Ship of the desert

The camel is for North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula what for the Americas is the horse. In the little village of Babile outside of Harar in Ethiopia the Somali farmers trade their camels once a week. Most are sold for meat. The prices range between 500 and 5000$. The scene probably has not changed considerably since Richard Burton, the british explorer, first visited the area in 1854. And he did so by using one of the three caravans of camels leaving Harar with merchandise like the famous coffee every year.

Water is carried in dried and hollow pumpkin containers

Ethiopian men like to dye their beards red

I have written a story about a visit to this fascinating area in 2012:

https://h-s-coronastories.blogspot.com/2021/05/number-67-ethiopia-2012.html

Bachelor Buttons

Like a lot of our wildflowers in this this area, I see these guys blooming in select areas of our county. And this year, because of the drought, they have been rather sparse. Called a Bachelor Button, I sometimes see them in different colors such as pink, purple and white, but primarily they are this striking blue.. The Honey Bee was indeed busy visiting all of the surrounding blooms. During the spring and summer I incorporate a lot of floral photography along with the accompanying insects into my portfolio simply because I love wildflowers and there are so many up here. One of my goals is to identify as many as possible. Mother Nature always provides a wonderful sample of everything available in a particular area. Enjoy your weekend and stay healthy!

Tunnel View- Yosemite

The Wawona Tunnel was bored through solid granite and dedicated June 10th (yesterday) in 1935. At 4333 feet (1290 meters) it is the longest traffic tunnel in California. At the Valley end of the tunnel is a parking lot/overlook that gives you this view. I took this late last year. To the left if El Capitan, middle top is Half Dome and barely visible, with very little water, to the right is Bridalveil Fall.

Der Wawona-Tunnel wurde durch massiven Granit gebohrt und am 10. Juni (gestern) 1935 eingeweiht. Mit 4333 Fuß (1290 Meter) ist er der längste Verkehrstunnel in Kalifornien. Am Talende des Tunnels befindet sich ein Parkplatz / Aussichtspunkt, der Ihnen diese Aussicht bietet. Ich habe das Ende letzten Jahres genommen. Links von El Capitan, mittlere Spitze ist Half Dome und kaum sichtbar, mit sehr wenig Wasser, rechts ist Bridalveil Fall.

Art by Nature

Over the last 200 Million+ Years, read and white sand formations were built up in Canyonlands, Utah. Then, the Artist named “Wind & Weather” started to chisel sculptures. If made by Henry Moore, those sculptures would be catching dust in a museum or private collection.

The Stone Creatures in Canyonland, Utah

Another artful object arrangement, first grown by nature and after death, sculptured by “Wind, Weather & Others”.

Artful Arrangement

Flechtingen

Am vergangenen Montag war ich mal wieder auf Entdeckungstour durch unser Nachbarbundesland Sachsen-Anhalt. Im kleinen Ort Flechtingen gibt es diese schöne Schlossanlage, mitten in einem See gelegen. Ursprünglich um 1307 als Wasserburg erbaut, wurde sie im 15. Jahrhundert zum Schloss umgebaut. Das Schloss ist in Privatbesitz und kann nur von außen betrachtet werden. Dafür kann man aber den riesigen Schlosspark zum spazieren gehen nutzen.
Last Monday I was once again on a discovery tour through our neighboring state of Saxony-Anhalt. In the small village of Flechtingen there is this beautiful castle complex, located in the middle of a lake. Originally built around 1307 as a moated castle, it was rebuilt into a castle in the 15th century. The castle is privately owned and can only be viewed from the outside. But you can use the huge castle park for a walk.