Webstills

Aerial Photography | Alex MacLean

2014-02-05T20:20:00.002-08:00

Photographer Alex MacLean has created this stunning series of shots from aboard his plane "Cessna 182. Located at an altitude of 1500 meters, he Photographed not only the fields and forest, but also residential areas, industrial zone, as well as recreational facilities. The results was a wonderful series, perfectly conveys, the beauty of lines and shapes our world from a height. Alex interested in filming the plane for almost four decades, since 1975 , he received his pilot's license and bought plane Cessna 182. Alex to love watching how changing landscapes and photographing farmland — one of his favorite pastimes. Only " Session with Farmland" Alex McLean spent more that 6,000 hours.

The exhibition of the world's greatest aerial photographers is held in London for the first time, at Beetles + Huxley, 3-5 Swallow Street, London W1B 4DE the exhibition takes place on Monday 3rd March 2014 to Saturday 29th March 2014 More information @ Beetlesandhuxley.com

Holidaymakers in the pool of Orlando, Florida, USA.

"Jolly Roger" - a water park in Ocean City, Maryland, USA.

B-52 bombers on the "graveyard of technology" in Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Boat at the marina in Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA.

Drainage and irrigation Marias River, Loma, Montana, USA.

All the same cemetery military equipment in Tucson, Arizona.

Traces of tomatoes on the field, the north-central part of Ohio, USA.

Round floating docks in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Flower Fields, Lompoc, California, USA.

Bay in Fremont, California, USA.

Cargo containers in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA.

Bright house in Burano, Italy.

"The marked territory" in Viareggio, Italy.

Residential quarter in the desert, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Golf oasis in the desert, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Territory of umbrellas in Camaiore, Tuscany, Italy.

On the roads of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Public swimming pool without the public in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Livorno, Italy.

Sunbathe poolside, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Residential area in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.

Open pit mine in Bagdad, Arizona, USA

Source — Telegraph.co.uk | Alexmaclean.com | Beetlesandhuxley.com

The Chapel of Skulls | Kaplica Czaszek, Poland

2014-02-04T19:43:00.002-08:00

The Kaplica Czaszek (Chapel of the Skulls) is located between St. Bartholomew's church of the Polish village Czermna. The walls and ceiling of the church are decorated with thousands of human skulls and bones. The chapel was built in 1776, when America was declaring its independence form England. Polish people of Czernma are surviving with acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food and hunger. They are victim of war or the Plague. Most likely it is the mass grave of people who died during the thirty years war "1618-1648". The plague that broke out during the war and the Three Silesian Wars "1740-63 and other military conflicts.

The urbane looking Kaplica Czaszek is garnished with 21,000 human skeletons and thousands of Skulls. Today the skulls are installed and include a Tartar warriors skull, the Czermana mayor and his wife, skull with bullet holes, and skull swiss-cheesed by syphilis, and even the skull of giant. Beside these special skulls are those of the priest and the grave digger themselves, presiding proudly over the chapel of Skulls they created and now call their final resting place.

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Source — Wikipedia.org | klearchosguidetothegalaxy | Atlasobscura.com

The Sculpture of Porsche | Gerry Judah

2014-02-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

Gerry Judah was grew up in West Bengal-INDIA, he was born in 1951 in Kolkata. His mother was also born in kolkata but his father in Rangoon. Gerry Juhda's maternal and paternal grandparents came from Baghdad to settle in Baghdadi Jewish community in India and Burma. In age of ten Gerry family moved to London. Gerry Judah studied Foundation Art and Desing at Barnet college form 1970-72 before obtaining a First-class honours degree in Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, University of London in 1975 and Post Graduate Sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London from 1975-77.

Judah's work is strongly theatrical, drawing upon influences from the ornate Indian architecture seen during his youth as well as the time spent as an adult as a set designer and decorator. Judah set up his studio in Shaftesbury Avenue in London in 80's. There is start to work on creating large sculptures, which were exhibited at the Camden Arts Center, Whitechapel Art Gallery and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, whilst simultaneously starting to build a reputation for his innovative design. The sculpture of Porsche 911s soaring up into the sky like rockets, secured onto the end of 35 meter-long hollow steel plates that have welded together. Gerry Judah created the sculptural installation for car brand Porsche at Goodwood Festival of Speed, in July 2013.

Source — Judah.co.uk | Sculpture.org.uk | Dezeen.com

Van Cleef & Arpels Complication Poétique Midnight Planétarium

2014-02-03T19:56:00.002-08:00

Luxury watchmaker Van Cleef & Arpels has created amazing timepiece that track time on a grandly cosmic scale. The Midnight Planetarium Poetic Complication, The astronomically-themed watch is a welcome departure from the norm and is a beautiful new high-end piece traditionally complicated timepiece lovers. The brand's new planet of our solar system orbiting the Sun in real time. The real time standard means that tiny Mercury will record a lap around the watch's face in a relatively speedy 88 days, Venus will require 224, and Earth will do it in a calendar year. Saturn, as the farthest planet from the Sun, won't make it back to its starting position for a an astounding 29 and a half years. Inside the 18ct rose gold case are 396 intricate parts working together to complete the movement, while the strap is crafted from black alligator leather.

