Break on Through (To the Other Side)

Seen at the Kiev Sea/Reservoir north of Kiev, early October 2011.

St. Panteleimon from Park Feofania

A new view of St. Panteleimon, as seen from Park Feofania.

Round Barn, Shelburne Vermont

Shelbourne Museum Round Barn

Fred “Silo” Quimbly constructed the Round Barn, a three-story building measuring eighty feet in diameter, in 1901 in East Passumpsic,Vermont. Round barns enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Shakers designed and built the first round barn in America in 1826 in Hancock, Massachusetts. The publication of the building’s plans in a nationally distributed farm journal in 1896, sparked the construction of approximately twenty-four comparable barns in Vermont beginning in 1899.

In 1985 and 1986 the Shelburne Museum relocated the Round Barn to the Museum grounds. A helicopter flew the upper segment of the silo, which weighs nine thousand pounds, from Passumpsic to Shelburne, while workmen dismantled the remainder of the building piece-by-piece and transported it on flatbed trucks to Museum grounds. After reconstruction, new materials replaced what had aged beyond use.

Round Barn, Shelburne Museum

About Shelbourne Museum

Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds. It is located on 45 acres (18 ha) near Lake Champlain.

Impressionist paintings, folk art, quilts and textiles, decorative arts, furniture, American paintings, and an array of 17th- to 20th-century artifacts are on view. Shelburne is home to collections of 19th-century American folk art, quilts, 19th- and 20th-century decoys, and carriages.

Electra Havemeyer Webb was a pioneering collector of American folk art and founded Shelburne Museum in 1947. The daughter ofHenry Osborne Havemeyer and Louisine Elder Havemeyer, important collectors of Impressionism, European and Asian art, she exercised an independent eye and passion for art, artifacts, and architecture celebrating a distinctly American aesthetic.

When creating the Museum she took the step of collecting 18th and 19th century buildings from New England and New York in which to display the Museum's holdings, relocating 20 historic structures to Shelburne. These include houses, barns, a meeting house, a one-room schoolhouse, a lighthouse, a jail, a general store, a covered bridge, and the 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga.

In Shelburne Mrs. Webb sought to create "an educational project, varied and alive." Shelburne's collections are exhibited in a village-like setting of historic New England architecture, accented by a landscape that includes over 400 lilacs, a circular formal garden, herb and heirloom vegetable gardens, and perennial gardens.

Shelburne Museum

Hero Cities of the USSR (partial)

Hero Cities shown, from left to right:

Moscow, Leningrad, Volgograd, Kiev, Minsk, Odessa, Sevastopol

Other Hero Cities not shown:

Novorossiysk, Kerch, Tula, Murmansk, Smolensk, Brest (Hero Fortress)

Hero City (Belarusian: горад-герой, horad-heroy, Ukrainian: місто-герой, misto-heroy, Russian: город-герой, gorod-geroy) is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the German-Soviet War (World War II) of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress. This symbolic distinction for a city corresponds to the individual distinction Hero of the Soviet Union.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_City

On Autumn's Path

Seen in Park Slavy, Kiev.

Lake at Park Feofania

Many years, the trees go from green to brown to on the ground in a matter of days. This year we actually have a autumn with some real colors! Photographer's delight!

The National Philharmonic

The National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна Філармонія України), often referred to as Kiev Philharmonic and National Philharmonic, is a concert hall in Kiev, Ukraine.

The historic building founded in the end of the 19th century, standing at the end of Khreschatyk street in the European Square, has been a pride of the city ever since its creation. Throughout the centuries it has hosted numerous Russian composers such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and famous opera singers like Leonid Sobinov and Feodor Chaliapin.

The National Philharmonic, Kiev.

The Harbor at Finike

• HDR Photo

Finike (historically known as Phoenicus) is a district on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province of Turkey, 90 minutes west of the city of Antalya.

Finike is located in the south of the Teke peninsula, and the coast here is a popular tourist destination. However, Finike is best-known for its oranges, the symbol of the town.

