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  • Leaving A Rosy Impression.jpg
  • More than any other ape, chimpanzees use tools. They use sticks to fish for insects, poking the twigs into the holes of ant or termite mounds and pulling them out, covered with wiggling food. Chimps use stones to crack open hard-shelled nuts or fruits. They also use leaves as sponges, either to soak up drinking water or to clean the body. And they use leafy twigs to keep away flies...What's even more interesting: we now know that not all chimpanzee communities use the same tools, or use them in the same way. Every community passes on its own customs from generation to generation. This shows that chimps have unique cultures, just like people do.
    chimp.jpg
  • The Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna is one of the most beautiful large parrots. It is a sweet tempered and affectionate parrot, and has one of the best all around personalities of the large Macaws. This bird makes a great companion for a single person. But it is friendly with everyone, including other birds, when it's well socialized. Although some Macaws are one-person type birds, the Blue and Gold is right at home in a family type situation as well.<br />
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This large parrot is also sometimes called the Blue and Yellow Macaw, or you may come across a larger variant from Bolivia called the Bolivian Blue and Gold Macaw. The Bolivian variety is distinguished by its larger size and its coloring. On all these Macaws the colors are vibrant, but the Bolivian has more of a true blue rather than the teal blue seen in the average Blue and Gold. They all share the same wonderful personality and characteristics.<br />
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The Blue and Gold Macaw is very adaptive. Whatever environment they are in, it becomes quite normal for them. If they are around many people, they will accept many people. When well trained and socialized, Blue and Gold Macaws enjoy participating in all sorts of outdoor and public activities with their owners. We've seen them attending public festivals on their owners arms. One woman regularly took her Macaw with her to Western line dance classes. Another woman would take her Blue and Gold horseback riding with her. There are bird leashes available so you can take your feathered friend wherever you go, and they just adapt. They ride well in a car on a bird car seat
    Tropic Macaw.jpg
  • Macaws are beautiful, brilliantly colored members of the parrot family.<br />
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Many macaws have vibrant plumage. The coloring is suited to life in Central and South American rain forests, with their green canopies and colorful fruits and flowers. The birds boast large, powerful beaks that easily crack nuts and seeds, while their dry, scaly tongues have a bone inside them that makes them an effective tool for tapping into fruits.
    Hyacinth Macaw.jpg
  • A Soft Deep Red Tulip Contrasted Against A Rough Textured Backdrop.<br />
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This is one of the world's most easily recognized and loved flowers. Tulip Flowers are voracious sun seekers (like the sunflower) and will sway their heads in crazy contortions seeking out the best angle for light. This makes them a symbol of opportunity, adjustment, advancement, and aspiration. They are commonly thought to represent attainment of spiritual awareness too. Because they are from bulbs, and return every year (like the daffodil) tulips are symbolic of resurrection and determination. The immediately identifiable shape of their colorful blooms make them a comfortable flower.<br />
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A Turkish legend may be responsible for the red tulip's symbolism. The story goes that a prince named Farhad was love struck by a maiden named Shirin. When Farhad learned that Shirin had been killed, he was so overcome with grief that he killed himself - riding his horse over the edge of a cliff. It's said that a scarlet tulip sprang up from each droplet of his blood, giving the red tulip the meaning 'perfect love.'
    Rubescent Tulip.jpg
  • A row of multi-colored gerber daisies from the garden from a stem-up perspective.<br />
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Gerbera daisy flowers exhibit large (4") blooms with yellowish central disks surrounded by colorful rays. The rays are most commonly yellow, red or orange. However, growers have also produced varieties in white, pink and violet. Gerbera daisy flowers reach a little over one foot in height, with a width slightly less than that.<br />
<br />
 Whether you are growing gerbera daisies as perennials or as annuals, water them faithfully; and fertilize regularly for optimal blooming. Gerbera daisy flowers are susceptible to crown rot, so don't plant them too deeply. They are also susceptible to powdery mildew, so avoid overhead watering; and water the plants early in the day. Plants bought at the florist should be introduced only gradually to direct sunlight outdoors; otherwise, they'll wilt.
