Image/Photo Thread Of Any Images You Would Like To Share....

[The OB]

Same plant (chamomile): iPhone (first photo) compared to Canon (second)
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Great flower shots Johanna. Have you ever attempted to dry those to make chamomile tea?
Andrew

 

[scifan57]

Very interesting post Dave, depicting fascinating architecture etc.
If I was a "southern gentleman" my house would have those same columns.
Andrew

You are a "Southern Gentleman", Andrew. You're from as far south as you can get in Australia without going to Tasmania.

 

[The OB]

You are a "Southern Gentleman", Andrew. Your from as far south as you can get in Australia without going to Tasmania.

LOL... Thanks sci. Well you got the "Southern" right.
Andrew


Sent from my iPad Air2 using Tapatalk

 

[squib]

Andrew, you will have to admit it, if only to yourself ,one of these days!
You truly are the kind of man that can make a lady swoon!

 

[The OB]

Andrew, you will have to admit it, if only to yourself ,one of these days!
You truly are the kind of man that can make a lady swoon!

Thanks Diane, you're most kind. But how can I respond?

As inspector Harry Callahan once said, "a man has to know his limitations". So I can only respond to your post by saying that I used to be conceited once but now that I'm >< that close to perfection I can say no more........
Andrew


Sent from my iPad Air2 using Tapatalk

 

[BobbyBoomer]

On your iPhone?

Hint, tap and hold on a lighter portion of the picture, say the sky, but not right on the sun. This will change the exposure level, emphasize the sunset colors and deepen the shadows. Once the AE Lock is on you can reframe the photo without changing the exposure.

Try this on any photo where you think your sky is too washed out, or the shadows too dark. Tap-hold on dark parts of the picture to increase exposure, and light parts of the picture to decrease it.

Basically, you lock the exposure to the part of the picture you most want to emphasize.

Thanks. I never thought about that and it makes sense. I am so used to bracketing exposures on my 'real' camera and with the lack of knobs and dials on the phone, I just point focus and shoot. Now a new phone pix world is open to me!

 

[J. A.]

Great flower shots Johanna. Have you ever attempted to dry those to make chamomile tea?
Andrew

Thanks, Andrew!

No, I didn't. We have four different sorts of this plant in my region, and it's not possible to make tea with everyone of these. I'm not really sure which one this is, but I think it's not the one you can use for tea. So instead of poisoning everyone, I leave the chamomiles where they are and enjoy their blossoms.

 

[giradman]

Very interesting post Dave, depicting fascinating architecture etc.
If I was a "southern gentleman" my house would have those same columns.

Thanks Andrew - for those interested or near enough to maybe visit - below are some more pics of the Berry Hill Mansion/Resort (all from the web but selected carefully - ) - first 3 images show the mansion from the entrance driveway and from the grounds, along w/ a night view w/ the lights on (on the latter, I placed a blue arrow which was a small parlor, which now is part of the dining room where we ate dinner).

The next 4 pics are some interior views of this well preserved Greek Revival mansion - the magnificent double staircase from front and back to the upper levels - several suites can be rented (if we we return will try to rent one of those although the plumbing is said to be from early in the last century, of course updated). The library was converted into a small bar w/ a view to the right front parlor and imported original Italian marble fireplaces - separating the library from the front parlor were two huge 'in the wall' sliding doors (note that ceilings in these old mansions were 12-14 ft. in height) - I suspect that in the 1800s, after dinner, the ladies would occupy the front parlor, the doors would be shut, and the men would be in the parlor smoking cigars and drinking - likely talking business and politics. Next two images of the billiards room (which can still be used by guests) and one of the canopied bedrooms.

Final pics of the Carrington Dining room - our eating room was adjacent in the small parlor (location shown again by the blue arrow). We started w/ an interesting romaine lettuce salad w/ an interesting blue cheese dressing, homemade; Susan and the shrimp & grits made in a southern style w/ smoked bacon; I had the a special for the night, i.e. grilled swordfish w/ Asian flavored sautéed veggies & basmati rice. Dessert was a shared strawberry shortcake w/ a properly made biscuit, fresh whipped cream, and most importantly, strawberries grown locally and just picked. I had a Virginia Viognier wine which was quite good; finally, our waiter made us some delicious cappuccino to accompany the dessert.

Last image of Darby's Tavern which was the old attached kitchen of the mansion - quite rustic and offering casual food (hours can be limited - in fact food availability was one of our complaints, i.e. the hours and meals, e.g. no lunch is offered except on the weekend). But I had a couple of Virginia beers on tap, a nice IPA and a delicious brown ale. Dave

.