Astronomical watch, showing the exact position of the Planets.

Source — Vancleefarpels.com | Freshnessmag.com | Ablogtowatch.com

The X-shaped Bridge | Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge

2014-02-03T19:55:00.002-08:00

Talking about the land mark of Brazil, the mind click comes to " Christ the Redeemer Statue towering over the Rio. The second largest building which is the national pride of the country, a grand stayed bridge Octavio Frias Oliveria, named after a popular local newspaper publisher who influenced to a large extent on the whole social life of Sao Paulo, which actually is a magnificent bridge.

Amazing and unsurpassed design, that we can say, a delicious combination of engineering solution with high aesthetic qualities that make this building so impressive that the fame of the beauty sold worldwide. The quaintness of the bridge structure in that it substantially rests only on the X-shaped monolithic concrete base with running from it to the roadway steel shrouds, the of which pieces. The height of the pillars are 138 meters and stretched cables, illuminated by special LED bridge added visual lightness and weightlessness. It is the only bridge in the world that has two curved tracks supported by a single concrete mast. The two curved tracks, one at an elevation of 12 meters and the other at an elevation of 24 meters, have approximate lengths of 900 meters each. Due to this effect, the construction seems to be hovering over the water of the river Pinheiros and automobiles highways passing underneath. Apart from it utilitarian purpose of unloading vehicle traffic, the bridge to the city skyline a touch of uniqueness and originality, effectively becoming its principal symbol.

The Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in São Paulo, Brazil. — Image by Flickr User Fernando Bryan Frizzarin

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Mark Weinberg Photography

2014-02-03T00:50:00.003-08:00

Mark Weinberg is a photographer and his love of photography began at the age of ten when he saved up enough money to buy a 35mm Pentax. He took it everywhere. He was raised in Pennsylvania and Utah. His college education at Brigham Young University that his discovered that he could turn his passion into a career, and he decided to drop his chemistry studies half of his double major to focus on his bachelor's degree of fine arts in Photography. As a photographer he love to travel with his camera to twenty-three different countries we are witness on his INSTAGRAM. Through his interest in design, creation, form, and light, photography became Mark's main outlet for expression. Recently Mark and his wife Liz visit a 3 week long trip to Norway to explore the country's natural beauty. Scaling jagged cliffs, visiting wooden cabins, driving along winding roads, and learning about their family's ancestry, Mark and Liz experienced an adventure they would never forget.

Source — Markweinbergphoto.com | Vsco.com | Blog

Ayers Rock Waterfall | Uluru

2014-02-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

The Large sandstone formation called Uluru, also know as Ayers Rock. The southern part of Northern Territory of central Australia. Its lies 335 Km south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 Km by road. The huge Sandstone rock formation in Australia is amazing, these amazing captures of waterfalls found in Uluru or Ayers Rock at Uluru Kata-Tjura National Park sure add more fascination trekking on this huge Sandstone rocks. The crevasses are due to erosion, primarily by water. Although it is a dry region, the large are of these domes collects a lot of rainwater, which runs of the steep waterfalls during rain. More than 50 millimeters of rain fell in the Uluru Kata-Tjuta Park in Central Australia, creating waterfalls off the famous monolith.

Image by Flickr User Tom McShane

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Source — Wikipedia.org | Abc.net.au

Bunker 599

2014-02-03T00:49:00.003-08:00

Bunker 599, one of the small sproket in the New Dutch Waterline, it was originally built in 1940, to defense up to 13 soldiers during bombing raids of second world war and the intervention by Dutch Studios RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon Reveals. The small, dark space inside, which are normally hidden from view. The Defense used between 1815 and 1940 to protect the cities of Muiden, Utrecht, Vreeswijk and Gorinchem by flooding the area with water. In 700 bunkers the Bunker 599 is slice through the solid concrete bunker in 40 days along the New Dutch Waterline, a part of the series of water-based defenses. The building has been rupture down from the middle and create a unique and competent war memories. Now days it is a part of tourist attraction. Ronad Rietveld of RAAAF said " Our aim with the project was to question the policies on monuments by doing this intervention." The set of stairs is also connect the near by road to path that leads through the center of the bunker onto a wooden boardwalk raised above the flooded area.

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Thanks To — Bart van Damme | JackupCity | Maya Bogaert | Jörn Schiemann | Dezeen.com

Tianjin Porcelain House | The Private Museum

2014-02-03T00:48:00.002-08:00

Tianjin Porcelain House is also know as ‘China House’ or ‘Yuebao House’ is a contemporary museum of pottery and antiques in Tianjin, china. The House was opened in September 2007. Tianjin Porcelain house is located on chifeng street in Heping Deistict, the Tainjin Commercial Center, which has been radically re-decorated bye its present owner, Zhang Lianzhi. The area of a House is 3000 square meters,

The Old French style building with a history of over 100 years. Zhang Lianzhi spent one million Yuan approx US$ 125,000 buying the house. The owner refurnish it with hundreds of thousand of porcelain pieces daiting from Tang (AD 618-907) to Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It is calculated more than 400 million pieces of ancient porcelain, 16 thousand pieces of ancient chinaware, 300 white-marble carvings, and 20 tons of natural crystals were used in the process, costing approximately over 2 billion RMB(Chinese currency). About 80 Percent of the porcelain used in the house is broken or damaged antiques. The these pieces had been carefully disguised when being pasted on the wall, and more lively and interesting composition and presented in 2007 for visitors.