    Gerber From The Stem.jpg
  • A Female Dark-Eyed Junco Foraging For Food in the Snow During A Cold Blue Winter Day.<br />
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Females and juvenile birds are generally paler and show a greater mixture of brown in the plumage. Generally, there is less white on the outer tail feathers in juvenile and female birds. There is, however, much individual variation.<br />
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The Dark-eyed Junco is the best-known species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They're easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you'll see juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them. <br />
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Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs. resident species.
    Blue Christmas Junco.jpg
  • Taken near Marthasville, Missouri this Old Dilapidated Barn was just begging to be photographed. I love old barn shots, something very calming to me about them for some reason.<br />
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Marthasville is located near the site of the early 1763 French fur trading post named La Charrette. It was founded by Dr. John Young in 1817 and named after his first wife Martha Fuqua.<br />
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The Missouri, Kansas and Eastern Railroad was completed through Marthasville in the winter of 1892 and taken over by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad (MKT) in July of 1893.<br />
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The area is also full of historical importance, both local and national. The Lewis and Clark Discovery Expedition overnighted here in 1804 on their way up the Missouri and again on the way home in September of 1806. Daniel Boone and his relatives lived in the area. He and Rebecca were buried on the Bryan farm. His gravesite is just one mile east of Marthasville.<br />
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The region was widely settled by German immigrants during the 1800's who brought their wine making skills with them and were attracted to this Missouri River Valley which has become known as the Missouri Rhineland.<br />
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Some of the many attractions in and around the area are; the KATY State Park Hiking and Biking Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail, and the Daniel Boone Monument. You'll find the finest wineries tucked in along our scenic drives through the hills and along the Missouri River.
    This Old Barn.jpg
  • A bold and vibrant macro closeup of a pink and purple Marguerite Daisy against a textured rainbow colored backdrop. A bit of a hippy vibe that screamed a bit of flower power for me.<br />
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This spray flower has a classic bloom with many ray petals radiating out from a disk-shaped center. This colorful package of popping purple tinted daisies would add an alluring appeal to any wedding bouquet, table centerpiece or flower arrangement! <br />
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The Marguerite daisy or also know as the Argyranthemum frutescens, is a lovely daisy featuring a large middle of the flower generally yellow but depending on the variety they can also be pinkish in color.<br />
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The petals of the Marguerite are generally white, pink, or yellow. They can have single or double blooms and they are usually 1-2 inches in size. The leaves and such of Marguerite daisies are a blue-green color, thin and almost fern like.<br />
<br />
The Marguerite daisy does best in richly fertilized, well drained soil. They also like to be planted in fully sunny areas. They work really well as a boarder or on the outside edge of your year or garden adding the perfect splash of color to the area.<br />
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This type of daisy is a pretty hardy plant, if you have them planted outside make sure to water them about twice a week. If the plant starts to wilt it is a sign that they need a bit more water. Keep the soil moist pretty often, but never all the time because like with most plants, their root will rot if left in constant water.
    Flower Empowered.jpg
  • The main population of California sea lions is found along the west coast in the Pacific Ocean. Harbor seals are commonly found in the coastal waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. While both are marine mammals and powerful, graceful swimmers, sea lions and seals have distinct differences. Harbor seals and other ?true? seals do not have external ear flaps, while sea lions, along with fur seals and walruses, have visible, external ear flaps. Sea lions can rotate their hind flippers under their bodies, allowing them to walk easily on land. Seals do not have this ability and move about in an inchworm-like motion.
    harbor_loin.jpg
  • Pterois, commonly known as lionfish, is a genus of venomous marine fish found mostly in the Indo-Pacific. Pterois is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red, white, creamy, or black bands, showy pectoral fins and venomous spiky fin rays. Aside from instances of larger lionfish individuals engaging in cannibalism on smaller individuals, adult lionfish have few identified natural predators. This is likely due to the effectiveness of their venomous spines. Lionfish are known for their venomous fin rays, a feature that is uncommon among marine fish in the East Coast coral reefs. The potency of their venom makes them excellent predators and poisonous to fishermen and divers.<br />
<br />
Pterois venom produced negative inotropic and chronotropic effects when tested in both frog and clam hearts and has a depressing effect on rabbit blood pressure. These results are thought to be due to nitric oxide release. In humans, Pterois venom can cause systemic effects such as extreme pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, breathing difficulties, convulsions, dizziness, redness on the affected area, headache, numbness, paresthesia (pins and needles), heartburn, diarrhea, and sweating. Rarely, such stings can cause temporary paralysis of the limbs, heart failure and even death. Fatalities are common in very young children, the elderly, those with a weak immune system or those who are allergic to their venom. Their venom is rarely fatal to healthy humans, but some species have enough venom to produce extreme discomfort for over a period of several days.
