Stengehone

[JPnyc]

http://www.jpages.net/images/Stonehenge(medium).jpg

[Satchel]

That's awesome JP, I've always wanted to see stonehenge, it's so amazing!! Got any more?

[morea]

gorgeous shot! Is that with the Fuji?

[JPnyc]

Yep, fuki, or foojee or whatever it is I have. Yeah I have lots more but that's the only 1 I resized so far. Still vacationing here. I took shots of honestenge every couple degrees as I circled it. I have some silhouettes with the sun behind the subject, that one which is partially at the side, and I have some with the sun directly behind me. I'm using that one for wallpaper now.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Absolutely gorgeous JP!! You had perfect weather that day too I see :D

[JPnyc]

I brought nothing but sunny skies to their rainy home(and not ONE of em said "thank you"). THey come here? RAIN!

[balou]

Can't wait to see more! I am jealous!

[JPnyc]

I'll get em up on my site eventually, but I've just gotten back from Ché Estadio, and I'm wiped.

[morea]

I'll get em up on my site eventually, but I've just gotten back from Ché Estadio, and I'm wiped.

lol! So how bout those Mess?

[JPnyc]

This is my 2nd visit to sonethenge. I was there 13 yrs ago, but as I was getting out of the car in the parking lot, the neckstrap on my camera broke, the cam hit the pavement, and.................................well to make a short story interminable, I didn't get any 1st hand shots of it............until now. Closure shouldn't be underestimated.

[Red Kittie Kat]

You probably got better shots this time around anyway darlin ;)

[Vikia]

Carhenge (Alliance, Nebraska) - sorry, couldn't resist. :D

http://members.aol.com/brent914/private/carhenge.jpg

[Red Kittie Kat]

lmao Vikia :D

[urstwile]

Carhenge (Alliance, Nebraska) - sorry, couldn't resist. :D

http://members.aol.com/brent914/private/carhenge.jpg
The sad thing is that probably exists, doesn't it Vikia?

Cool shot JP, I've always wanted to visit there as well.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Nice Vikia.

[Kool]

Great shot JP. http://home.comcast.net/~rnick9/koolsmiley.gif

[Exodus]

Nice shot JP! I've always wanted to go there. Maybe someday! :)

[JPnyc]

Here's another shot, Caernarfon castle in Wales. This is at full zoom

http://www.jpages.net/images/Caernarfon castle.jpg

[cornfed]

Those are gorgeous JP! I wanna go.

[JPnyc]

It was fun, but I dunno if I'm going again next yr. I LOATHE travelling. I love being in new places, it's the actual GETTING there that I can't stand. Being trapped on a plane for 7 or 8 hrs is like root canal for me.

[Red Kittie Kat]

another beautiful shot :D

I wish I could go too ...... but that traveling would kill me.

[Broacher]

Hey JP, are you like, a Pagan expert?

See, I've been invited to a co-worker's wedding next month. It's my first Pagan wedding. Actually, it's called something else. I can't remember what. So anyhow, the rest of us are all scratching our heads about what kind of gift to give the happy couple. I suggested we pool our resources and make a miniature Stone Henge out of five dollar bill piles. Someone suggested we hold a BYOSA (Bring Your Own Sacrifical Animal) party. But seriously... what do you get for a Pagan ritual like this?

[Red Kittie Kat]

Sorry to steal your thread JP .... but I will just throw this info in here real quick ;)

It's called a handfasting. Here are a few things you can get for the couple... this is a standard list of what most pagan couples are given:

Lined box for handfasting cord
Candles of every color
Candleholders
Candlesnuffer
Candle wax remover
Altar cloths
Pair of silver spoons
Incense cones, powder, or sticks
Incense burners
Broom for doorway, made of cinnamon or birch
Silver charger plate
Matching chalices or goblets
Book of magickal things for the home
Hanging crystals
Wind chimes

[urstwile]

Broacher, there's something you don't know?!?!?! :eek: Just kidding.

