Photography Gallery 19

Conservatory Garden of Central Park, New York City

The Garden is composed of three distinct parts, skillfully restored since the 1980s, and is accessible through the Vanderbilt Gate at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, a quarter mile (400 m) south of the park's northeast corner. The Vanderbilt Gate (illustrated right) once gave access to the forecourt of Cornelius Vanderbilt II's chateau designed by George Browne Post, the grandest of the Fifth Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age, at 58th Street and Fifth Avenue, sharing the Plaza with the Plaza Hotel. The wrought iron gates with cast iron and repouss? details, were designed by Post and executed in an iron foundry in Paris. Source: Wikipedia.

Angry Cat Says: "Oh, Hai! Whut U Lookin At?"

Very long-haired cats do not make good outside animals, as their coats are extremely prone to matting. In extreme cases, the mats come to resemble wings, leading to stories of winged cats. The matted fur will usually accumulate in the under arm areas and upper leg region of a long haired cat. In extreme circumstances, the matted fur can inhibit the cat's movements and cause irritation, and can cause the cat to become caught on outside shrubs and trees. When this occurs, the cat's forceful attempts to break away can pull large amounts of clumped fur away, leaving bald areas and possible injuries. If such matting of fur occurs, a simple de-matting comb for cats or dogs will be sufficient to detangle it. At first, the cat may be irritated by the comb, but gentle brushes each day to ease the fur off will gradually work out the matted areas, and continued brushing thereafter can help prevent large clumps of fur from appearing again. Source: Wikipedia.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Orange Koi Breaking the Surface of the Water and Nudging a Rock

Koi or more specifically nishikigoi, literally "brocaded carp"), are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens. They are also called Japanese carp.[citation needed. Koi are among the longest-living vertebrates, with some animals living over 200 years. The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese name means "Carp like Beautiful textile." Nishiki means "its like Beautiful textile," Koior Goi mean "Carp". Source: Wikipedia.

Impression: Zocalo, Mexico City at Night During Day of the Dead Festival

The Zocalo (Spanish pronunciation: [?sokalo], plinth) is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the "Main Square" or "Arms Square," and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constituci?n (Constitution Square). This name does not come from any of the Mexican constitutions that have governed the country but rather from the C?diz Constitution which was signed in Spain in 1812. However, it is almost always called the Z?calo today. Plans were made to erect a column as a monument to Independence, but only the base, or z?calo, was ever built. The plinth was destroyed long ago but the name has lived on. Many other Mexican towns and cities, such as Oaxaca and Guadalajara, have adopted the word z?calo to refer to their main plazas, but not all. Source: Wikipedia.

New Orleans: Statue on the Wall of St. Louis Cemetery

Self Foot-Portrait: Standing on the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England

The Meridian Line is an imaginary line which runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. By international convention it runs through "the primary transit" instrument (main telescope) at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. —GreenwichMeridian.com

Let's Watch Them Shop in the Union Square Christmas Market, New York City

Union Square is an important and historic intersection in New York City, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road now 4th Avenue came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the Federal union of the United States nor labor unions but rather denotes the fact that "here was the union of the two principal thoroughfares of the island."[5] Today it is bounded by 14th Street to the south, Union Square West on the west side, 17th Street on the north, and on the east Union Square East, which links together Broadway and Park Avenue South to Fourth Avenue and the continuation of Broadway. Union Square Park is under the aegis of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Source: Wikipedia.

Dusty and Remote Sunset, Mojave Desert, Southern California

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States. Named after the Mohave tribe of Native Americans, it displays typical Basin and Range topography. The Mojave Desert's boundaries are generally defined by the presence of Yucca brevifolia (Joshua trees). The topographical boundaries include the Tehachapi together with the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges. The mountain boundaries are quite distinct since they are outlined by the two largest faults in California: the San Andreas and the Garlock. The Great Basin shrub steppe lies to the north; the warmer Sonoran Desert (the Low Desert) lies to the south and east. The desert is believed to support between 1,750 and 2,000 species of plants. Source: Wikipedia.

Strolling Along the Side of Westminster Abbey, London

Westminster Abbey is governed by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, as established by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1560, which created it as the Collegiate Church of St Peter Westminster and a Royal Peculiar under the personal jurisdiction of the Sovereign. The members of the Chapter are the Dean and four residentiary Canons, assisted by the Receiver General and Chapter Clerk. One of the Canons is also Rector of St Margaret?s Church Westminster Abbey (who has also often held the post of Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons). In addition to the Dean and Canons there are at present two full time minor canons, one precentor, the other succentor. The office of Priest Vicar was created in the 1970s for those who assist the minor canons. Together with the Clergy and Receiver General and Chapter Clerk, various Lay Officers constitute the College, including the Organist and Master of the Choristers, the Registrar, the Auditor, the Legal Secretary, the Surveyor of the Fabric, the Head Master of the Choir School, the Keeper of the Muniments and the Clerk of the Works, as well as twelve Lay Vicars and ten of the choristers and the High Steward and High Bailiff. There are also forty Queen?s Scholars who are pupils at Westminster School (the School has its own Governing Body). Those who are most directly concerned with liturgical and ceremonial matters are the two Minor Canons and the Organist and Master of the Choristers. Source: Wikipedia.

Smoke and Fire of an Emphatic Sunset, Staten Island, New York City

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay. With a population of 491,730, Staten Island is the least populated of the five boroughs but is the third largest in area at 59 sq mi (153 km2). The Borough of Staten Island is coextensive with Richmond County, the southernmost county in the state of New York. Until 1975, the borough was officially named the Borough of Richmond. Staten Island has been sometimes called "the forgotten borough" by inhabitants who feel neglected by the city government. Source: Wikipedia.

Looking up in Bryant Park, New York City

Bryant Park reopened in April, 1992, to lavish praise from citizens and visitors, the media, and urbanists. And, as the Urban Land Institute wrote it in an award citation, “the success of the park feeds the success of the neighborhood.” Soon the chorus was joined by the business community, whose assessments helped fund the renewal and now benefit from higher rents and property values. —BryantPark.org

Strolling Across the Green in Salisbury, England

Salisbury (pronounced 'Solsbree' or 'Sauls-bree') is a small cathedral city in Wiltshire, England. It is the main town in the Salisbury district. It is also sometimes called New Sarum to distinguish it from the original site of settlement at Salisbury, Old Sarum. —Wikipedia

Rainbow at the Base of Montmorency Falls, Quebec

Stairs, South Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan

Ornamental Sarchi-Style Painted Oxcart, Costa Rica

Sunsetting Over Anzio and the Mediterranean, Central Italy

Photography Gallery 19