    Lionfish.jpg
  • These geese come over and start attacking the carp to make them back off and leave the baby gosling’s alone. Someone’s about to have sushi for lunch.
    back_off.jpg
  • Red-Bellied Woodpecker - Most woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, which means they have toes facing the front and toes facing the back to help them grip trees and poles vertically. They use those toes with their stiff tail feathers to brace on trees as they climb.
    Woody Climbing Pastel Bokeh.jpg
  • The statue of a a German Lutheran woman carrying a basket of field goods (grain, fruits, vegetables), and leading a child. She stands proper upon the Lutheran Bible, which is fronted by a three masted sailing ship which brought them from Germany. On the right side of the Book is an outline of the United States of American and on the left cover of the book is the outline of the Germanic States from which they sailed. Around the concrete pedestal top are the words NEW DREAMS NEW HOPES NEW MELE. The concrete column is adorned with brass plaques which proudly declare the persons and businesses than donated time and/or money for the completion of this statue.
    New Melle Statue.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren't really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection. <br />
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The Bald Eagle dwarfs most other raptors, including the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. It has a heavy body, large head, and long, hooked bill. In flight, a Bald Eagle holds its broad wings flat like a board. <br />
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Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
    Eagle With an Attitude.jpg
  • This Chimp tries to blend it with the trees at the Saint Louis Zoo.<br />
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More than any other ape, chimpanzees use tools. They use sticks to fish for insects, poking the twigs into the holes of ant or termite mounds and pulling them out, covered with wiggling food. Chimps use stones to crack open hard-shelled nuts or fruits. They also use leaves as sponges, either to soak up drinking water or to clean the body. And they use leafy twigs to keep away flies.<br />
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What's one of the first things you notice about chimpanzees? Probably their arms. These apes have very long, powerful arms and long-fingered hands - perfect for hanging around in trees. Chimps spend a lot of time in trees, where they do most of their feeding and nesting.
    Chimpanzee Camouflage.jpg
  • Succumb to the gentle petals and let them take you away.
    Succumb.jpg
  • The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they're familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness.
    Robin at Sunrise.jpg
  • Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies. Grackles walk around lawns and fields on their long legs or gather in noisy groups high in trees, typically evergreens. They eat many crops (notably corn) and nearly anything else as well, including garbage. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow V shape.
    IMG_3324.jpg
  • A Multicolored Gerbera Daisy In The Garden With Bold Contrasted Fine Details and a Fine Art Feel.<br />
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These Daisies bloom in nearly every color (except true blues and purples) and produce fantastically large flowers on long, thick, sturdy stems. They last for a week or more in the vase, making them a favorite of flower arrangers.<br />
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Take one look at this beautiful Gerber daisy, and you can't help but bask in the perfection of Mother Nature. It's not just the perfect green stems climbing high as they (sometimes) curve and twist, it's not the delicate petals on the bloom, nor is it the exquisite flower center - it's the way all of these things work together.
    Scratched Gerber Daisy.jpg
  • Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. These loud, white-and-black geese can cover the ground in a snowy blanket as they eat their way across fallow cornfields or wetlands. Among them, you might see a dark form with a white head?a color variant called the ?Blue Goose.? Snow Geese have skyrocketed in numbers and are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent. <br />
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The Snow Goose, also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed. Snow Geese don't like to travel without the company of another couple dozen geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. Family groups forage together on wintering grounds, digging up roots and tubers from muddy fields and marshes. In flight, they are steady on the wing with even wingbeats.
