Natural wonders... Post your thoughts and pics...

10 Mar 2012

So, I read in the news the other day that the earth was undergoing a geomagnetic storm caused by two strong solar flares and particle blasts that erupted from the Sun.

Now, while the media was all full of doom and gloom about how it could potentially cause disruption of GPS satellites, high frequency radio communications and power grid overloads and that sort of thing, one of the good things was that we might be able to see the Northern lights: (Wiki link to explain the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis))...

I spent a few hours, with my youngest, last night, driving around trying to find somewhere with not too much light pollution, so that I could show her, what I consider, to be one of the wonders of the world, and something that is on my bucket list.

We never saw them (although she claimed that she did) but we did have a good sing song in the car, so it was all good fun.

It got me thinking about really cool things that I have seen, natural things that made me stare open-mouthed at their beauty and I thought it might be nice to share some of our experiences here...

Here are a couple of mine.... (please add your own - tell us what happened, add pics or links if you can, if you have them...)

A halo around the moon

Noctilucent clouds - I've been lucky to see these on a few occasions...

Shooting Stars - I love these!!

So, what have YOU seen? What sticks in your mind?

Let's hear all about it!

10 Mar 2012

I was in a Hotel Room recently and I saw one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen..... xx SF

10 Mar 2012

I also went to the Giant's Causeway, which is in Northern Ireland - it is a a large area of basalt columns, which were caused by volcanic activity, some 50-60M years ago...

Legend has it that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. One version of the legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn.

Another variation is that Oonagh painted a rock shaped like a steak and gave it to Benandonner, whilst giving the baby (Fionn) a normal steak. When Benandonner saw that the baby was able to eat it so easily, he ran away, tearing up the causeway.

Another version of the legend was that Fionn had spent many days and nights trying to create a bridge to Scotland because he was challenged by another giant. A fellow boatsman told him that the opponent was much larger than he. Fionn told his wife and she came up with an ingenious plan to dress Fionn like a baby. They spent many nights creating a costume and bed. When the opponent came to Fionn's house; Fionn's wife told him that Fionn was out woodcutting and the opponent would have to wait for him to return. Then Fionn's wife showed him her baby and when the opponent saw him he was terrified at the thought of how huge Fionn would be. He ran back to Scotland and threw random stones from the causeway into the waters below.

Led Zeppelin used it on their Houses of the Holy album cover...

It's a great place to visit and you can climb all over the rocks.

10 Mar 2012

Quote by stephanie

I was in a Hotel Room recently and I saw one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen..... xx SF

Oh did you now?

10 Mar 2012

Pretty awesome stuff mazz, things that make you go; Hmm?

Here's a little Bonsai created by Mother Nature her self

Don't anyone take this one offensively

I just love trees

10 Mar 2012

Wow Scoot!! Those are some awesome pics!! Thanks for sharing them x

10 Mar 2012

Colourful icebergs...

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions. Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with meltwater and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form. When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe. Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.

10 Mar 2012

Here's an interesting one for ya Scooter. I've seen this one a loong time ago. This is one tree.

10 Mar 2012

Baobab trees. I love these.

10 Mar 2012

I lived through this. Every time I see the picture of it I can't believe it.

11 Mar 2012

Those are some pretty interesting facts about icebergs mazz, and some cool pics also.
How would ya like to have one of them floating around in your cocktail!

Here's an interesting berg;

11 Mar 2012

Thanks chef,
I saw a tree real similar to that one, down in Clear water a few years ago.
Mom an dad in law took us out site seeing.
I ate dinner at The Kapok Tree restaurant back in the good Ole days,
I understand it's no longer a restaurant though

Then there's the Giant Sequoia:

I'm surprised Florida didn't get blown off the map from that Hurricane chef,
I'm so glad you made it Pint Drunk

11 Mar 2012

Then there's the living bridge's of Cherrapunji India.
Formed over time by locals from the secondary roots of the Ficus elastica tree.
It takes approximately 15 years to build a living bridge

The classic double decker;

11 Mar 2012

I've heard of the Kapok Tree restaurant. Never went but my mom did. Said it was a sight to behold.