Finike, Turkey

This photo is a bit of a fluke, since stopping at this place was not on our itinerary for the day. However, as we’re driving to our destination further down the road, the AC on the bus decides to stop working. The temperature outside? About 32C or 90F. So the driver drops us off at this little park and drives away, leaving our tour group to wander around town, but not too far, since everybody is hoping the bus would return soon and we can resume our trip to our actual destination. About 50 minutes later, the bus returns and we resume our journey, but not before I captured this photo and a few other ones that I like quite a lot.

Schonborn Palace, Ukraine

Schonborn Palace, West Ukraine

Bears Statue

Bears Statue, seen at the Karpati Sanatorium, outside Mukachevo, Ukraine.

Done in a painted style.

Old Doors, Uzhgorod Castle

Seen at Uzhgorod Castle, Uzhgorod Ukraine.

Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod (Ukrainian and Russian: Ужгород; Rusyn: Уґоград, Ужгород or Унґвар; Hungarian: Ungvár; Slovak: Užhorod; German: Ungwar, Ungarisch Burg; Yiddish: אונגװאר , translit. Ungver or Ingver, Polish: Ujgorod) is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast (region), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzhhorod

Sidewalk, Park Slavy

Just an everyday street scene in Kiev.  The park on the right is Park Slavy (Glory).

Statue of Jelena Zrinska and Frances II Rakoczi

Jelena Zrinska (mother) and Frances II Rakoczi (son).

Seen at Palanok Castle, Mukachevo, Ukraine

Francis II Rákóczi (Hungarian: II. Rákóczi Ferenc, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈraːkoːtsi ˈfɛrɛnts]; 27 March 1676 in Borsi, Royal Hungary – 8 April 1735 in Tekirdağ, Ottoman Empire) Hungarian aristocrat,[1] he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince (fejedelem) of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Today he is considered a national hero in Hungary.

Francis II Rákóczi

Statue of Leonid Bykov

Leonid Bykov (Ukrainian: Леонід Федорович Биков, Russian: Леонид Фёдорович Быков, December 12, 1928 in Znamenske, Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine – April 11, 1979 in Kiev Oblast of Ukraine) was a Soviet and Ukrainian actor, film director, and script writer.

Leonid_Bykov

Assateague Lighthouse, Virginia

Assateague LIghthouse on Assateague Island, at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

Did a minor HDR adjustment on this one. Just enough to brighten up the foreground.

Kiev Glow

Kiev, looking toward the center of the city. As seen from the Bridge of Love.

Red Square, Chernigov Ukraine

A panorama view of Red Square in Chernigov, Ukraine.  Yes, it's still called that!

The Kiev Lenin

"The" Kiev Lenin

In the not too distant past, there were quite a few Lenin statues here in Kiev. There are still numerous ones in many places around Ukraine.

As of a few years ago, I had read that there were still around 15-20 in Kiev, but that all except this one apparently had been designated to be removed. Whether all or indeed any of them were removed, I don't know.

I sometimes contemplate going around to find as many of these Lenin statues as possible. But since many were apparently on the grounds of guarded industrial sites, my limited Russian and even more limited Ukrainian language skills are not likely to be all that persuasive to obtain permission. And likely my wife would take a pass on this "opportunity" too.

I refer to this one as "The" Kiev Lenin, since it's likely the most controversial Lenin standing in Kiev, and indeed in all of Ukraine. Many vilify the man as the root of all problems in the modern Ukrainian nation, while just as many honor him as a symbol of all that was right with the USSR. But mostly these days, he's just plain ignored.

St. Sophia Belltower

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus'. Today, it is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first Ukrainian patrimony to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.

The complex of the Cathedral is the main component the National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kiev" the state institution responsible for the preservation of the Cathedral complex along with several other historic landmarks of the city.

Kiev Water Museum

The Kiev Water Tower, now a museum, is over 140 years old.  For a while, it was a major source of water for the city of Kiev.  But as the population of the city grew, these types of structures for storing water were no longer adequate and quickly became obsolete.

Under the Bridge

•  The Weekend Archive Series

Bridge and boat at Sofievsky Park, Uman, Ukraine.

Smoke on the Water

•  The Weekend Archive Series

Smoke on the Water. A Fire in the Sky. OK, so I’m channeling a bit of Deep Purple this morning.

And half my audience exclaims “Deep what”? Well, Deep Purple is a 1970′s rock band, best known for it’s song “Smoke on the Water”.