    Snow Geese Over New Melle.jpg
  • Both black and white rhinoceroses are actually gray. They are different not in color but in lip shape. The black rhino has a pointed upper lip, while its white relative has a squared lip. The difference in lip shape is related to the animals' diets. Black rhinos are browsers that get most of their sustenance from eating trees and bushes. They use their lips to pluck leaves and fruit from the branches. White rhinos graze on grasses, walking with their enormous heads and squared lips lowered to the ground.<br />
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The black rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and central Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. <br />
Black rhinos boast two horns, the foremost more prominent than the other. Rhino horns grow as much as three inches (eight centimeters) a year, and have been known to grow up to five feet (one and a half meters) long. Females use their horns to protect their young, while males use them to battle attackers.
    Lurching Rhino.jpg
  • Yes even a robin can have some majesty and prowess.<br />
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The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they're familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness. <br />
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The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely<br />
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A distinctive, potbellied bird. Forages on lawns and other areas of short vegetation for earthworms and other invertebrates in a run-and-stop pattern typical of terrestrial thrushes. Adult: depending on sex and subspecies, head, with white eye arcs, varies from jet black to gray, with white supercilia and throat, blackish lores and lateral throat stripe. Underparts vary, often in tandem with head color, from deep, rich reddish maroon to gray-scalloped, peachy orange. Males tend to be darker, females grayer, but overlap makes determining sex of many problematic.
    Majestic Robin Blues.jpg
  • The Downy Woodpecker is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them.
    Downy on Winter Feeder.jpg
  • I love shooting old barns ans similar structures. Something about them that capture something timeless. This one is in New Melle Missouri
    overgrown-barn-3.jpg
  • The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders.
    Monday Morning Downy.jpg
  • A Monarch Butterfly in Fluid Style Perches atop A Yellow Wildflower During Afternoon Showers.<br />
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The monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly<br />
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Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual migration. In North America, they make massive southward migrations starting in August until the first frost. A northward migration takes place in the spring. The monarch is the only butterfly that migrates both north and south as the birds do on a regular basis, but no single individual makes the entire round trip. Female monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations.<br />
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Monarch butterflies are poisonous or distasteful to birds and mammals because of the presence of the cardiac glycosides contained in milkweed consumed by the larvae. The bright colors of larvae and adults are thought to function as warning colors. During hibernation, monarch butterflies sometimes suffer losses because hungry birds pick through them looking for the butterflies with the least amount of poison, but in the process kill those they reject.
    Butterfly Striations.jpg
  • An Evil Grackle Eyes a Nearby Feeder waiting for an innocent bird to approach so he can torment them.
    Ominous Molting Grackle.jpg
  • The longwing butterflies have unusually long lifespans and high fecundity rates, which largely result from their augmented diet. Instead of surviving on food stores from the larval stage or solely sipping flower nectar, adult longwing butterflies are avid pollen eaters. These trait make them eminently suitable for butterfly farming and butterfly gardening. Also, Adult Longwings may live for several months, much longer than most butterflies.<br />
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The longwing butterflies are also known as Heliconians. They are brightly colored butterflies with long forewings. Once placed in their own family, they are now considered closely related to the fritillaries. Larvae of most longwings  feed on passion vines, and this host plant imparts noxious chemicals to the larvae which are carried over to the adult butterflies. This relationship is identical to the monarch butterflies' reliance on its host plant, milkweed, for defense. Predators find these chemicals distasteful and avoid eating the butterflies.
    Monarch 6.jpg
  • Mel's Drive-In at Universal Studios Florida<br />
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Mels Drive-In (not to be confused with Mel's Diner) is an American restaurant chain founded in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs in San Francisco, California.<br />
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In October 1963, the Mels Drive in chain was picketed and subjected to a sit-in by the Ad Hoc Committee to End Discrimination over the fact that while the restaurant would serve food to African Americans and hired them as cooks, they were not allowed to work 'up front' where they could be seen by white customers. More than 100 protesters were arrested. The picketing ended when Harold Dobbs, a San Francisco City Supervisor who had run for Mayor and lost, settled with the protesters and began to allow black workers 'up front.'<br />
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Universal Studios built a replica of 'Mel's Drive-In' on its lot, pursuant to the restaurant being used in American Graffiti - this amusement attraction also served as a gift shop for years. There are also a number of 'Mels' located in Northern California that share the same general American Graffiti nostalgia theme and the similarly styled Mels logo.