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Source — Whatsontianjin.com

Building in munich re-imagined in 88 ways | Victor Enrich

2014-02-03T00:47:00.002-08:00

Photographer Victor Enrich has re-imagined an interesting photos of a building in 88 différents configurations, Which he has captured in Munich, Germany. Victor Enrich, a Barcelona based photographer, For his most recent project, he took an image of the NH Deutscher Kaiser hotel and the the name Project NHDK. The Most are impossible twists and turns, but some pass as surprisingly realistic. Some of the renditions are pretty tough to see toward the end. But all of the images are available as prints in multiple sizes on Enrich's web. An exciting project, allowing the artist to show us the full extent of his imagination through a series of images.

Source — Thisiscolossal.com | Developer-victore.com

Stradivarius Violin Shaped Swimming Pools

2014-02-03T00:46:00.002-08:00

The people at Cipriano Landscape Design created this violin swimming pool for a client in Bedford, New York who is an amateur violin player and collector.

Cipriano Landscape Design & Custom Swimming Pools delivered a great project that simply surprise you. Not only with the shape – bridge, strings, tailpiece, and chin rest of the violin included in the build – but with its state of the art features. The high level of labyrinth can be found as well as in the design, but also in the modern technology the entire pool offers.

Designed in the shape of a Stradivarius Violin, this violin swimming pool is made of steel and stone and features an underwater audio system, two koi ponds and a 12 person spa. The four violin "strings" of the Stradivarius pool contain 5760 strands of fiber optic lighting that help enhance the violin design at night. The project not only pertained to the pool itself but the surrounding landscape as well.

Though not a violin player or swimmer myself, it's easy to appreciate the amount of hard work and clever design that went into make such an exceptionally crafted violin pool.

Source — Cipriano Landscape Design & Custom Swimming Pools

Dune of Pyla | The Largest Sand Dune in Europe

2014-02-03T00:45:00.001-08:00

Natural phenomena - phenomena of nature, which is difficult to find a reasonable explanation. Looking for tons of sand on the French coast, it seems that this is a joke of some wizard: take a piece of the Sahara and move it here, in the waters of the Bay of Biscay near the Bay of Arcachon, neatly stacked on the border of coniferous forests sixty kilometers from Bordeaux.

In fact, the appearance of his biggest dune in Europe is obliged to natural processes. Namely river Lehr, which diligently for centuries carried sand in the ocean and leave them on the shelf, located directly opposite the current dunes. And the wind, in turn, also diligently include sand on the beach, a place where every year grew dune.

150 years ago, its height was small - only about 35 meters. However, stop the advance of failed sand - dune now adds an average of 4 meters per year, while some moves from side to side, and its height, depending on the wind changing from 80 to 107 meters.

In general, the Large dune stretches almost 3 km along the coast and another 500 meters deep pine forests, which, incidentally, came here at the behest of the individual - was planted in the mid-19th century as a measure of local drainage of wetlands.

The Great Dune of PYLA, or PILAT (both spellings are corrects, oddly enough), the tallest sand dune in Europe. Image by Flickr User Linselys

It is one the main oyster-farming regions in France; so try the “Route des Huitres”, the route of oysters, where you will learn everything there is to know about them. Tired of the Ocean? Visit the lakes at Biscarosse, south of the inlet. It is a little paradise, formed some 4000 years ago, with white-sand beaches and warm waters (up to 28°C in the summer), great for aquatic activities or fishing. How about ending the day with a first flight in a ULM hydroplane?

All these activities, and many more, make the region very popular nowadays. But imagine how attractive this wonderful climate was to the rich and famous at the end of 19th century. It was a time when leaving the wet and humid regions of northern Europe in the winter was a must. And Arcachon was (and still is) a great alternative to French Riviera.

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Source — France.com | Dune-pyla.com

The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku | Azerbaijan

2014-01-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

Zaha Hadid Architects have designed the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. “The Heydar Aliyev Center hosts a variety of cultural programs, its design is a departure from the rigid and often monumental architecture of the former Soviet Union that is so prevalent in Baku, aspiring instead to express the sensibilities and diversity of Azeri culture. The Center’s design establishes a continuous, fluid relationship between its surrounding plaza and the building’s interior. The plaza, as the ground surface, accessible to all, rises to envelop an equally public interior and define a sequence of event spaces within. Undulations, folds, and inflections modify this surface to create an architectural landscape that performs a multitude of functions: welcoming, embracing, and directing visitors throughout the center; blurring the conventional differentiation between architecture and landscape, interior and exterior. Fluidity in architecture is not new to the region. The continuous calligraphic scripts and patterning of historical Islamic architecture flow from carpets to walls, walls to ceilings, ceilings to domes; establishing seamless relationships and blurring distinctions between architectural elements and the ground they inhabit. The Center’s design relates to this historical understanding of architecture, not through the use of mimicry or a limiting adherence to the iconography of the past, but with a firmly contemporary interpretation.”