Pagan weddings are probably not all that different from regular weddings, in fact, a lot of wedding ritual probably comes originally from pagan rather than Christian or other Judeo-Christian ritual. As Kat already stated, it was called a handfasting. The idea behind it being that the couple's hands were tied together (at the wrist, I believe) with a ceremonial cord, and the commitment was for a year and a day. After that period of time, the couple decided to renew their vows or not.

Part of it is going to depend on how long they've been together and if they've been living together for a long time (or not). Kat's suggestions are really good. But chances are, they've probably got a s***load of candles and a lot of that stuff already, especially if they're living together.

Pagans (as in the Wiccan sense of the word, yeah, look it up on Wikipedia or elsewhere) are big into the elements, fire, air, earth and water. All of the elements have colors and also incenses associated with them. They also assign compass points to the elements as well. If I remember correctly, fire is south, water is west, earth is north and air is east. I could be wrong about those directional elements, however, it's been at least 15 years since I was involved in anything Wiccan.

I'm merely throwing these things out there as food for thought. As I said, Kat's suggestions are really good. You don't say much about the couple, how long they've been together, etc. so it's hard to give you any advice beyond generic pagan stuff, if that's even an applicable term.

[JPnyc]

No Broach, I eschew all religions. But I do believe chicken soup has healing powers.

[Broacher]

>>I eschew all religions<<

And I eschew 'R' holes. Sometimes, it's more or less the same thing.


JPync: "Eschew!"
Broacher: "God bless you!"
JPync: "Aughhhhh!!!"

[balou]

*opens dictionary to look up eschew*

Some day I'll know all the words you do JP.

[JPnyc]

Some NYC shots. Here's one of a building in battery park. Just liked the shot, but not a terrbily interesting subject
http://www.jpages.net/images/Picture070(Medium).jpg

[JPnyc]

Here's one of the statute of puberty. The sky was incredibly perfect today. An immaculate blue.
http://www.jpages.net/images/Picture104(Large).jpg

[urstwile]

*opens dictionary to look up eschew*

Some day I'll know all the words you do JP.
I tend to eschew obfuscation myself. :D

Nice shots JP, you're making me all nostalgic again. :)

[JPnyc]

And Old Glory
http://www.jpages.net/images/Picture120(Medium).jpg

[JPnyc]

Today was just tailor made for photography.

[urstwile]

So I take it you're having great weather there, JP? I haven't been monitoring, but this is usually one of my favorite times of year in NYC.

[JPnyc]

Perfect day. Sunny, nice breeze, not too hot. Great day to sail around manhattan with a camera. We got some postcard quality shots. Between Dave and I we took 248 pics.

[morea]

damn, Joe! You sure are good with a camera!

[JPnyc]

I'm getting better, let's say that. This is my 1st halfway decent camera and the 1st time I've taken more than say 30 photos in a calendar yr in my life. In fact, I've taken more shots in just the past 3 days than I have in my life, prior to 2006. Photography never interested me. It was Dad's profession though, so perhaps there's some genetic spillover.

[balou]

At least your genetic spillover was something worthwhile! Mine was good teeth. ;)

Beautiful shots!

I tend to eschew obfuscation myself. :D

Whaddaya tryin to do to me ya bunch a smarty pants! *looks up obfuscation*:D

[urstwile]

Whaddaya tryin to do to me ya bunch a smarty pants! *looks up obfuscation*:D
What can I say, I read a lot so I'm kinda wordy. :D

[balou]

Na, it's good for me. Maybe I'll talk pretty someday. ;)

[JPnyc]

Grazie. Words are fun. Language is fun. It's basically all we have to breach the solitude of existence.

[urstwile]

Wow, them thar's some deep thoughts, JP.

[balou]

I communicate better with facial expressions and wild hand and arm movements. And on occassion, hips and legs. People are amazed at the crazy actions, they don't remember that my language was simplistic. :D

[JPnyc]

Well being italian-american, and from Noo Yawk, if you tie my hands together I'm effectively gagged.

