Haven't been out much so no new photos. Here is one of St. John's harbour, U.S. Virgin Islands.





Larger shot

The expansion of the Panama Canal begins.

The other day I posted a picture of this ship,
which is a shopping mall.
I think this shot shows it better,
from the window of a friend's office.
It's really fun to shop there.You can see the harbour, the area where this housing complex is, used to be ocean.

This large plant won first prize at the fair (note the red ribbon), but I couldn't read the identifying card, as it was placed up on a rather high shelf. Anyone know what it is?

Liz, it's commonly known as Angels' Trumpets. The botanical name is Brugmansia. All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested. They are native to South America. They are related to Datura.

Tom, I have that same mug!

Thanks MG! Next question: What was it doing in a Fall Fair exhibition hall in Belleville, Ontario?

Quote:

---

There appears to be some sort of sports complex behind the 'ship', and I wondered if this might have been from where you took the photo?

---

You are right! It is an indoor sports club called Spotlight, right in the middle of the housing estate. What I did not realise was that there are tennis courts on the roof! We live and learn. I run English classes in that very club.

Thanks for the rundown of the Hospitallers, Picqero - haven't had a chance to check out the links but will do so this evening when the house goes quiet I really find that part of history very interesting.

Here's a plover's nest we found while on the salt islands - there were quiet a few scattered about and many had already hatched - this was one of the fwe that was still full.

Mugs? You want a photo of a mug? Here is a mug which you won't find in every home, it was a very limited edition and I never use it in case it breaks. Thanks Terry.

Nice mug Sue. I feel a mug theme coming on for the weekly theme....

This was my alternate choice for the "signs" theme, but couldn't submit two. It was posted on a wall along one of the extremely curvy, narrow roads on the island of St. Lucia.

Ah, Sue, now that's really a mug worth taking care of!

Great sign, cinnam0n.

Westham, near Pevensey, boasts of having one of the first Norman churches in England, built about 1080. Much of the present building is later, but this southern wall still has some of the original fabric.

The entrance to Queens Wood in Muswell Hill. Although I haven't been through this one before I can be certain the sign is a very new one.

Sue, you could start a bidding war with that cup.

A fine day was spent in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which is steeped in history. Sitting on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River is a wall of paintings depicting historical events of the area. Each painting is (I'm guessing here) approximately 15 feet tall and 20 feet long. In front of each wall section is a plaque explaining the painting. Each one of them are beautiful and I'll be posting a few of my favorites in the next couple of days.



Larger view. The painting description (this one is a little hard to read, sorry). The whole wall of all the paintings.

We went to the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley yesterday. At the end of the pond/lake is the laboratory. It may look as if it was once a house but in fact, it never was. It has always been a laboratory and was built in 1916 to look like an old house.



Link to a larger photo.

Nice mix of pic's everyone! I thought this isolated group of trees towering over a cornfield looked quite 'majestic'.

Oh, that smoke ring is awesome, Au-Natural. Not knowing anything about canon blasts, is that a normal occurrence or was it just a fluke?

I don't know anything much about cannon blasts either, ClaraSue. All I can tell you is that of all the rounds they shot off that day that was the only one that produced a smoke ring. I'd be inclined to say that the conditions just happened to be right (i.e, no wind, etc.) and it was a fluke more than anything, but perhaps someone with more experience with such things could tell us for sure... Picqero???




Edited to correct typo...it wasn't an ecclesiastical rule or law I didn't know anything much about, but rather an artillery piece.

Here's a shot at Glacier National Park in Montana. The road is called Going to the sun. It runs across the Continental Divide by way of Logan's Pass at 6,646 Ft. above sea level. It's only two lanes and they do not allow R.V.'s (Caravan's) or large trucks on the road.




Larger shot

Another continental divide pic
This is Gaillard Cut, Panama Canal



Since building the canal they have pared these mountains down.

The pic I posted yesterday is where they are beginning the canal expansion. Here is a pic of the first dynamite explosions. I didn't take it, so I can't post it here.

Canal Expansion Begins

Here's one of the prizes that I didn't even attempt to win at the fair the other day. It was so big it would have frightened Winston and Katt if I'd brought it home!

bhs63 that is an amazing pic of the explosion.
The smoke ring from the cannon was also something.

No amount of heat or rain or other weather abuse seems to squash the bourgainvillae here. These are in the plant growers opposite our place.