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Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center | Image by Flickr User Mondo*dr

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Source — Zaha-Hadid | BeutifulLife

Grundtvig's Church | Copenhagen, Denmark

2014-01-28T22:18:00.005-08:00

Grundtvig's Church or Grundtvigs Kirke is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best known churches in the city. The commission for the construction of a church to be named after the Danish philosopher and hymn writer N. F. S. Grundtvig was decided through a competition, won by Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint in 1913. The foundation of the new church was only laid after World War I, on 8 September 1921, Grundtvig's birthday. Building took place mainly from 1921 to 1926 when the tower section was completed, leading to the initial inauguration of the so-called Tower Church in 1927. Further work on the interior and on adjacent buildings continued until 1940 and was completed by Klint's son Kaare Klint after his father's death in 1930. The church stands at the centre of a residential development (1924–36), also in yellow brick, designed by Jensen-Klint in harmony with the church.

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Architecture — Jensen-Klint's design for Grundtvig's Church is a synthesis of architectural styles. In preparation for the project, the architect studied many Danish village churches, particularly those on the island of Zealand with stepped gables. Their traditional building techniques, materials and decoration inspired his design. Klint merged the modern geometric forms of Brick Expressionism with the classical vertical of Gothic architecture.

The most striking feature of the building is its west facade, reminiscent of a westwork or of the exterior of a church organ. It includes the 49 m (160 ft) tall bell tower. The imposing facade with its strong verticality guides one's eyes towards the sky. The bottom half of the tower is simple brick while the upper reaches present the appearance of one solid, rippling surface.

Klint decorated the nave with a version of the stepped gables common on Danish churches, but reinterpreted by doubling the apex. The nave was designed with generous dimensions: the triple-aisled hall church is 76 m (259 ft) long in total and 35 m (115 ft) wide; the nave has a height of 22 m (72 ft).

Image By Flickr User Maciek Lulko

Interior — The interior, inspired by Gothic architecture and comparable in size to Copenhagen cathedral, fits a congregation of 1,800. Some six million yellow bricks, a typical Danish building material, were used for the edifice. In its floor plan, the interior resembles that of a typical Gothic church with a nave, two lateral aisles and a small transept. Its proportions are also Gothic: a long, narrow nave, an extremely high ceiling, the columns which rise up to pointed arches and the ribbed groin vaults above the nave and aisles. But it is the yellow brick and the lack of ornamentation which contribute to the Gothic verticality while adhering to the minimalist modern aesthetic.

The Two Organs — The church has two organs. The one on the north side of the nave near the chancel was built in 1940 by Marcussen & Søn, the facade being designed by Kaare Klint. It has 14 stops, two manuals and a pedalboard. The much larger Marcussen instrument at the western end of the nave was added in 1965 with a facade designed by Kaare Klint's son, Esben Klint. It has 55 stops, four manuals and a pedalboard. The largest of its pipes weighs 425 kg (937 lb) and, with a length of 32 feet (11 m), is the longest organ pipe in Scandinavia.

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Integration and flanking buildings — The scheme also including construction of a number of buildings collectively known as On the Hill (da. På Bjerget) on each side of the church, places it in a symmetrical context to enhance its visual impact. Designed by Jensen-Klint in collaboration with Vilhelm Wittrup, Charles I. Schou and Georg Gøssel, the buildings contain the parish hall and apartments and were built from 1924 to 1926.

A long tree-lined road leads through Bispebjerg cemetery directly towards the church and the flanking buildings, creating a viewing axis similar to those of the Baroque period.

Source | Wiki

Murinsel River Bridge | Austria

2014-01-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

Like a giant turtle shell or inverted in the midst of the river Mur in Graz is a unique bridge-island that so called - Murinsel, Mur Island.

The Murinsel — German, literally Mur island, in Graz, Austria, is actually not an island at all, but an artificial floating platform in the middle of the Mur river. This landmark of Graz was designed by New York artist Vito Acconci on the occasion of Graz becoming the 2003 European Capital of Culture.

The building is in the form of a giant sea shell and measures 47 m (154 ft) in length, about 350 people here who can spend time with children, spectate neighborhood, with this structure, they look totally different angle. Two footbridges connect it with both banks of the Mur. The center of the platform forms an amphitheatre. Below a twisted round dome there is a café and a playground.

Image By Flickr User Snuffy

Island platform anchors secured to the bottom of the river resembles a sink with two uniform zones: open and closed. In one part of the shell-bridge, under glass, there is a cafe-bar in the other, under a clear sky - amphitheater. Between children's playground and a maze of ropes.

