became renowned as a center of learning attracting some of the great minds and manuscript writers in Europe. It became a significant Christian pilgrimage in spite of all the wars being fought at the time. The island and abbey were only accessible at low tide. A vehicle causeway was built allowing easy access. They drop you off at the gate (far left corner). From there it's all uphill. It's quite a hike and challenging to anyone not accustomed to walking up stairs. This week's theme is Normandy and I'll post some other photos of our visit to this most famous part of France. Thank you for your comments and suggestions. https://birdshooter.smugmug.com/France/Mont-Saint-Michel/

Anahuac Yesterday: Bald Eagle in Flight with Kill (Am Coot)

Driving on what is called Frozen Point Rd yesterday, we had just seen 10K-15K Snow geese on the Anahuac plain & marsh when this Bald eagle flew by us. He is clutching an American Coot in his talons. I was able to get him in the frame for a few shots. You just never know what you're going to see in the Refuge.

Welcome to Clairemont, Texas

Clairemont is a ghost town and the former county seat of Kent County, Texas. It is at the intersection of US380 and SH208 southeast of Lubbock, Texas. Believe or not it used to be the county seat of Kent County. I was traveling through west Texas photographing all the courthouses, original and present. There is an old abandoned brick building behind me that was the original courthouse of Kent County, however it didn't have an old Chevy blue truck parked in front of it. Have a great day, y'all. I'm headed to Anahuac this morning in search of owls and bobcats.

DaVinci's Spiral Staircase

In the Loire Valley of France, in the Chateau de Chambord is a DaVinci masterpiece you can walk on. It's a double helical spiral staircase designed by the master, Leonardo DaVinci.Commissioning the Château de Chambord The building of the Château de Chambord was commissioned in 1519 by Francis I, the King of France. Initially, the castle was meant to serve as the king’s hunting lodge, where he would stay for several weeks during each visit, and hence was not designed to serve as a permanent residence. Nevertheless, Francis was a great lover of the arts and the Château de Chambord, in spite of being a temporary residence, was elevated to the status of an architectural marvel. Francis’ pride in the Château de Chambord is evident, as he showed it off to visiting sovereigns and ambassadors, including his great nemesis, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, who visited the castle in 1539. It has been calculated that between the commencement of the castle’s construction until the death of Francis in 1547 (about 28 years), the king had only spent 72 days at the Château de Chambord. At the time of the king’s death, only the keep and the royal wing had been completed. But the death of Francis did not halt the construction of the Château de Chambord. Work on the castle continued during the reign of Henry II, the successor of Francis. It was, however, only during the 17th century, when France was under the rule of Louis XIV, that the Château de Chambord was finally completed. It was basically a hunting lodge for the king! The Château de Chambord Staircase The Château de Chambord is significant from an architectural point of view for a number of reasons. For example, it is today the largest Renaissance castle in the Loire Valley. Additionally, this castle is regarded to be one of the best examples of French Renaissance architecture, a style that succeeded Gothic architecture, and in turn was succeeded by Baroque architecture. The Château de Chambord’s best-known architectural feature, however, is its double helix staircase. In essence, this staircase consists of two intertwining spiral staircases that go all the way up to the castle’s terrace. In practical terms, this design would allow visitors to the castle to ascend and descend without obstruction. One staircase may be used by those going up, whilst the other by those going down, and the two parties would not bump into each other. In addition, this was the place where the French royal court stood when they welcomed important guests to the castle or when they watched the festivities. Leonardo Da Vinci Designed a Staircase One of the most often cited trivia about the double helix staircase in the Château de Chambord is that it was designed by the great Renaissance polymath, Leonardo da Vinci, himself. It is known that in 1516, Leonardo da Vinci entered into the service of Francis and settled in the Château du Clos Lucé, another castle in the Loire Valley. The great polymath would live there until his death in 1519. With such a brilliant mind living in the vicinity, it is not too difficult to imagine that this ingenious staircase was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Some have even suggested that Leonardo da Vinci was responsible for the original design of the castle as well. At the very least, there is some agreement that Leonardo da Vinci influenced the design of the castle’s double helix staircase. https://birdshooter.smugmug.com/France-2017/Chateau-Chambord/

Pure Breeds

Akureyri, Iceland - September 2014 We were on a private tour of Akureyri (port) and inland when we came upon these Icelandic horses. I was riding in the front passenger seat of the Landcruiser and whistled to get them to turn their heads to me. It worked! Iceland is one beautiful country and a photographer's dreamland. Iceland is very protective of their breed of horses. No other breed of horse is allowed into the county, therefore, there are no hybrids or other than pure Icelandic. The Icelandic horse is a unique breed of smallish horses that came to Iceland with the first settlers from Norway 1100 yrs ago. Icelendic Horses have up to 5 gaits (instead of 3 like other horses); walk, trot, canter, tolt, and flying pace. They are known for their tolt, a smooth four-beat lateral ambling gait, which is very comfortable and fast. They can appear in 42 different color combinations, with more than a hundred variations.(from Wikipedia)

Houston, Texas

November 1971 began career in the Houston Police Department March 1972 graduated from the Houston Police Academy assigned to the Accident Division March 1977 promoted to Detective/Sergeant assigned to the Homicide Division where I would remain for 28 years March 2005 retired from the Houston Police Department, time to travel with my wife and photograph the world.