    Mels Hot Rod.jpg
  • The Edsel was an automobile marque that was planned, developed, and manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. With the Edsel, Ford had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors and Chrysler and close the gap between itself and GM in the domestic American automotive market. But contrary to Ford's internal plans and projections, the Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. The Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development, manufacturing and marketing.<br />
<br />
This Shot Was Taken At Mel's Drive-In in Universal Studios Florida<br />
<br />
Mels Drive-In (not to be confused with Mel's Diner) is an American restaurant chain founded in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs in San Francisco, California.<br />
<br />
In October 1963, the Mels Drive in chain was picketed and subjected to a sit-in by the Ad Hoc Committee to End Discrimination over the fact that while the restaurant would serve food to African Americans and hired them as cooks, they were not allowed to work 'up front' where they could be seen by white customers. More than 100 protesters were arrested. The picketing ended when Harold Dobbs, a San Francisco City Supervisor who had run for Mayor and lost, settled with the protesters and began to allow black workers 'up front.'<br />
<br />
Universal Studios built a replica of 'Mel's Drive-In' on its lot, pursuant to the restaurant being used in American Graffiti - this amusement attraction also served as a gift shop for years. There are also a number of 'Mels' located in Northern California that share the same general American Graffiti nostalgia theme and the similarly styled Mels logo.
    Classic at Mels.jpg
  • Loons are well equipped for their submarine maneuvers to catch fish. Unlike most birds, loons have solid bones that make them less buoyant and better at diving.
    Common Loon 3.jpg
  • A Black-crowned Night Heron in Green Waters. The Black-crowned Night Heron, commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia. Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They're most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world. <br />
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Black-crowned Night-Herons often spend their days perched on tree limbs or concealed among foliage and branches. They forage in the evening and at night, in water, on mudflats, and on land. In flight they fold their head back against their shoulders, almost making the neck disappear.<br />
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These are social birds that tend to roost and nest in groups, although they typically forage on their own. Look for them in most wetland habitats across North America, including estuaries, marshes, streams, lakes, and reservoirs.
    Black-crowned Night Heron 2.jpg
  • The concept of Death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood. It is also given the name of the Angel of Death (Malach HaMavet) or Devil of Death or the angel of dark and light stemming from the Bible and Talmudic lore. <br />
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The angel of death reflects man's ambivalent nature toward death, as death is very difficult for many of us to cope with. The angel of death, or grim reaper as he is sometimes called, allows us to embody the concept of death into a tangible creature. The idea of the angel of death is thousands of years old. The angel of death is or has been identified with Satan, and it is said that when Eve touched the tree of knowledge, she perceived the angel of death, and thought: Now I shall die, and God will create another wife for Adam.<br />
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Throughout recorded history, people from various religious perspectives have spoken of an 'Angel of Death' who does just that. Many people from all walks of life who have had near death experiences have reported that they've encountered angels who helped them, and people who have witnessed loved ones die have also reported encountering angels who gave their dying loved ones peace. Sometimes dying people's last words describe the visions they're experiencing. For example, just before famous inventor Thomas Edison died in 1931, he remarked: 'It is very beautiful over there.'
