Gimp 2.8 – Page 2 – MikeHawkey.com

“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”
― Jo Walton

All big cities seem to have their own Spaghetti Junction. A confusing series of motorway on/off ramps, twisted and turned like a bowl of spaghetti. Auckland is no different.

Shot again from the Sky Tower, looking down upon the city, I focused towards part of our spag bowl. Technically titled the ‘Central Motorway Junction’, Im not sure I have ever met anyone who has called it such. Without reference, my understanding is our spaghetti junction was built in the 1960’s to assist traffic flows and congestion in the central meeting point (CBD). When being built in the 70’s, it seems as there was some cost cutting, as I recall a number of pilons sticking up, going nowhere. I the 2000’s it was finally completed (or extended depending on ones position of opinion).

Unfortunately for Auckland, and I am sure other areas of the world, a plan for traffic and traffic flow in the 60’s had no way of being able to accurately project 50 years into the future. The spaghetti may be well sign posted, but its still a muddle, and best to keep clear of any time around rush hour traffic…unless you want to more slowly and admire the engineering that is.

And another shot from above tomorrow!

Same as yesterday, some more interesting facts:

The fastest butterflies fly at 19kph(12mph)
Many butterflies can taste with their feet to test suitability for laying eggs.
Antarctica is the only continent on which no Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) have been found
Butterflies like to drink from mushy slices of banana, oranges and watermelon

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar.
I love not man the less, but Nature more.

Lord Byron

Mobile shot for today. Autumn Orange. Shot on the Samsung Galaxy S2 using Vignette App. Shot in Hamilton.

Heading out to pick up some bits and pieces we passed through Greenhithe in Auckland norther region. Taking a quick stroll around one of the local parks, I captured a shot of our cities CBD from a distance.

Shot on the Sony Nex, once home I opened up in Gimp and cropped the aspect ratio to make the image more panoramic. Converting to B&W I added a slight brown hue to the image.

“If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.”
– Jack Handey

A shot from the back yard today. Our property is surrounded in essentially untended trees. Ive been trying to tend to them. In order to open up the light in the yard, particularly to some of my fruit trees, a few others had to be given the ultimate sacrifice. I dont particularly like cutting down trees, so the few that have begun being felled have done so after some solid thinking.

Shot on the Sony Nex 5N with 16-50mm pancake.