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Via Alpina
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Binn, Heiligkreuz: Stage 4 of the Blue Trail of the Via Alpina – part 1
October 3, 2019 / paulinehikes / 0 Comments
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Beautiful hike over green mountain slopes and through an impressive valley
This morning the weather was fine again, but somewhat cooler than yesterday and with much more wind! My plan for the days to come was to go hiking on the Via Alpina once more. Last year on September 16th I had started to hike the second part of Stage 96 of the Red Trail in Belalp above Blatten and had ended in Mund. This year I would like to try to hike Stage 95 (Fieschertal to Riederalp) and the first part of Stage 96 (Riederalp to Belalp): then I would have hiked four long stages in a row. Stage 95 to Stage 98 from Fiesch to Leukerbad actually form a coherent area within the Rhône Valley and the Canton of Valais. After a nice breakfast with many varieties of Müesli and homemade jams I went to the railway station to take the 09.48 hrs train to Fiesch. The train was crowded, surely because of the combination of Sunday and fine weather. At 10.22 hrs. the train arrived in Fiesch: there large crowds gathered on the platform to go from there into the direction of the cable car to Fiescheralp, and probably from there also to the Eggishorn mountain to have this undoubtedly wonderful panorama over the Aletsch glacier. That had been my initial plan, but all of a sudden those crowds put me off… Therefore I made another plan: I could travel by Postal car from Fiesch to Binn, a village in a rugged and not so well-known side valley of the Rhône valley. There was also a starting point of another Stage of the Via Alpina, but of the Blue Trail! That Postal car would arrive much later, so from the platform I took some pictures of the cable car that just went up and walked to the old part of Fiesch, over the bridge over the Wyswasser stream, flowing from the Fieschertal valley towards the Rhône, to the Gnadenberg (Mount of Grace), with the large St. John the Baptist church and the chapel of the convent. In the 13th century a borough had been built on this natural elevation, but there has always been a chapel. Later on a church has been built in baroque style – in 1883 this church has been replaced by the present church in neo-roman style. The story goes that the tools to build the original church, in the 14th century, appeared to have been carried as by an invisible hand to the top of the hill in order to build a church there to God's will. From 1343 to 1489 a convent of the Augustines order had been on the western slope. The convent was called Mons gratiae, the Mount of Grace. The chapel belonging to the convent (the "Klösterli") is still existing and is used as a reception hall. Faith always played an important role in this area: in the 17th century the inhabitants of Fiesch and the neighbouring Fieschertal lived in fear of the Aletsch glacier, because when a piece of the glacier broke off and fell into one of the mountain lakes, that caused flooding in the villages. Therefore they have made a vow that they would lead a viruous life and that they would pray that the glacier wouldn't continue to grow. The Pope had been informed about this. Nowadays the glacier is 3,5 kilometres shorter than in those days… Since 2010 the inhabitants are allowed to include in their prayers the global warming, climate change and the melting of the glaciers – with permission by the Pope!
Fiesch: view on the cable car to the Eggishorn from the railway station
Fiesch: view on the village and the St. John the Baptist church
Fiesch: view on the façade of the neo-roman St. John the Baptist church from 1883
Fiesch: the chapel that originally belonged to the St. Augustine convent
When the Postal car arrived at the railway station, I got onboard as one of the few passengers: this bus would not go further than Ernen, halfway the mountain slope. Half an hour later another Postal car would stop in Ernen and continue to Binn. The waiting was very pleasant: there was much to see in this old village with its rich history. The place had been mentioned for the first time in official documents in 1214; the later name Aernen was given in 1510. Because of its favourable location on the way to several then important mountain passes, the village played a major role in transportation and storage of goods. The thus gathered wealth certainly shows on the village square: here big and old houses have been built. In front of a big house with much darkened wood and bight decorated stucco (a former restaurant) is a statue of a famous cardinal, who was born in a hamlet of Ernen, in Mühlebach Kardinaal Matthäus Schiner (1465-1522), later the Bishop of Sion. He was a brilliant mind, befriended with Erasmus and Zwingli, but who rejected reformations like propagated by Luther; he also was a driven clerical politician. Another large house on the square built by a wealthy merchant is the "Tellenhaus", dating from 1576. It has living quarters on the first floor and storage space on the ground floor. On the white stuccoed wall of the ground floor frescos of four scenes from the legend of Wilhelm Tell are shown: the shot at the apple, Gessler's hat on a stick, the Rütlischwur (the oath by which "Switzerland" has been founded) and Gessler's death. They date from 1578 and are the oldest frescoes about Wilhelm Tell. Furthermore I saw that on top of the decorated wall two deer heads with antlers had been attached, but on a special "board": in the shape of a deer body. It looked as if both deer were quietly lying on the ground and looking at the people with their heads up high!