    Angel Of Death.jpg
  • Azrael is the Archangel of Death in some traditions. He is also the angel of retribution in Islamic theology and Sikhism. Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael may be portrayed as residing in the Third Heaven. In one of his forms, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the Earth. He will be the last to die, recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.<br />
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Shortly after his creation, Azrael was assigned to study a phenomenon not well-understood by Heaven at that time: the disposition of human souls. The angels had long known that some human souls arrived in Heaven, and others did not. Reincarnation and oblivion had been offered as theories, but no one really knew where the 'missing' souls were going . . . and the Seraphim Council intuited that following the Fall, this question might be very important. Azrael was given the Word of Death to carry out his duties (angelic Words were much less competitive and assigned with less deliberation in those days). <br />
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The other Archangels know Azrael is still alive, but he is not spoken of in Heaven. It has happened -- a few times in the millenia since the Grigori were cast out -- that an angel has researched Azrael's work, identified strongly with his mission, and sought out the Outcast Archangel of Death. Azrael automatically turns away members of the Host who manage to find him . . . but a very rare few have been persistent and sincere enough to persuade the Archangel of Death to take them into his service. (Azrael only takes in angels who remain dedicated to Heaven, but who also feel a genuine calling to Azrael's mission -- he is not a refuge for dissatisfied Servitors or Outcasts seeking patronage.)
    Archangel Azrael.jpg
  • Like most owls, the Great Horned Owl makes great use of secrecy and stealth. Due to its natural-colored plumage, it is well camouflaged both while active at night and while roosting during the day. Despite this, it can still sometimes be spotted on its daytime roosts, which are usually in large trees but may occasionally be on rocks. This regularly leads to their being mobbed by other birds, especially American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Since owls are, next to Red-tailed Hawks, perhaps the main predator of crows and their young, crows sometimes congregate from considerable distances to mob owls and caw angrily at them for hours on end. When the owls try to fly off to avoid this harassment, they are often followed by the corvids.
    Great Horned Owl 5.jpg
  • The statue of a a German Lutheran woman carrying a basket of field goods (grain, fruits, vegetables), and leading a child. She stands proper upon the Lutheran Bible, which is fronted by a three masted sailing ship which brought them from Germany. On the right side of the Book is an outline of the United States of American and on the left cover of the book is the outline of the Germanic States from which they sailed. Around the concrete pedestal top are the words NEW DREAMS NEW HOPES NEW MELLE. The concrete column is adorned with brass plaques which proudly declare the persons and businesses than donated time and/or money for the completion of this statue.
    New Melle Statue.jpg
  • A pink and cream tulip on a textured yellow and floral backdrop with a fine art feel.<br />
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Despite the fact that these flowers can grow in various climates, the tulip unfortunately lives a very short life. They die within three to seven days. However, while they are living, they grow rapidly, even after they have been cut.  It's not uncommon for cut tulip to grown an inch in a vase. In addition to growing after being cut, tulips are also known for moving around vases. This is because tulips will bend and "droop" in the direction of light.<br />
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Tulips are thirsty flowers and will drink a lot of water, so you will want to make sure to add new fresh water to the vase often. You can trim their stems with a knife to help them drink easier. There's no need to put any sort of flower food in the water. Tulips will be fine with plain water. Their stems can have up to a dozen leaves, but most have closer to six.<br />
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Tulips grow in a vast array of vibrant colors including yellow, red, pink, purple, orange and more.
    Tawny Cream Tulip.jpg
  • The red-bellied woodpecker is not technically considered a migratory bird. Woodpeckers build their nests within the relatively sheltered trunks of trees, which allows them to stay warm during cold weather. Because of the recent expansion of their breeding range, many woodpeckers are showing more migratory behavior during the coldest months of the year, moving south to the milder locations within their breeding territory over the winter.
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  • A galactic battle of Disney versus Star Wars as Mickey Mouse and Yoda Battle For For The Toon Title.<br />
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Yoda is a character in the Star Wars universe, first appearing in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. In the original films, he trains Luke Skywalker to fight against the evil Galactic Empire. In the prequel films, he serves as Grand Master of the Jedi Council and as a general in the Clone Wars.<br />
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Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studios. Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. As the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world.<br />
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If you're wondering what a Disney Star Wars universe looks like, look no further than The Empire Strikes Back, where everyone's favorite mouse makes an appearance in the background. Mickey Mouse can be spotted a few times on a display panel during the epic lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. <br />
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A lightsaber (or lightsabre, see spelling differences) is a weapon made popular in the Star Wars universe, a laser sword. It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of plasma about 4 feet or 1.33 meters long. The Lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close combat, or to deflect blaster bolts. Its distinct appearance was created using rotoscoping for the original Star Wars films, and digitally for the prequel trilogy. The Lightsaber first appeared in the original Star Wars film (1977) and every Star Wars movie to date (except The Star Wars Holiday Special) has featured at least one Lightsaber duel
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  • Monarch butterflies embark on a marvelous migratory phenomenon. They travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more from the United States and Canada to central Mexican forests. There the butterflies hibernate in the mountain forests, where a less extreme climate provides them a better chance to survive. The monarch butterfly is known by scientists as Danaus plexippus, which in Greek literally means "sleepy transformation." The name evokes the species' ability to hibernate and metamorphize. Adult monarch butterflies possess two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings, featuring black veins and white spots along the edges. Males, who possess distinguishing black dots along the veins of their wings, are slightly bigger than females. Each adult butterfly lives only about four to five weeks.
