Landscapes Archives - Page 2 of 3

Earth’s Rich Tapestry as Viewed from Space

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 16 March 2015 0 Comment

Sometimes the marvels of an object are best viewed from a distance. Often not only will those photographs provide a fresh perspective of the object but also place it is context. That is what this series of photographs illustrates

Main picture: The Palouse region of Washington State, an agricultural zone that produces mainly wheat and legumes.

How about making these breath-taking locations your next vacation stop-over?

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 9 March 2015 0 Comment

How about something breath-takingly different for a vacation? Instead of Paris and London, why not make a change and discover some magical places where none of your friends have been before.

Main picture: Lofoten Islands, Norway

Enthralling Journey to Europe’s World Heritage Sites

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 17 February 2015 0 Comment

Represented here are stunning photographs of twenty of Europe’s World Heritage Sites. All are equally sublime and it would be extremely difficult to select any one as being the best as all are equally as excellent.

Main picture: The Ring Of Brodgar at Night in Orkney Islands. It is a phantasmagoric place with a beautiful starlight by Joan Gosa Badia

Photographs of snow storm in Buffalo New York

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 27 January 2015 1 Comment

When I first heard about the reports of the heaviest snow falls in the Eastern USA for over 30 years I was sceptical. Maybe my natural cynicism at the Texan exaggeration – I know that the snow was in New York state and not in Austen Texas – aspect of American culture made me blase about the severity of the snow storm. A quick glance at some of the astonishing photographs emerging fr0m the USA rapidly disabused me of that notion.

The worst affected area appears to be the town of Buffalo in New York State where 6 feet [2 metres] of snow has been reported. The rate of the snow fall could rapidly trap people at work, on the highway and more embarassingly at their lovers apartment. Of course they could always claim without fear of contradiction that they were trapped in their vehicle somewhere. Meanwhile they were enjoyed an uninterrupted 48 hours in a romantic tryst!

Main picture: Don’t let the snow in!

The Ethereal Dream World of an Underwater Park

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 29 December 2014 0 Comment

Imagine swimming underwater anywhere. What will one normally see? Sand and rocks. That is not so in the case of the Gruner See – the Green Lake – in Styria, Austria. During the winter, the lake is only 1–2 m deep and the surrounding area is used as a county park. However, during the spring, when the temperature rises and the snow melts, the basin of land below the mountains fills with water. The lake reaches its maximum depth of around 12m from mid-May to June. Beneath the water one can view grass and not sand and mud. Looking up, one can spot the tops of the trees under the water.

A truly surreal experience

Beaches in China

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 24 December 2014 0 Comment

Isn’t the whole idea of going to the beach is to have a relaxing time. Instead one has to contend with thousands of people? If you do go for a swim, would you even be missed if you did not surface again but more importantly, would you be able to find your umbrella again. It probably is no different from being at the crowded shopping mall – being jostled, no privacy and raucous – the very antithesis of a relaxing peaceful visit.

Wild Australian Weather

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 18 November 2014 0 Comment

I have never associated Australia with wild weather but some of these photographs confound that belief. They are certainly stunning. From the dark foreboding and menacing cloud banks many tens of kilometres in height to the piquant reds of a sunset it has them all. I am ever in awe of nature like this when it is at its pristine best. I revel in its colours, in its innate magisterial vastness as my emotions resonate with its splendour and beauty.

The Tapestry of Life

By Dean McCleland in Inspirational, Landscapes, Other Opinion Pieces 4 November 2014 0 Comment

Have you ever considered why life is not a bland monotone? Imagine for a minute if it were. How boring would life be! Rather it comprises the strident highs of a tweeter and the thumping lows of a bass. It is the opposites and their interaction that makes life sweeter.

Switch on one’s favourite melody and close your eyes. Let the sound flow over and through you. One is enraptured by the interplay of the various components – the lead with its highs, the bass with its lows, the keyboards with its melody and the drums with its beat.

Main photograph: A bamboo forest in China

Sandstorm hits central South Africa

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Landscapes 17 October 2014 0 Comment

With winds gusting up to 100kms per hour in certain parts of South Africa especially the Kimberley region combined with extremely dry conditions resulted in the worst sandstorms seen for many years. At OR Tambo airport the windspeed recorded was 48kph. It was sufficient to provide Joburg residents with their worst dust storm in decades.

The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.

Category Archives: Landscapes

Earth’s Rich Tapestry as Viewed from Space

Sometimes the marvels of an object are best viewed from a distance. Often not only will those photographs provide a fresh perspective of the object but also place it is context. That is what this series of photographs illustrates

How about making these breath-taking locations your next vacation stop-over?

How about something breath-takingly different for a vacation? Instead of Paris and London, why not make a change and discover some magical places where none of your friends have been before.

Enthralling Journey to Europe’s World Heritage Sites

Represented here are stunning photographs of twenty of Europe’s World Heritage Sites. All are equally sublime and it would be extremely difficult to select any one as being the best as all are equally as excellent.

Photographs of snow storm in Buffalo New York

The Ethereal Dream World of an Underwater Park

Beaches in China

Wild Australian Weather

The Tapestry of Life

Have you ever considered why life is not a bland monotone? Imagine for a minute if it were. How boring would life be! Rather it comprises the strident highs of a tweeter and the thumping lows of a bass. It is the opposites and their interaction that makes life sweeter.

Sandstorm hits central South Africa

Sometimes the marvels of an object are best viewed from a distance. Often not only will those photographs provide a fresh perspective of the object but also place it is context. That is what this series of photographs illustrates

How about something breath-takingly different for a vacation? Instead of Paris and London, why not make a change and discover some magical places where none of your friends have been before.

Represented here are stunning photographs of twenty of Europe’s World Heritage Sites. All are equally sublime and it would be extremely difficult to select any one as being the best as all are equally as excellent.

On Thursday 27th November 2014, severe flooding occurred in Bloemfontein when a cloud burst dumped an estimated 55 millimetres of rain within 30 minutes on some parts of the City.

Have you ever considered why life is not a bland monotone? Imagine for a minute if it were. How boring would life be! Rather it comprises the strident highs of a tweeter and the thumping lows of a bass. It is the opposites and their interaction that makes life sweeter.