Where we live - pictures

[Jilly]

I thought it would be interesting to post some pictures of the area or city or town where we live. Please post some of the area that you live in too, if you like.

I live in a village, some photos:

Some of the photos are of my 'garden' - I live on an acreage. The sunsets can be seen from the back deck. There are many lakes around here, that is a photo of one of them. My dog, my kitten. The gravel road is one of the many places I take my dog for a walk. The road becomes more of a rocky path after a while, it goes on for around 2 miles and ends with a waterfall at the end. It's a very peaceful, quiet, picturesque area.

This year I spent some weeks in July in Montreal, I will post some pics of that too, at some point.

 

[rattler]

Rattlers place, part #1

@ Jilly: ...spectacular...!

Me, I don´t have many to post (bad for an ex photographer...) but here goes from my island:

A view on the bay I live in, the red arrow points ot my place (but in the time since the photo was taken they built a city behind me). The mountainous sturcture on the left is another island, "Dragon Island" (Dragonera), well known to "Master and Commander"! readers for being the island where the English dropped off their POW´s - only 2 km to our coast, but almost impossible to cross swimming because of the strong currents in the canal.:

A view off my balcony...

And, a winter view off my terrace:

Our village´s beach (December, w/o tourists ):

and, despite being so dry, in spring we do have some green, and *real* green (with the low sun) also:

Part 2 coming when someone else has posted (NO DOUBLE POSTS!!!!: Another thingy where I feel the forum is too restrictive: Only 8 pics - incl. smileys! allowed? Cannot post the next directly behind?)

Rattler

 

[Jilly]

Gosh! Those are great photos, Rattler.

You live in such a beautiful area and your views are really amazing.

It interesting how every country seems to have a slightly different kind of sunset.

I'll be posting some more pics later on.

Thanks for posting those, it would be great to see some more as well.

 

[Mikefrombelgium]

Dont really have pictures , but here is the wikipedia stuff from my hometown with pictures etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostend

English: Ostend
Dutch: Oostende

Marvin Gay used to live here, and its were he shot the clip of sexual healing, were stil very proud about that .

When i get the time i'll shoot some pics of street/house and show it to you guys.

 

[MontyB]

Part 2 coming when someone else has posted (NO DOUBLE POSTS!!!!: Another thingy where I feel the forum is too restrictive: Only 8 pics - incl. smileys! allowed? Cannot post the next directly behind?)

Rattler

You realise that the "Edit" button functions perfectly well?

 

[Mikefrombelgium]

To do what monty? he can only post 8 pics at once

 

[rattler]

You realise that the "Edit" button functions perfectly well?

To do what monty? he can only post 8 pics at once

Indeed... Or do you (Monty) mean I should change the posts pics every now and then by "edit"?

And even smileys are counted as pics.... ??? I realize they are from a computer POV, but we (hopefully) still are sensibly thinking human beings, right?

Look, I have no prob with ppl feeling ****, I also realize there are a lot of jerks out there that want to flood you with stuff you don´t even want to think about or others that cannot post something without posting an afterthought afterwards and then an after-afterthought and do so w/o realizing the "edit" function even exists (and I like that I can edit for weeks here, my own forums e.g. limit editing to the "get sober" period of 48 hours to avoid bad/sad feelings out of shame), but as seen here and in the longer type of threads with high posting rate (but: NOT per hour, think "what did you last listen to?") this restriction of # of pics (incl smileys, cannot get over that one, sorry!) combined with the no-dp rule is surely suffocatingly strict and inhibits plain "normal" communication, as has now several times been demonstrated.

What is more, nobody so far has explained why it should be like that (except statements like "I *like* the double post prohibition". Fine with me, but I still *dont* like it... So?). Is there any real reason that maybe I am just too stupid to grasp? I am all ears...

My 2c, and I wont comment on it any further, forum rules are forum rules and I have no prob complying reluctantly, just really wanted to make my case here, clearly outspoken and with open visor.

Rattler

P.S.: Oh, just now realize I cannot post my 2nd set of pics anymore, as I answered you two guys posts, and the pics now would be double posting... Nor can I tell Mike about my Oostende stuff in my window altar, nor can I answer Jlly if I would not want to cram it all into this rant (doing so would anyway have me run into the nest, the "5k character max" restriction, I am at 3k now...)... Does this really make sense to anybody? R.

 

[MontyB]

I think you are over reacting a bit to the double posting rule, my understanding of said rule is that it is designed to stop people posting hundreds of individual replies however if your post exceeds the limit for an individual post (For Example 10,000 characters) you can make consecutive posts to complete your post.

Now I may have it totally wrong but that is the way I understand things currently.

