reflections

 

some Canadian reflections for Thursday Postcard Hunt

water

Sometimes it is enough just to get a bird's eye view of the water

other times, you want to be right in it

or maybe you'd like to live surrounded by water

finger lakes

The Finger Lakes were carved out by glacier.  They flow north, eventually reaching into Lake Ontario

Seneca Lake, the gem of the Finger Lakes, is known as the lake that never freezes.  It is the deepest of the eleven lakes (600') and the longest (35 mi)

Day 17 of NaBloPoMo

mirror

in the Highlands of Scotland — Glen Etive, part of the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area

day 14 of NaBloPoMo

magyar

The moon that Luna 1 missed in 1959. The Soviets expected the Luna 1 to impact the moon, but instead became the first human made object to orbit the sun, where it continues today (between the sun and mars)

Medieval authors called the country by the Latin name Ungaria and later Hungaria, but the Hungarians even today call themselves Magyars and their homeland Magyarország (ország means country in Hungarian).  

Maybe travelling closer to home, Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe, and a favourite tourist destination.  One feature of the area is an echo that could be heard from a certain point from the sound bouncing off the wall of the abbey.  Today, with all the newer construction it is less evident.  There was a famous poem written about this phenomena by Janos Garay and I wonder if that is what the mysterious paper and feather (pen?) indicates?

two names, three countries

 

also known as Lake Constance, the Bodensee is where Germany, Switzerland and Austria meet.  The actual borders within the lake are in dispute.

descending dragon

I had this post ready before Typhoon Yagi slammed into Vietnam leading to an ever rising death toll, evacuations and untold damage to towns and villages and infrastructure

Halong Bay has been on my list of magical places to visit for a long time.  It is well known for its towering limestone karsts rising up from the water.

Legend has it that to help Vietnam defend itself from invaders in its early days of becoming a country, the gods sent a family of dragons from the heavens as protectors.  They began to spit out jewels and jade which turned into islets and islands, which have been slowly eroded into interesting and impressive formations from the movement of the waves over the centuries.

spirit island

Maligne Lake     ... and through this devastating week with the fires in Jasper, I learned that it is pronounced Mah-LEEN (not as in malign - mah-LINE)

sun moon

two views of Sun Moon Lake, the largest body of water in Taiwan

the lake is so named as it surrounds an island with the east side resembling a sun and the west side resembling a moon

an alpine national scenic area in Taiwan for Thursday Postcard Hunt

arctic beauty

 

Lofoten, an archipelago with stunning scenery. It was an inspiration for the landscapes in the movie Frozen

sunrise

 

breakfast time

water

Conservation of water (2002) and a special stamp use for greeting cards (2013).  Bamboo is especially good at conserving water. Once it is established it can get all the water it needs from the ground and can help with soil erosion.

For more water, here is one from the Beautiful China series (2013) showing Xing Hua Duo Tian Agrosystem and the islands of rapeseed flowers (for canola oil). This is a unique land water use where raised cultivated fields surrounded by irrigation canals are made from the sludge. 

and, because this is apple season...

for Sunday Stamps - Asia

turquoise

The crystal clear waters of Cyprus Lake are a little warmer than nearby Georgian Bay in 

Bruce Peninsula National Park

water

In keeping with social/physical distancing, these scenes are all void of actual people.

The Allegro is the newest train featured for the 150th year of railroads in Finland. I could not find which lake this is the train is bisecting.


It doesn't seem like the National Parks are closed but only gatherings of 10 or fewer are allowed.











These spots all look perfectly idyllic and quiet.

Ferdinand von Wright painted this double water scene of snow surrounding a still lake in Haminalahti where his family owned an estate. 

It won the most beautiful stamp competition in 2007.

for Sunday Stamps - water

Sunday Stamps - water

Here we have a 1951, green tinted view of Lake Towada as part of Japan's  National Parks series. It is a crater lake and the largest on Honshu Island. The lake and the surrounding forest became a National Park in 1936 and this stamp commemorates its 15th anniversary. An Imperial Japanese Army Air Force plane which crashed in 1943 was found at the bottom of the crater in 2010 and recovered in 2012.

for Sunday Stamps - water

moraine

What this card doesn't mention is that it is, if not the most, then one of the most photographed lakes in Canada.

sunny side

The small island in the middle of Lake Bled has the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church.

Sunday Stamps II - 131

2015, Germany, Most Beautiful Panoramas

This is the Chiemsee with a view to Gstadt and the Chiemgau Alps in Bavaria. The sun is shining on the water, but the mountains are not clear. And the side panels show a misty view of trees. I am imagining this is early morning. 

for views with weather

Sunday Stamps II - 86

1934, USA, National Parks

Crater Lake, in Oregon, was formed around 7,000 years ago after the eruption of Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake but the amount of rain and snowfall ensures that every 250 years the total amount of water is replaced. For this reason, Crater Lake has some of the world's purest water. It is famous for its clear, deep blue colour - which is represented in this stamp. This is one of a set of 10 stamps issued from July - September, 1934 to commemorate National Parks Year. 

for lakes and/or rivers

war canoe race

Valentine card circa 1913

sent Toronto to Collingwood