The turtle doesn’t move

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14 a after (640x480)

I saw this yellow-bellied slider (a land and water turtle) and three of his closest friends sunbathing this weekend.  One of the other turtle’s back is in the foreground and the odd angle of the stretched out neck (no doubt to catch some more sun before winter comes) makes the image almost abstract – one wonders which way the head faces.  I prefer the monochrome because it enhances the geometry of the waves in the background, and the head seems even weirder.

14 a before (640x480)

Apologies to Terry Pratchett for misquoting him: THE turtle does move. Just this one didn’t.

https://bopaula.wordpress.com/2017/09/24/black-white-sunday-after-and-before-y1-08/

mergeyes_widget

Press them to ripeness

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The ripe grapes, soon to be made into wine, embody autumn for me.  The first sweet grape must is being sold in open bottles (since the bottles would explode if they were firmely corked), soon to turn cloudy when fermentation sets in.  I love it at all the different stages before it is left to mature under the watchful eye of vintners.  The German term for harvesting grapes is actually “herbsten” which is related to “Herbst”, meaning autumn or fall.

The title is taken from one of the most famous poems about autumn in German, by Rainer Maria Rilke:

Befiel den letzten Früchten voll zu sein;
gib ihnen noch zwei südlichere Tage,
dränge sie zur Vollendung hin und jage
die letzte Süße in den schweren Wein. 

Command the last fruits to be ripe;
Grant them another two more southern days,
Press them to ripeness, and with power
Drive final sweetness to the heavy grape.

for the A Photo a Week Challenge: Signs of fall

A Photo a Week Challenge: Signs of Fall

Date me

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Builders often write the year the house was built, often together with their name or initials, somewhere over a door or a window.  This is just a small collection from close to where I live, all done in rose-tinted sandstone, which is often used in our area.

21 past b
1800: The entry to the house, next to the “Fuchs’sche Mühle” (Foxes Mill) in Weinheim
21 past a
1838: A door lintel in Schriesheim
21 past d
1902-3: a pediment in art nouveau style in Schwetzingen
Georg Stefani 1914
1914: A window lintel in Lützelsachsen

for Thursday’s Special: Traces of the Past

https://bopaula.wordpress.com/2017/09/21/thursdays-special-traces-of-the-past-y3-09/

Gras – corn – trees

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117 layered

The Daily Post asked for a picture that showed layers of depth, density, and texture.  I thought this cornfield from the Odenwald fitted the bill.

You can see others’ interpretation here: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/layered/

 

Football Fantasy

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08 a08 b08 c08 d

I’ve had these pictures on my files for a while.  They were taken with a mobile phone so the quality is not good.  I’ve always wanted to go back with a proper camera but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

The murals are situated on a walkway that fans of the football club of Frankfurt take before entering the actual stadium areal.  Obviously.

for: Monday Mural

http://oaklanddailyphoto.blogspot.de/