Esther's favorite photos

These are the last photos I'll be posting for a week. We head out early tomorrow morning for five days of backpacking in the area of Mount Assiniboine in the Canadian Rockies where we will be entirely out of touch with civilization and electronics. This is Penstemon eatonii, the Firecracker Penstemon, photographed along the La Verkin Creek trail in Zion National Park (Utah). There were not a lot of wildflowers blooming when we were there but those we saw we did photograph.

The first Slotkapel (Castle Chapel) - dedicated to Saint Catherine, the patron of the nobility, was built in 1229, commissioned by Willem I van Egmont. It was located next to the castle of Egmond. In 1430 Count Jan van Egmond ordered the demolition and rebuilding of the chapel in its current simple Gothic style as a one-aisled church. The chapel and castle were destroyed in 1573 in the Eighty Years War, during the siege of the city of Alkmaar. In 1633 the chapel was restored by the States of Holland and West Frisia. Various cities, aristocrats and companies from that time made donations for the restoration, including the fantastic stained-glass windows. The unique clock in the centuries-old tower was made in 1682 by Christiaan Huygens. In 1960 the Slotkapel was in a very poor condition and the municipality intended the demolition of the church. Due to the efforts of a group of citizens the chapel was restored and does still exist. Nowadays it serves as a venue for weddings, exhibitions and concerts.

Generated by AI from photos I took in Philadelphia as follows: Independence Hall (December 7, 2022), the Liberty Bell (August 11, 2023), and the Declaration of Independence (August 11, 2023). The Declaration of Independence is more than a formal document explaining why thirteen British colonies had chosen for themselves a new destiny. Its words echo across time. They belong to free peoples everywhere: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These words present liberty as a universal inheritance that is beyond the authority of any king, czar, or dictator to usurp. Its principles rest on human dignity, lawful self-government, and the right of communities to determine their own future. This universal language creates a shared moral vocabulary. Nations may differ in history, culture, religion, language, and political institutions, but free societies can recognize one another in the Declaration’s central claims that human beings possess rights government does not create, that legitimate authority depends on consent, that government exists to protect liberty, not extinguish it, and that people may rightly resist tyranny when power becomes destructive of their rights. The Declaration also reminds the United States and its allies that friendship among free peoples is not simply transactional. It is a partnership in defense of human dignity, self-government, lawful liberty, and the hope that people everywhere may live without oppression. Free nations must be able to rely on one another in moments of danger, as they have on numerous occasions since July 4, 1776. After all, free nations are not distant strangers. They are partners in a shared human project for a better, more prosperous, and more tolerant future in a contested, turbulent, and still violent world. Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia, PA—August 11, 2023) Performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY—July 4, 2026)

Diese kleinen Schmetterlinge gehören zur Natur einfach dazu und man sieht sie Anfang Frühling am meisten :)) Pip1-4: Nahaufnahmen des Schmetterlings These little butterflies are simply part of nature, and you see them most often in early spring :)) Pip1-4: Close-ups of the butterfly Ces petits papillons font tout simplement partie de la nature, et on les voit surtout au début du printemps :)) Pip1-4 : Gros plans du papillon

Er gehört zu den Blattkäfern,auf den ersten Blick denkt man an einen Marienkäfer, ist aber deutlich länglicher und walzenförmig.Er hat glänzend rote bis orangerote Flügeldecken mit jeweils zwei markanten schwarzen Punkten,einem großen, oft quer gezogenen Fleck hinten und einem kleineren Punkt weiter vorne an der Schulter. Der Halsschild und der Kopf sind tiefschwarz und glänzend.Die ausgewachsenen Käfer sind meist von Mai bis August aktiv. Man findet sie häufig an Waldrändern, auf Wiesen oder an Gebüschen!! Pip1-6: Nahaufnahmen des Käfers It belongs to the leaf beetle family. At first glance, it resembles a ladybug, but it is significantly more elongated and cylindrical. It has glossy red to orange-red elytra (wing covers) with two prominent black spots each: a large, often transverse spot at the rear and a smaller spot further forward on the shoulder. The pronotum (thorax) and head are deep black and glossy. Adult beetles are usually active from May to August. They are frequently found at forest edges, in meadows, or near bushes. Pip1-6: Close-up photos of the beetle Il appartient à la famille des chrysomèles. À première vue, il ressemble à une coccinelle, mais il est nettement plus allongé et cylindrique. Ses élytres (ailes) sont d'un rouge brillant à rouge orangé, ornés chacun de deux taches noires bien visibles : une grande tache, souvent transversale, à l'arrière et une plus petite, plus en avant, sur l'épaule. Le pronotum (thorax) et la tête sont d'un noir profond et brillant. Les adultes sont généralement actifs de mai à août. On les trouve fréquemment en lisière de forêt, dans les prairies ou près des buissons. Pip1-6 : Photos en gros plan du coléoptère

Le tympan au dessus du grand portail est décoré d’une représentation du jugement dernier , lorsque la fin des temps , selon la tradition chrétienne, les morts ressuscitent puis sont jugés par le christ . Ce tympan est subdivisé en trois registres. Au niveau inférieur du tympan les ressuscités sortent de leurs tombeaux au son de la trompette . L'archange saint Michel et sa balance sont présents au milieu d'eux pour peser les âmes. Au bas de la scène, un démon essaie de tricher en faisant pencher l’un des plateaux de son côté. Au registre intermédiaire, les damnés sont séparés des élus et , entièrement nus , poussés par des démons, se dirigent vers la gueule d’un monstre , le Leviathan. Au registre supérieur, le Christ sur son trône, les mains levées, le torse dénudé afin de montrer ses blessures , est entouré de la Vierge et de Saint Jean qui agenouillé intercedent en faveur du salut des âmes, ainsi que des anges qui portent les instruments de la passion . La représentation de l'enfer et du paradis se trouve dans les claveauw inférieurs des voussures des tympans ...... fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathédrale _Notre-dame_d’Amiens

Nach kühlen Nächten springt sie bei den nunmehr hochsommerlichen Temperaturen heute auf. Wünsche euch einen angenehmen Pfingstabend und eine angenehme Woche Erich