With two different coasts of the platform are metal ladders in the overall picture obtained bridge island. In the evening the lights gives an unusual sight, bridge island is revealed on the other hand, wrapped in a mysterious mystery. Bridge Murinzel became the new pride of the city. It was built temporarily for a period of celebration, but the locals have left him forever, as another cultural heritage of a new era.

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Source | Wiki

Numerous Emotions and Fleeting Expressions By Uli Knorzer

2014-01-27T23:30:00.001-08:00

Uli Knörzer studied visual communication at the Academy of Art and Design, Offenbach and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He currently lives in Berlin, working as an illustrator for various national and international magazines. A central theme of his art is the human being, whose numerous emotions and fleeting expressions he skillfully captures in minimal, precisely positioned pencil strokes. Uli's illustrations quietly celebrate the beauty of transient moments and it goes without saying that every observer is inevitably invited to this intimate celebration. Uli Knörzer — Based: Berlin (Germany) / long-term: Paris (France), Speaks: German, English, French

Source | www.artloveaffair.com | Uliknoerzer.com

Combe Laval Road | France

2014-01-27T23:26:00.007-08:00

Frequently recognized as the most magnificent road in the French Alps, this road through Combe Laval was constructed between 1861 and 1898 and originally served for the transportation of timber from the Forêt de Lente to St-Jean-en-Royans (France).

Right now it mainly attracts cyclists eager to face the challenge of a steep climb and be rewarded with awe-inspiring views of the Vercors region. The most spectacular stretch of the road, between St. Jean-en-Royans and Col de la Machine, cuts into the cliff-like side of the gorge and runs via a series of short, narrow tunnels. Nearly 8 mi (13 km) of lush, alpine beauty and dizzying heights. To go through this road, at Saint Jean en Royans, take the D 76 at the end of the village, direction Col de la Machine.

Photo by Flickr User Gold Auraque

This road is famous because it was directly carved in the cliff and it takes to an impressive cirque above the Royans which is 4 km deep. The unique view on le "Golfe du Royans" from the Gaudissard belvedere is not to be missed. The road becomes vertiginous, going through tunnels and metallic roadways. Because of the beauty of its landscapes, Combe Laval is protected as a national heritage site under Articles L341 and foll. of the Environmental code (decree of 28 January 1991). The protected site is located on the districts of Bouvante, St Jean en Royans and Saint Laurent en Royans in the Drôme department. It spreads over approximately 962 hectares.

Photo by Flickr User Fenlandsnapper

There is an easy explanation to why the Vercors is often being compared to a stone vessel or a citadel. Separated from its peripheral regions by staggering cliffs, the massif’s only connection to the outside world is through a few indentations in its rocky ramparts. Within the Royans, Combe Laval is amongst the most spectacular of these breaches: a magnificent cirque digging more than four kilometers into the Vercors walls. Surrounded by sheer peaks several hundred meters high, it certainly does not provide easy access to the plateau. However, an almost aerial road was built directly onto the cliffs in the 19th century. Along with the Petits Goulets and the Grands Goulets roads of the Bourne or Nan Gorges, this road provides one of the few spectacular access ways to the heart of the fortress.

Photo by Flickr User Fabrizio Giudici

In the 19th century, the operation and management of the Lente forests became an economical priority. However, wood transportation is made difficult by the old Chemin des Chartreux running along the edge of the Combe. Eventually, a roadway project connecting Saint Jean to the Col de la Machine is set in motion but will take fifty years to be achieved.

From the Col de Gaudissart, towering 600 meters above the gate of the Combe, the road is deeply carved into the rock. Eleven tunnels are needed to pass through the sheer peaks towering over Combe Laval.

Sometimes underground, sometimes aerial, the road offers many breathtaking panoramic viewpoints. The fact that the road has gone from being an economical necessity to a touristic attraction in the 20th century comes as no surprise.

Photo by Flickr User Garth2005

This infamous road is tightly hairpinned and bumped, an exquisite winding mountain drive with sharp and blind curves and hairpin switchbacks leading the traveler over the mountains. The road includes some steep sections, without market central lines, is very narrow, barely wide enough for 2 cars at the same time and it has not protections or guardrails. The surface of the road is asphalt, and chains or snow tyres can be required anytime.

Photo by Flickr User Chris Juden
The road's winding design, providing stunning panoramic views, is very curvy and fun for a leisurely ride, so it pays to take it slow. Exercise extreme caution when passing on-coming traffic, over-taking and around corners.his road is usually open all year, but during winter months, it can be closed when the access is not cleared of snow. In winter, avalanches and heavy snowfalls can sometimes block some sections of the road and can be extremely dangerous in winter due to frequent patches of ice. Conditions can change quickly and be harsh, particularly during winter.

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Text Source | Dangerousroads.org

Serpent d’Océan | A Massive Metal Sea Serpent Skeleton on a Beach in France

2014-01-27T23:19:00.002-08:00

Photo By Tindy

Stuck in a perpetual state of decay on the French shore at Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, the massive metal sculpture entitled, Serpent D'Océan is a terrifying vision with an environmental message.