12 Mar 2012

Here you go chef, this is just one pic I found. It was an awesome place.
The Kapok tree grew up right in the center of that thing.
I was just a kid, a course Liar

Have a happy birthday chef, you an your hubby both...

love scooter~

12 Mar 2012

awesome pics chef and scooter! ill have to find some to post now!

wait...can i post one of my own ass? hehee kidding kidding! ;)

littlemissbitch ~ professional face ripper offer, at your service..

13 Mar 2012

Here's a pic a my ass Little miss!
Of course you can, this is Lush after all

Pint Drunk

13 Mar 2012

i love your ass scooter! its better than mine by far ;)

littlemissbitch ~ professional face ripper offer, at your service..

14 Mar 2012

ok! i found some good ones!

littlemissbitch ~ professional face ripper offer, at your service..

16 Mar 2012

Kapock tree; that takes me back to being a kid in Clearwater. I never liked the place. I always thought of it as a giant train station or something where they served food to 1000's in one sitting. Just look at the room. The atmosphere was pure noise.

There was a second one in Ft Lauderdale (west of Ftl actually). They are both gone along with the African Safari in Boca Raton.....

16 Mar 2012

I don't think the noise would have bothered them Shibui. Remember seeing pictures of what they called Automats. They were supposed to be real noisy too but they were popular. I heard they're coming back in Japan. I think the Kapok was supposed to just be about the novelty of eating in a tree. Supper clubs were huge too from what I've heard. It wasn't unusual for them to have more than 500 or 1000 seats in the place. Although that was usually double capacity I heard. Remember the story about Cocoanut Grove?

16 Mar 2012

Ayers Rock - The largest single pebble in the world. Slap bang in the center of Australia. I have camped outside it at Urulu.

The Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis as viewed in Alaska

Not sure what this is, but the woman must be very uncomfortable

17 Mar 2012

I don't remember the Kapok tree (restaurant) for it's size Shibui. It really has been years ago. It was because of the Kapok tree growing up through the center of the place that caught my attention.

That is one heck of a pebble Tracy Ames. It's pretty cool that you have camped there before also.
This is the best I can do for a rock, I found it just down the road from my ex home.
It's huge in the fact that a medium size excavator couldn't even lift it.

17 Mar 2012

This is in Wyoming...Devils Tower

sex is like a joke...it's only good if you get it

17 Mar 2012

aw your rock is bigger than my rock scooter

sex is like a joke...it's only good if you get it

31 Mar 2012

Quote by Mazza
I also went to the Giant's Causeway, which is in Northern Ireland - it is a a large area of basalt columns, which were caused by volcanic activity, some 50-60M years ago...

Led Zeppelin used it on their Houses of the Holy album cover...

It's a great place to visit and you can climb all over the rocks.

He also used the children idea from Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End.

31 Mar 2012

Angels Falls its in Canaima -Venezuela, its the biggest fall there is the world, the place is in credible and you can just stop staring at it and be in ow. Incredible Magic place!!

Roraima - Venezuela another incredible place, i actually did this hiking trip of 3 days hiking staid on the top of the tepuy for 2 nights and then back down, a trip i will never forget!!

2 Apr 2012

Imposing storm cell crackling with lightning over Geelong's Corio Bay- captured by a local photographer, James Collier

5 Apr 2012

Volcano Tungurahua sometimes erupts spectacularly.
Pictured above, molten rock so hot it glows visibly pours down the sides of the 5,000-meter high Tungurahua, while a cloud of dark ash is
seen being ejected toward the left. Wispy white clouds flow around the lava-lit peak, while a star-lit sky shines in the distance. The above
image was captured in 2006 as ash fell around the adventurous photographer.
Located in Ecuador, Tungurahua has become active roughly every 90 years for the last 1,300 years.

The same GQP demanding we move on from January 6th, 2021 is still doing audits of the November 3rd, 2020 election.

5 Apr 2012

Iguazu Falls..on the border of Argentina and Brazil: This semicircular splendor consists of 275 waterfalls on the Iguazu River, surrounded by subtropical rain forest and sporting trails, catwalks and boat rides for visitors. Most of the falls are about 210 feet high, though some are up to 269 feet high, and they extend nearly two miles wide.

sex is like a joke...it's only good if you get it