 

[Jilly]

I was going to say the same thing as Mike and Rattler. I think Rattler summed it up really well.

When I was making my original picture post on here, I had 11 pics. When I tried posting them all, a message came up to say I am restricted to only 8 (including my one smiley). So I had to delete the rest. And then wait for someone else to post something (or wait 24hrs), before posting another post. Personally I think this double posting rule should go! There really is no point in it.

Anyway, Mike, thanks for the link to your area. I like the way the modern and the historical 'live' side by side. It just makes it that much more interesting.

So, here are some photos of Montreal, (in Quebec). I went there this July for a vacation. But I have lived there also some years back. I just like the city very much, it has that great cosmopolitan feel about it.

The biodome has an inside zoo, complete with all kinds of water creatures. This year was the anniversary of the 30th Jazz festival in Montreal. This is a major event that happens every year, the outside shows and Jazz musicians are really fun to watch. What I like about Montreal is that the modern skyscapers go so well with the older architecture and historical buildings. It's an intereting place to visit. We saw many other areas also, and every weekend there is an international fireworks competion, where countries from all over the world come and compete.

 

[rattler]

I think you are over reacting a bit to the double posting rule, my understanding of said rule is that it is designed to stop people posting hundreds of individual replies however if your post exceeds the limit for an individual post (For Example 10,000 characters) you can make consecutive posts to complete your post.

Now I may have it totally wrong but that is the way I understand things currently.

That was the case I made with the mods (I think), but it was denied. Thanks Monty, for opening me the channel again (in theory: Smiley inserted)!

Anyway, as I only spent one sentence and promised to not "overreact" any longer, here go my next pix from where I live:

Another winter sunset from my 150 ppl village, same beach, but Jilly is right: Every nation (according to latitude) has it´s own kind of sunsets, ours for some reason I as photographer haven´t understood yet always look photoshopped:

Sun is funny (and only) in winter here, check this from my terrace with a papyrus in front... (and, for the photographically interested, this was about 15 min before the shot - #3- of my first post with the two fishing boats, from the same position - sitting at my table with a GT in hand...). Oh, how I love bragging.... (smiley)!:

Then, of cause, half part of the world here really is the sea, and fishing... (this not taken from my village, but about 10 k up the road):

One of the things I did not know before I came here was that ducks actually can live in the sea and its salt water... But they do, we have a healthy population:

Getting more private: A shot from my kitchen... 1.5x1.5 mtrs like on a boat (my whole house just has 42 sqmtrs), but I do one lunch/dinner festival every year for about 40 ppl w/o probs (just nobody else can be inside):

And then, of cause, the most important feature: The fire place:

...with all kind of animals that like the warmth...:

Even in storms I have survivable (relatively: some pix from OCT 28 2008 in the next charge) views:

FWIW,

Rattler
EDIT: I will put this in front of my next allowed post, but @ Jilly: Nice! R.

 

[Mikefrombelgium]

@ jilly: yeah alot of the older flemish towns have really old and historical buildings and modern buildings standing side by side. Bruges has this even way more then Ostend.

@ rattler and jilly:

Cool pics, seems nice to live there

 

[Jilly]

Just love the photos Rattler! That hedgehog is so cute, it reminds me of the ones that I found in my back garden, when I was living in the UK. They are very gentle creatures, but don't like being picked up much.

I didn't now Spain ever got cold enough for a fireplace.


.............................

Thanks mike, yep, I do enjoy living here must admit.

 

[AFSteliga]

Just to let you all know, when it comes to threads like this, posting after yourself is allowed. And this is ONLY for threads like this where your posts might be too long. Any other time, either use the edit button or wait until someone else posts.

 

[rattler]

Just love the photos Rattler! That hedgehog is so cute, it reminds me of the ones that I found in my back garden, when I was living in the UK. They are very gentle creatures, but don't like being picked up much.

This one (by the name of Kasimir, he is "part of the family" by now) is just the visible tip of the iceberg, they come in groups (probably attracted by the fireplace and the dog food tray on the terrace).

It is absolutely hilarious to see them "march" in at around 2200 at night, all in a row, with the dogs barking and the cats looking, they simply ignore them, enter and move straight to the stones in front of the fireplace. As I usually let the fire die at around midnight (and as my door is open all the time), they leave around 0400 in the morning... When you do pick them up (not always a good idea, they are live flea transporters ) I find it most interesting that they have really *cold* feet...

I didn't now Spain ever got cold enough for a fireplace.

its getting zero degrees at night during a few days here in the med (but Spains is big, in the center and north you have really hard winters), still, best to sleep in front of the fireplace then:

Thanks mike, yep, I do enjoy living here must admit.