The skeletal serpent was unveiled in 2012 as part of the Estuaire art exhibition which invites international artists to create large-scale works using the environment surrounding the Loire River between Nantes to Saint-Nazaire. The work was created by Chinese-French artist Huang Yong Ping, who used the rough iconography of China's mythological dragons to design the over 400 foot long art monster. The beast is posed in slithering movement despite being nothing more than bones, giving the dull metal frame an unsettlingly life-like quality.

The Highest waterfall in New York | Letchworth State Park

2014-01-27T23:14:00.000-08:00

Letchworth State Park is a beautiful park with waterfalls surrounded by a very wonderful nature. The Park is located approximately 55 kilo meters southwest of Rochester and 95 kilo meters southeast of the city of Buffalo in Livingston and Wyoming Counties. The highest waterfall in New York is located in Letchworth State Park. In the park there are three large waterfalls on the Genesee River and as many as 50 waterfalls found on tributaries that flow into the Gorge formed by the river. The Genesee River in Portage Canyon crosses a stone bridge just below the lowest waterfall. The Middle waterfall is the highest, and the Upper Falls has an active railway bridge which gives panoramic views over the waterfalls. Three major waterfalls in the park called top, middle and bottom of the fall is located on the Portage Canyon, the southern part of the Park. The Park has an area of about 29 kilo meters long and include 14,390 acres of land along the Genesee River. In the park there is also a bedrock exposed in the late Devonian period, most of the pieces of several layers of limestone and sandstone. Stone has been set in the ancient inland sea and many marine fossils can be found in the Park.

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Letchworth State Park is a very popular once the tourists from different countries, to see the natural beauty of this garden and woodland are still very natural once. Every day, a lot of tourists come here. Because of the beauty of the garden is a very beautiful and very stunning waterfalls. Hotels here are also teeming with tourists as the hotel here in complete with suitable facilities for your weekend getaway with Spa and massage to relax. If you want to find and eat here also there is a restaurant which is very delicious and very tasty. Letchworth State Park is very well suited for holidays with your family and your loved one.

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Bracken Bat Cave: World's Largest Bat Colony

2014-01-17T21:35:00.001-08:00

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The Bracken Bat Cave, located in southern Comal County, Texas, outside the city of San Antonio, is the summer home to the largest colony of bats in the world. Each year during summer, an estimated 20 million Mexican Free-tailed bats migrate from Mexico to Texas to give birth and raise their pups. While these bats take refuge all across the state, the largest congregation takes place at Bracken Cave.

Every night from March to October, these tiny creatures fly out of the 100-foot-wide crescent-shaped opening to feed. The bats’ exodus is slow at first as they linger at the cave’s lip, circling round and round inside before emerging. Over the next four hours, millions and millions of bats stream out of the cave in graceful swirls as they rise into the wide sky and dissipate in the distance. They spread out over a 60-mile radius from the cave at heights of up to 10,000 feet and over the next 8 to 12 hours feed on hundreds of tons of insects, such as moths and agricultural pests. Their emergence is so dense that it shows up on Doppler radar, according to TexasCoopPower.com. Those who have seen the bats’ nightly emergence have described the sound they generate as that of steadily falling rainstorm.

Besides tourists and bat lovers, a host of other creatures expectantly wait for their exit. Great Horned Owl and Harris’s Hawks scope out potential dinners from nearby trees, while skunks, raccoons, opossums and rattlesnakes lurk on the ground to strike low-flying bats from the air.

The Bracken bat colony consumes tons of insects each night and plays an important role in pest control, helping farmers control moths, beetles and insects that destroy corn, cotton and other crops. The Bracken site has had a significant role in Texas and US history. The cave was mined in the 1860s for guano (bat droppings) to manufacture black gunpowder, during the Civil War. The guano was later used as a rich fertilizer for croplands across the United States.

The bat cave sits upon private land owned by Bat Conservation International that owns 697 acres of undeveloped land around it. Access to the cave is restricted to protect the habitat of the resident bats, but evening guided tours to the cave are offered to watch the bats emerge from the cave.

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The Top 7 U.S. States for Animal Photography

2014-01-17T21:33:00.003-08:00

Capturing wildlife photography is an exhilarating pastime with something new to experience during every outing. You never know what you’ll find when you head out with your camera to a secluded spot far from civilization and safely within the realm of nature. Check out these hot spots around the U.S. for diverse photography opportunities that'll give you a gentle glimpse of a different world.

California for Elephant Seals

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Thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the elephant seal is a prominent sight along the coast in Piedras Blancas, California. This stunning creature was once hunted nearly to extinction. Thanks to conservation efforts, you can now see a colony of about 15,000 elephant seals in the rookery near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. As the name suggests, this animal looks like a bulbous cross between an elephant and a seal. Males set up residence in the area around late November. Females arrive in December and give birth the next month. Babies stay in the area another three or four months.

Florida for Manatees

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In the winter months, Florida’s manatees head toward the warm clear waters of local springs and wildlife sanctuaries. In these shallow areas, it’s easy to spot and photograph these stunning creatures, even from above the water. Try the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Blue Spring State Park, or Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. Always follow local rules and recommendations for safe manatee viewing.