 

[scifan57]

Thanks Andrew - for those interested or near enough to maybe visit - below are some more pics of the Berry Hill Mansion/Resort (all from the web but selected carefully - ) - first 3 images show the mansion from the entrance driveway and from the grounds, along w/ a night view w/ the lights on (on the latter, I placed a blue arrow which was a small parlor, which now is part of the dining room where we ate dinner).

The next 4 pics are some interior views of this well preserved Greek Revival mansion - the magnificent double staircase from front and back to the upper levels - several suites can be rented (if we we return will try to rent one of those although the plumbing is said to be from early in the last century, of course updated). The library was converted into a small bar w/ a view to the right front parlor and imported original Italian marble fireplaces - separating the library from the front parlor were two huge 'in the wall' sliding doors (note that ceilings in these old mansions were 12-14 ft. in height) - I suspect that in the 1800s, after dinner, the ladies would occupy the front parlor, the doors would be shut, and the men would be in the parlor smoking cigars and drinking - likely talking business and politics. Next two images of the billiards room (which can still be used by guests) and one of the canopied bedrooms.

Final pics of the Carrington Dining room - our eating room was adjacent in the small parlor (location shown again by the blue arrow). We started w/ an interesting romaine lettuce salad w/ an interesting blue cheese dressing, homemade; Susan and the shrimp & grits made in a southern style w/ smoked bacon; I had the a special for the night, i.e. grilled swordfish w/ Asian flavored sautéed veggies & basmati rice. Dessert was a shared strawberry shortcake w/ a properly made biscuit, fresh whipped cream, and most importantly, strawberries grown locally and just picked. I had a Virginia Viognier wine which was quite good; finally, our waiter made us some delicious cappuccino to accompany the dessert.

Last image of Darby's Tavern which was the old attached kitchen of the mansion - quite rustic and offering casual food (hours can be limited - in fact food availability was one of our complaints, i.e. the hours and meals, e.g. no lunch is offered except on the weekend). But I had a couple of Virginia beers on tap, a nice IPA and a delicious brown ale. Dave

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You chose some very good photos, they really show off the splendour of the mansion. Do you know when it was sold by the original owners?

 

[giradman]

You chose some very good photos, they really show off the splendour of the mansion. Do you know when it was sold by the original owners?

Hi SciFan.. - boy, the history is complex regarding ownership and I'm amazed the property is still pretty much historically intact - I've attached a PDF file of different comments made from my reading nearly a half dozen web articles (and a few in the hotel room) - some of the information seems contradictory, but you can get a good idea of the general dates - the Bruce family were the predominant owners from the early 19th century into the 20th century - a final comment in the file quoted below bringing the plantation/resort to the present day.

In all honesty, I was not even aware of this estate and its historic importance until last year - the original property was a 1728 grant from the English Crown to William Byrd II of about 105,000 acres for helping to settle the Virginia/North Carolina border. Benjamin Harrison of the Berkeley Plantation (on the James River and one of the FIRST families of Virginia) owned Berry Hill for a while - he was a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and also the grandfather of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the USA (the latter the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the USA).

Then the Carringtons & Bruces come into the ownership arena (more in the PDF file) - Carrington was an officer on Nathaniel Greene's staff during the latter part of the Revolutionary War (especially the crossing of the Dan River before Cornwallis who was finally cornered in Yorktown) - a road plaque honors that legacy (shown below). James Coles Bruce was responsible for building the current mansion and his family were occupants for over a hundred years.

Another interesting rooming option (other than the rooms in the more modern hotel and the several suites in the mansion) are the so-called 'mini-mansions' (one shown below) and also some remodeled stone slave quarters. There are SO MANY historic sites and properties in the coastal mid-Atlantic area that I likely am unaware of a number of others despite traveling around these states since the late 1960s! Dave

Following a century of Bruce family ownership, The Berry Hill Estate was sold and sat vacant until 1997, when a France-based global corporation joined forces with the Virginia Board of Historic Resources in an ambitious collaboration to restore the property to its original grandeur. After its multimillion-dollar restoration and conversion in July 1999, The Berry Hill Estate celebrated its grand re-opening as a private executive conference facility and leisure destination. It was purchased by its current ownership in 2007 and turned into one of Southern Virginia’s premier conference centers and a resort open to the public, ideally suited for weekend getaways, wedding celebrations, corporate events and social gatherings (Source).

 

[scifan57]

History does get tangled at times, with so much going on and records sometimes not the best. What you uncovered is very interesting and adds an extra dimension to the story.

 

[J. A.]

Some of my mother's roses, taken with my iPhone

 

[BobbyBoomer]

Yellow flower day? An orchid blooming on our Live Oak tree. I think it's a Brassolaelia - at least from comparing pictures on the web. Taking with my Galaxy phone. (It's taking a while to upload - sorry if it's too large).

 

[J. A.]

Robinia

Dog rose

 

[scifan57]

Robinia
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Dog rose
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Very nice flowers, Johanna.