[urstwile]

Yeah, gesticulating is not something native San Diegans do very much. Fortunately, I'm not native, so I'm starting a new trend. Belgian New Yorkers are pretty gesticulative as well. You wouldn't know though, there's just not as many of us. :D

[balou]

Well, being a Nordic Minnesotan, I really stand out at the family reunions! ;)

[JPnyc]

Well we're italian, no one stands at all. We sit, and eat. Only time we stand is at the bar.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Once again .... amazing shots JP ... that sky is perfect :)

[JPnyc]

Another stonehenge closeup
http://www.jpages.net/images/Picture078(Medium).jpg

[morea]

that's just beautiful. How close did you get to it? It looks enormous.
What was it like?

[JPnyc]

That's zoomed. You can't get closer than say 25ft at the nearest. Other points are more like 60ft. There's ropes around it. Last time they had a chain link fence. Glad that's gone

[morea]

yeah, I can imagine that would spoil the atmosphere.
Oy vey.



edit: nice sig quote, btw.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Love the little birdie perched up there :D

..... is that sheep in the distance?

[JPnyc]

There are sheep everywhere in the UK. By the sides of just about any major road, you'll find a heap-a sheep. Here's 1 I caught at Stengehone with a little visitor on his back

[Red Kittie Kat]

That is so cute :) I see they mark them with dye too .... I just didn't think they would be so close to a national attraction.... I thought that area would be cleared for miles ;)

[JPnyc]

Ok, Brooklyn Aquarium and Coney Island today. Here's the 1st couple shots.
http://www.jpages.net/images/pics/LeaveMeAlone.jpg
http://www.jpages.net/images/pics/ShotOfTheDay.jpg

[JPnyc]

And here's something totally unexpected. A rare cameo appearance by Wilford Brimley
http://www.jpages.net/images/pics/WilfredBrimley.jpg

[balou]

awww! I just wanna rub his scrubby nose! Nice shots. Were you giving tours this week JP?

[JPnyc]

Yeah, turnabout is fair play. They took me to a ton of places in the UK, including Wales, Blackpool, Bolton, and last trip they drove me ALL around the north of England. So it's the least I can do to show them around NYC. We still have the museums to do, but we saved those for the days of lousy weather. It was too nice to be indoors recently.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Wilford Brimley or not ..... he is adorable :D


Great pics JP!! :D

[urstwile]

You should take them to Ellis Island, JP, if you haven't already. I went there for the first time on my last visit, and it was quite the experience. Perhaps you already took them there.

Have you walked them across the Brooklyn Bridge yet? That's another favorite of mine for non-New Yorkers. What's cool is if you can do it early enough to have breakfast in Chinatown, where all the residents eat, it's a really fun experience. Oooh and take 'em to the Cloisters, and, and, and....LOL. You know what you're doin'. I shut up now. :D

[Red Kittie Kat]

You two should get together and give guided tours..... you would make a mint :D

[angerisagift]

Stonehenge!
Where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge!
Where a man is a man
and the children dance to the pipes of pan
Stonehenge!
Tis a magic place
where the moon doth rise with a dragon's face
Stonehenge!
Where the virgins lie
And the prayer of devils fill the midnight sky

I couldnt resist. i was just watching This Is Spinal Tap and i had to do it...
cool pictures by the way

-sean

[JPnyc]

"And you, my love, won't you take my hand?
We'll go back in time to that mystic land
Where the dewdrops cry, and the cats meow
I will take you there, I will show you how"

[JPnyc]

Yeah we did Elvis Island already, urst. Same day we did the statute of puberty. Same tour.

[JPnyc]

"When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore
In the sea, if you feel a big eel bite your heel, that's a moray"

http://www.jpages.net/images/pics/ThatsAmore.jpg

[Red Kittie Kat]

lmaoooooo JP ..... you are a nutter :p

[JPnyc]

Yeah, and yer pernt is?

[Red Kittie Kat]

hehe..... no point.... Just an observation :D

[JPnyc]

Heck, a blind man could see that with his cane.

[JPnyc]

Ok, finally got a minute to add just a few shots to my site
http://www.jpages.net/images/pics/slideshow.htm?4

Only have about 480 more to sort through (oy).

[urstwile]

Hey, I thought you said you were Italian! J/K, everyone from New York knows some Yiddish.