North Carolina for Black Bears

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Black bears are present throughout 60 percent of North Carolina. While these animals make for stunning wildlife photography, it’s important to treat these encounters with care. Always keep at least 150 feet away from black bears. This is the time to use your zoom features and get your wildlife photography from a respectful distance. Your presence should never cause the bear to change his path or pattern. With fast NC Internet service providers you can snap your pics quick, get away, and have them shared with friends before the bears even notice you were ever there.

Maryland for Bald Eagles

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The majestic bald eagle is no longer a rare sight in spots throughout the U.S. One of the more popular locations for photographing bald eagles in the wild is in Maryland. There are large populations around the Chesapeake Bay area. The breeding population was at a low of just 44 pairs in 1977. In 2004, the number was up to 390 pairs and was estimated to top 500 pairs in 2010. Grab your camera and enjoy a patriotic – and none too uncommon – sight.

Utah for Elk

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Head to Hardware Ranch in northern Utah to spot thousands of Rocky Mountain elk. Take part in wagon rides in the summer or sleigh rides in the winter. The visitor center here will help you become better acquainted with these creatures as well. With so many stunning viewing opportunities, great photos are readily available.

Alaska for Caribou

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Caribou are readily identifiable by their massive antlers. Both the males and females of this species display these eye-catching antlers. For a majestic view with stunning lines and stately carriage, this animal is a great choice. Wildlife photographers will find caribou throughout Alaska, distributed through 32 herds. Denali National Park is a beautiful starting point for caribou as well as other wildlife viewings.

Wyoming for Bison

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Bison are readily visible in many parts of Grand Teton National Park. You can see them grazing around Mormon Row and Snake River most of the year. This area is teeming with other types of wildlife as well, including bald eagles, beavers, moose, coyotes, American kestrels, and elk. Always keep your distance from these animals and use your zoom to get the best shots without disturbing local wildlife populations.

Any time you’re photographing wildlife, it’s important to remember that you want to protect these majestic and awe-inspiring creatures for future generations. Research the local ecology so you know how to best pursue the animals without disturbing them, so your discreet photos aren't the only evidence left that you ever ventured into their territory.

This guest article was contributed by Mandi Rogier who writes regularly on travel topics throughout the United States. She currently resides in Central Florida where she keeps regular tabs on some of the most popular theme parks in the world.

Magnetic Termite Mounds

2014-01-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

In Australia's Northern Territory, inside the protected Litchfield National Park, near the township of Batchelor, about 100 kilometers southwest of Darwin, termites build peculiar mounds that are mysteriously aligned to the earth’s magnetic field. Wide swathe of empty ground are filled with hundreds of termite mounds that look like tombstones from a distance, but much larger. The magnetic termite mounds rise to as much as three meters in height, look relatively flat and they all face the same direction with their thinner edges facing the north and south like the needle of a compass.

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The currently accepted hypothesis is that the precise alignment allows the termites to keep their homes comfortable. Northern Australia gets extremely hot during the day and cool at night, and researchers believe termites have somehow harnessed the power of the earth’s magnetism to strategically climate-control their homes.

Graham Brown, a former curator of insects at the Northern Territory Museum explains that these towering mounds are essentially termite apartment buildings. A single nest may contain tens of thousands of termites. To comfortably house all those insects, the mound needs to have just the right architecture. He says all the little rooms, or galleries, need the proper moisture level and a good internal temperature, and the north-south alignment of the mounds seems to help keep the termites comfortable.

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Sources: PBS, About.com

The House in the Island of Elliðaey By

2014-01-17T21:26:00.002-08:00

If there ever is an ultimate holiday getaway location, it has to be the island of Elliðaey near Vestmannaeyjar, a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland, and the enchanting little house on it

Elliðaey is the third largest island in Iceland having an area of 0.45 square km in area. It is believed to have formed in an eruption about 5-6 thousand years. The island is accessible via a rope on its lower east side and by a boat from the mainland. There are a few lonesome cattle to keep you company on the island and thousands of sea birds that use it for a nesting site.

Not much information is available about the island or the house. The only source of reliable information seems to be anIcelandic website that is very poorly translated by Google:

The island is a major veiðihús owned Ellidagrim Society Islands, which engages in lundaveiði eggjatöku in summer and in spring. In the old days was called veiðihúsið "night". The first bed that was built on the island still stands. It is used for storage, and is west of the "creative". In 1953 a new night was erected at the foot Hábarðs the old house did not pass the test of time. 1985, work began on building a new veiðihús on two floors which was integral with the house that was built 1953 . was completed with the construction of 1987. 1994 revealed that bed from 1953 had become ill take it that it was not possible to use it anymore. 'cause it was pulled down and built another house instead of in the same location, the building was completed in 1996. On period 2000-2001 was built a small house west of the bed that houses a sauna Ellidagrim Society Islands.