Old Castle Wall, Uzhgorod

After the arrival of the Hungarians, the small town began to extend its borders. In 1241–1242 the Tatars of Batu Khan burnt the settlement. In the early 14th century Uzhhorod showed strong resistance to the new Hungarian rulers of the Anjou dynasty. From 1318 for 360 years, the Drugeths (Italian counts) owned the town. During that period Philip Drugeth built Uzhhorod Castle. Together with the castle the city began to grow. By 1430, Uzhhorod acquired some privileges from the king and was officially called "The Privileged City of Ungvar" and became capital of Ung County.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzhhorod

Statue of Yaroslav the Wise

Yaroslav I the Wise

Yaroslav I the Wise (East Slavic: Ярослав Мудрый; Old Norse: Jarizleifr Ukranian: Ярослав Мудрий , c. 978 - February 20, 1054) was thrice Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. During his lengthy reign, Rus' reached the zenith of its cultural flowering and military power.

The early years of Yaroslav's life are shrouded in mystery. He was one of the numerous sons of Vladimir the Great, presumably his second by Rogneda of Polotsk, although his actual age (as stated in the Primary Chronicle and corroborated by the examination of his skeleton in the 1930s) would place him among the youngest children of Volodymyr. It has been suggested that he was a child begotten out of wedlock after Volodymyr's divorce from Rogneda and marriage to Anna Porphyrogeneta, or even that he was a child of Anna Porphyrogeneta herself. Yaroslav figures prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name of Jarisleif the Lame; his legendary lameness (probably resulting from an arrow wound) was corroborated by the scientists who examined his remains.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaroslav_I_the_Wise

Cat of 600 Plastic Forks

The title pretty much says it all!

House With Chimeras

House with Chimaeras or Gorodetsky House (Ukrainian: Будинок з химерами, Budynok z khymeramy; Russian: Дом с химерами, Dom s khimerami) is an Art Nouveau building located in the historic Lypky neighborhood of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Situated across the street from the President of Ukraine's office at No. 10, Bankova Street, the building has been used as a presidential residence for official and diplomatic ceremonies since 2005. The street in front of the building is closed off to all automobile traffic, and is now a patrolled pedestrian zone due to its near proximity to the Presidential Administration building.

Architect Vladislav Gorodetsky originally constructed the House with Chimaeras for use as his own upmarket apartment building during the period of 1901–1902. However, as the years went by, Gorodetsky eventually had to sell the building due to financial troubles, after which it changed ownership numerous times before finally being occupied by an official Communist Party polyclinic until the early 2000s. When the building was vacated, its interior and exterior decor were fully reconstructed and restored according to Gorodetsky's original plans.

The building derives its popular name from the ornate decorations depicting exotic animals and hunting scenes, which were sculpted by Italian architect Emilio Sala since Gorodetsky was an avid hunter. The name does not refer to the chimaera of mythology, but to an architectural style known as chimaera decoration in which animal figures are applied as decorative elements to a building. Gorodetsky's unique architectural style earned him praise as the Antoni Gaudí of Kiev.

House With Chimeras

Mukachevo City Hall, Ukraine

Schedule changes at Roads Less Traveled Photography.

It's a big step for me, but at some point, one must push beyond their normal boundaries and take the next step.  And so it is for me.  Beginning today, Roads Less Traveled Photography will be on a seven day a week schedule.  That's five new photos each week, and two archive photos for Saturday and Sunday. I'm confident that I have enough material and will continue to obtain new material to publish at this accelerated schedule.  Thank you for stopping by to view, and thanks for your continuing support.

Today's Photo:  City Hall, Mukachevo, Ukraine

Sunrise in Kiev

Four image panorama using Hugin. Then a five image HDR of the four image panorama using Photomatix.

First, I stitched together the four images in Hugin to create one panoramic photo. Cropped the panorama the way I wanted. I then created five different versions of this panorama, at values -2EV, -1EV, 0EV, +1EV, +2EV. Then created the HDR using these five versions. Pretty much stuck to the settings Photomatix selected. Did a few final adjustments, like toning down the greens a bit.

This photo was taken September 11, 2010, in Park Slavy (Glory) in Kiev. This view is from the right bank of the river Dnieper, looking toward the left bank.