Great shots, Joe. I love how the smaller cities in England (also Belgium) have those arches along the main drag. Canterbury was the same way when I went there. I think that's a European thing, I guess to separate the city from the cathedral?

[JPnyc]

I just think it's an old overpass leftover from long ago. You find tons of that kind of thing there. By the tube stop at Windsor castle, there's remnants of the outpost wall the Romans built 2000 yrs ago, and a sundial with various events commemorated dating back 2k yrs also

[urstwile]

I just love how in parts of Europe, there are so many remnants of the Roman conquest, old Roman roads, etc. You can be sitting on a wall of rocks, and someone tells you it dates back to Roman times. Just makes me shiver thinking of all of that history.

[JPnyc]

Yep. In fact the whole town of Bath was so named because the Romans built a bathouse there. And all those Brit towns that end in Cester. That was a roman word for "outpost".

[urstwile]

Fascinating. :)

[JPnyc]

I'm adding a few pics every hr or so. Think there's 30 there now.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Great stuff there JP!! I love that castle :D

[JPnyc]

They're all drafty though. I went to Skipton 2 yrs ago. It had a rudimentary toilet. Just basically a stone seat with a hole, that was positioned over the moat.

[Red Kittie Kat]

uhhh....... that I could do without :D

[urstwile]

When I went to Aachen, we visited Charlemagne's cathedral there. Apparently, he had a special throne that had a hole in it, since when he was presiding over special ceremonies and such, he had to sit there for hours and wasn't able to take pottie breaks, apparently.

Wonder if that's why some people call the toilet the "throne". :eek:

[Tink23]

I love all of these pictures. I have always wanted to travel to Europe. I love to travel but I'm just a poor college student at this point. Traveling is my whole motivation for going to college! Maybe some day I can afford to do all of the traveling that I want to do.

:rolleyes:

[JPnyc]

When I went to Aachen, we visited Charlemagne's cathedral there. Apparently, he had a special throne that had a hole in it, since when he was presiding over special ceremonies and such, he had to sit there for hours and wasn't able to take pottie breaks, apparently.

Wonder if that's why some people call the toilet the "throne". :eek:
Actually I think it's more because it's where Elvis died :D

[urstwile]

LOL. That's awesome, JP. :D

[Red Kittie Kat]

Poor Elvis ...... a rather undignified demise for the King ;)

[JPnyc]

Well look at it this way, how many GOOD ways to go are there?

[urstwile]

Probably few, JP, but there is such a thing as dying with dignity. What a way for the King to go. :rolleyes: His story makes me sad, quite frankly.

But enough of that. Great pictures! :)

[Red Kittie Kat]

Right on Urst ;)

[urstwile]

Just a part of my evil plan to keep you from ....oh, never mind. :D

[Red Kittie Kat]

lmaooooooo :D I know what you are up to missy :D

[JPnyc]

I'm adding more every now and then. Since we're on the subject
http://www.jpages.net/images/52.jpg

[Red Kittie Kat]

oooooh the potty :D ..... pretty kewl .... one thing I don't miss about living back in that time ;)

[JPnyc]

They used moss as T.P. Not exactly The Holiday Inn, eh?

[Red Kittie Kat]

Ummm........ no lmao :D

[JPnyc]

Ok, lots more pics now. Nearing 60.

[urstwile]

Wow, Joe, those Coney Island shots and shots of the aquarium are very cool. Definitely taking me back. :)

[JPnyc]

Tell me about it. That's where I grew up. 1st beach I ever went to. I bought a couple Tshirts just like a damn tourist.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Quite a gallery there!! Great shots JP!! :)

[JPnyc]

Thank you kit. I'll probably remove some of the more boring ones to make room for some more interesting ones, as I go through them.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Love the Dinosaurs :D

[JPnyc]

Paleophile, eh? Whatever makes ya happy.........

[Red Kittie Kat]

ummm yeah ..... somethin' like that :D

[JPnyc]

Reminded me of the day our drummer showed up late to a job, and said "Sorry I'm late, I couldn't help it, I blew a seal.". The whole band was looking at me and laughing before I ever opened my mouth...........then I said "whatever makes you happy".

[Red Kittie Kat]

eww :p