Not much information is available about the island or the house. The only source of reliable information seems to be anIcelandic website that is very poorly translated by Google:

The island is a major veiðihús owned Ellidagrim Society Islands, which engages in lundaveiði eggjatöku in summer and in spring. In the old days was called veiðihúsið "night". The first bed that was built on the island still stands. It is used for storage, and is west of the "creative". In 1953 a new night was erected at the foot Hábarðs the old house did not pass the test of time. 1985, work began on building a new veiðihús on two floors which was integral with the house that was built 1953 . was completed with the construction of 1987. 1994 revealed that bed from 1953 had become ill take it that it was not possible to use it anymore. 'cause it was pulled down and built another house instead of in the same location, the building was completed in 1996. On period 2000-2001 was built a small house west of the bed that houses a sauna Ellidagrim Society Islands.

Not much information is available about the island or the house. The only source of reliable information seems to be anIcelandic website that is very poorly translated by Google:

The island is a major veiðihús owned Ellidagrim Society Islands, which engages in lundaveiði eggjatöku in summer and in spring. In the old days was called veiðihúsið "night". The first bed that was built on the island still stands. It is used for storage, and is west of the "creative". In 1953 a new night was erected at the foot Hábarðs the old house did not pass the test of time. 1985, work began on building a new veiðihús on two floors which was integral with the house that was built 1953 . was completed with the construction of 1987. 1994 revealed that bed from 1953 had become ill take it that it was not possible to use it anymore. 'cause it was pulled down and built another house instead of in the same location, the building was completed in 1996. On period 2000-2001 was built a small house west of the bed that houses a sauna Ellidagrim Society Islands.

Not much information is available about the island or the house. The only source of reliable information seems to be anIcelandic website that is very poorly translated by Google:

The island is a major veiðihús owned Ellidagrim Society Islands, which engages in lundaveiði eggjatöku in summer and in spring. In the old days was called veiðihúsið "night". The first bed that was built on the island still stands. It is used for storage, and is west of the "creative". In 1953 a new night was erected at the foot Hábarðs the old house did not pass the test of time. 1985, work began on building a new veiðihús on two floors which was integral with the house that was built 1953 . was completed with the construction of 1987. 1994 revealed that bed from 1953 had become ill take it that it was not possible to use it anymore. 'cause it was pulled down and built another house instead of in the same location, the building was completed in 1996. On period 2000-2001 was built a small house west of the bed that houses a sauna Ellidagrim Society Islands.

Lake Sørvágsvatn in Faroe Islands

2014-01-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

Sørvágsvatn (or Leitisvatn) is the biggest lake of the Faroe Islands, situated on the island of Vágar. It covers an area of 3.4 square km, more than three times the size of the second biggest lake Fjallavatn, which also lies on the island of Vágar.

The picture you see below is actually an optical illusion. It appears as if the lake is significantly higher than the ocean. In real, the lake is only 30 meter above the sea level, but the cliff facing the camera is 100 meters high. The position of the camera and the angle of the shot makes it seem like the lake is about the same level as the cliff.

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Here is an aerial shot of Lake Sørvágsvatn that gives a better picture.

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The lake itself is nothing spectacular, other than being the biggest one on Faroe Islands. It’s over 6 km long. The headlands on either side of the Lake drop precipitously from heights of 252 and 376 m. into the North Atlantic. From this perspective, we also have a head-on view of the Bøsdalafossur waterfall, which is the Lake's outlet into the ocean. Distant north and east of the Lake provide vistas of rugged parts of the island of Streymoy.

Among the locals there is a fierce debate regarding the name of the lake. The inhabitants of Sørvágur take pride in the fact that the lake is named after their village. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Miðvágur want to name the lake Leitisvatn, since, on their side of the lake, the land alongside the body of water is called Leiti.

Today it may seem strange to call the lake Sørvágsvatn given the fact, that the village of Miðvágur is situated closer to the lake, than the village of Sørvágur. The explanation to this is that the village of Sørvágur was settled before Miðvágur.

The locals mostly refer to Sørvágsvatn/Leitisvatn simply by calling it 'the Lake' (Vatni). Among the inhabitants on the island everyone knows what 'the Lake' is, and it is mostly when people from other parts of the Faroes refer to the lake - either by calling it Sørvágsvatn or Leitisvatn—that the debate will occur.

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You’d Really Have To Love Where You Live To Know It Could Kill You Any Day

2014-01-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

Aogashima is under Japanese control, even though its located in the Philippine Sea, which is far from the country’s capital. That’s not the strangest thing about this island, though.

This island is actually an active Class C volcano.

It hasn’t erupted since the 1780s, but when it did, it killed half of the island’s population.

It took people 50 years to return and now about 200 people live on the island.

This giant island crater is usually only accessible by boat, but there are helicopter services in the area as well.

Once children on the island get old enough, they have to leave in order to go to high school on the mainland.

There’s not much to do on the island, unless you like saunas that are created by massive amounts of geothermal heat.

Although it is beautiful, it’s hard to imagine why someone would want to live on such an isolated and dangerous island, especially with a family. It is impossible to argue taste in volcanic islands, though.

Source: amusingplanet.com