I love it where I live also (I guess you guessed), it is - and I have travelled a lot - the compromise of all closest to paradise that I have found... just the plants are enough to make you see something divine in nature´s setup... (this from a hardcore agnostic):

... and personally I love the combination of having the sea in front and the mountains right in my backyard (this pic was taken some 5k from my place, you can see the sea in the bkgnd behind Dragonera):

The only really hard stuff hits with the storms, you *really* have weather here... A thunderstorm like yesterday (18.000 rays!) or a storm make it clear who rules, here some stuff (distributed over two posts, from last years "Big One" - you have one a year - on OCT 28):

This one is a panaroma (added as link only because its to big for the post) of our actually quite well protcted bay (there is only a 4 degree angle where they can enter and do damage, but when that happens....) in the middle of a storm: http://ohlmer.es/blog/wp-content/sturmpanorama.jpg

Rattler

 

[rattler]

Thanks to the permission granted by Mr. Steliga I can go on with what happens when the weather *does* enter in this little unprotected angle:

My house, car and boat, OCT 28, 2008:

Others had even worse luck:

And, finally, one of myself (winter)...

Rattler (and thanks for your patience )

 

[A Can of Man]

Great pictures!
Want to know what my place looks like?
Go find a slab of concrete. Look down. There it is. hehe.

 

[rattler]

Great pictures!
Want to know what my place looks like?
Go find a slab of concrete. Look down. There it is. hehe.

Maybe think about changing that, does not sound healthy.

Rattler

 

[A Can of Man]

Yeah it's not but it's what I can afford!

 

[rattler]

Yeah it's not but it's what I can afford!

Sorry, with all due respect and w/o intention to meddle with your life decisions (how would I with my crooked life give serious counsel??? ), but:

From my experience you have two attitudes to chose from (economically speaking), the "budget" spending centered view or the " income" centered view, as I call them.

#1 is fairly safe: You have x monthly, now all you need to do is to manage this amount intelligently and you will be rich in 30 years and be able to afford any place you want to live at 70, with your yacht in front (the basic inner dialogue being: "What ressources do I have? What can I afford? How can I use them effectively?").

#2 is different, the basic inner dialogue going along "What do I want? How am I going to gain the necessary ressources? Will it be satisfying"? Not much security there, but fun and hardship and adrenaline, and you might (just) be able to live in a place you like at 35, w/ or w/o yacht.

Mine always has been #2, based on the feeling that when I live at peace and in a surrounding where I feel relaxed and whole, I have saved myself sooooo much stress and troubles and mindlessly spent efforts to deal with stuff I do not even want to deal with, that with this base I can do anything I want, and always, and repeatedly.

Example (and it may be that I have voiced it here before, but as I frequent so many places am not sure, search gave nothing):

I have a long list of jobs, my best paid is a 3 hours daily maintenance job that brings me 1.500 Euros (2k $) monthly, the basic income I am living from (the rest sums up to another 1.000, cannot survive from that amount). The job is at 50 mtrs from where I live, and it is not hard at all (pool manangement, cleaning the terrace, basic gardenigng stuff, from 0630J til 0930J 6 days a week - in summer).

Now, in this job is a client who is constantly buggering me with all kind of mobbing attempts, last week I got so fed up with him video taping me that I encountred myself lifting the shovel, ready to giving it to him. Luckily (would be in prison now), I thought better, went home, and rencounced that work at end of contract.

Now, everybody of my friends and familiars is telling me "But, are you crazy????! How can you let such a job go???! Ignore the guy! You will *never* find something so easy and welll paid again in thsis small village..." and so on.

They might even be right, but, I have decided that I will never work in a job where I feel so bad that I feel tempted to kill a SOB client, whatever you pay me...

Interestingly, when I started looking for jobs 6 years ago here (renouncing my photo journalism to be closer to my wife, leaving my 15k monthly income behind), it were exactly the same people who told me that my idea of wanting to earn 2.500 with not more than 6 hours work daily - and only in the village - was "crazy and unrealistic"....

I have not the faintest clue what I will be doing next month (not one bank here to rob, and we are in crisis, so no jobs either, and none for ppl my age even if there were any), but I am sure, in a year we will still be talking on the same economic level between the two of us.

I trust myself and life.

Just my idea, FWIW

Rattler

 

[A Can of Man]

Actually Rattler, that's great advice and I'm actually doing it right now.
Right now we need to both save money and have access to good services so that's why we live in such a small place. It's all we can afford in an expensive place. But it's the practical choice because we won't be here past the end of the year. We're on our way out.
I've had a few chances to earn a lot of money but it meant sacrificing other things I'd rather not. I'll PM you since I don't really want it hanging out here on the main forum!