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  • An orange Gerber Daisy pops in the garden from the early morning sunlight.<br />
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The Gerbera Daisy is the fifth most popular flower in the world, gerbera daisies can mean innocence, purity, and cheerfulness. These large daisy variations come in a number of vibrant colors, and sending them is the perfect way to brighten someone's day.<br />
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The meanings of gerbera daisies stem from those attributed to the general daisy family. These meanings include innocence and purity, and daisies are also a classic symbol of beauty. However, the gerbera variety holds an added meaning of cheerfulness, which stems from the assortment of colors available. An assorted bouquet of gerbera daisies can lift the spirit and sending one is an ideal way to brighten someone's day. The sheer multitude of available varieties has helped the gerbera daisy become a favorite choice for many different occasions.<br />
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The gerbera daisy was discovered in 1884 near Barberton, South Africa, by Scotsman Robert Jameson. While the flower's scientific name, Gerbera jamesonii, recollects the name of its founder, the meaning of its common name draws from German naturalist Traugott Gerber. Breeding programs that began in England in 1890 enhanced the flower's quality and color variations. The gerbera daisy's popularity soon traveled to growers in the Netherlands which, along with Columbia, is the primary distributor of the flower's cut version today. The gerbera currently ranks as the fifth most popular flower in the world behind the rose, carnations, chrysanthemum, and tulip.<br />
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Gerbera L. is a genus of ornamental plants from the sunflower family. It was named in honour of the German botanist and naturalist Traugott Gerber who travelled extensively in Russia and was a friend of Carolus Linnaeus.
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  • Sea Lion Sound combines the popular Sea Lion Basin and Sea Lion Show in a 1.5-acre spectacular new exhibit right in the heart of the Zoo. For the first time anywhere in North America, visitors can walk through an underwater tunnel into the sea lions' habitat to see the animals swimming all around them!
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  • The Merriam Street Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the east channel of the Mississippi River between Nicollet Island and the east bank of the river in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bridge was originally built in 1887 by King Iron Bridge Company as one of the four spans of the Broadway Avenue Bridge. When the Broadway Avenue Bridge was reconstructed in 1987, one span was preserved and moved to Nicollet Island. The truss span is actually decorative; the bridge is supported by a beam from underneath.<br />
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The original Broadway Avenue Bridge was one of the fanciest bridges on the Mississippi River. It featured finials on each top corner and a band of scrolls, crosses, and lines between them. The horizontal struts and guard railings used X-shapes as a pattern. Each end of the bridge has a hexagonal cast iron plate embossed with the date and the designer of the bridge. The bridge now serves as a connector between parkland on Nicollet Island and the Saint Anthony Main development on the east bank, allowing good opportunities for visitors to stroll across the river.
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  • I really love to take dead and dying plants found in nature and bringing some life back to them through art. Adding some life and beauty back to this decrepit and withering weed was the inspiration for this Wicked Weed.
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  • The flowers in this arrangement were starting to wilt, and the petals were beginning to show signs of the last days coming. I wanted to get a descent shot of them, without conveying the age and wilted petals. My approach was to process the image to highlight these areas to covey some character and detail, instead of the appearance of decay.
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  • Lilium 'Stargazer'  - Oriental lilies are known for their fragrant perfume. It happens to be my wife's favorite flower so I get to photograph them often :)
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  • Two dogs jump and play in the pond, built just for them
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