Ernen: statue of Cardinal Matthäus Schiner, Bishop of Sion (1465-1522), who was born here
Ernen: the "Tellenhaus" from 1576 used as dwelling and storage
Ernen: specially designed trophies of deer antlers on the wall of the Tellenhaus
Ernen: close-up of the two trophies of the deer antlers on the wall of the Tellenhaus
Ernen: the oldest frescos (1578) about Wilhelm Tell have been made on the Tellenhaus (1576)
Another building was completely made of stone and plastered in white: it was the "Zendenrathaus" from 1750–1762. Ernen had been during the 17th and 18th centuries the capital of the "Zenden" Goms, a kind of large municipality, one of the then seven in Valais. In 1953 the building has entirely been renovated and put on the list of protected monuments. In the same year the Geneva-born artist and art restorer Paul-Henri Boissonnas (1894–1966) had created a mural painting on the west wall of the Zendenrathaus with a standard-bearer showing the flag with the coats of arms of Ernen – two fields of red resp. white with a Greek cross in white resp. red – with a cross in the background. In 2016 this painting (with two others) has been restored and conserved. At a given moment all people on the village square looked around in surprise: we all heard a cuckoo call – huh… in September? It turned out to be a cuckoo clock on the upper floor of the old city hall: the round "oeuil-de-boeuf" window had opened and the cuckoo let us know that is was noon! Quite a joke!
To the north of the square I noticed a beautiful garden with flowering hollyhocks, sun flowers and garden cosmos, but also with big stalks of leek and chard. The garden belonged to a typical Walser house, that was in sharp contrast to the Zendenrathaus. The bold beams and the flat stones, the "Mäuseplatten" were quite visible.
Ernen: the Zenderathaus ("City hall" for the Goms region), built in 1750-1762
Ernen: a Walser house at the back of this beautiful garden with autumnal flowers
Ernen: view on the side wall of the Zendenrathaus with mural paintings (1953) by Pierre Boissonnas (1894-1966)
From the village square I went for a while through narrow alleys to the outlying area to enjoy the views over the valley and the mountains on the other side. Such a peace to be standing there in the sunshine and to be completely idle for a moment!
Ernen: panoramic view on the village square "Hengert" with the old houses, the lime tree, the Zendenrathaus and the mountains to the north of Fiesch
Ernen: panoramic view over the Rhône Valley with Fiesch, the Eggishorn (left) and the Gross Wannenhorn (right)
The Postal car arrived a few minutes past noon – with the same bus driver, so I didn't need to show my ticket again! After an initially easy ride we arrived at the bus stop Steinmatten: there we had to go through an almost 2 kilometres long tunnel to reach Binn. This tunnel has been built in 1963–1964, because the old road along the outer side of the mountain could often be inaccessible, especially during winter and Binn would be unreachable for a long time. The tunnel is really too narrow for nowadays standards: passing is precision work for the traffic coming from both sides… Halfway the tunnel it turned out to be a narrow escape! Applause for the driver and not long afterwards I was standing in a picturesque village with white chapels and dark-brown houses and chalets. The (more) modern houses had also been built in the same style. On the many signs with indications to the hiking trails I also saw a sign of the Via Alpina, which made me feel all right and safe.
Binn: signs with many destinations and the track sign for the Via Alpina
Binn: view on the white Chapel for St. Antony with the Walser houses
Binn: view on the village from the hill of the St. Michael church
Binn: the stone arch bridge from 1564 over the river the Binna with the St. Antony chapel (l)
Binn: view on the village and the Binntal valley to the east
The entire Binntal valley is included int the Landschaftspark Binntal. The municipalites in this region, Binn, Ernnen and Grengiols (in the Rhône Valley) have started in 2002 the project Landschaftspark Binntal. In September 2011, after the municipalities of Bister, Blitzingen and Niederwald (all from south to north in the Rhône valley) had joined in, the Landschaftspark Binntal definitively received the label "Regionaler Naturpark von nationaler Bedeutung", the first in the Canton of Valais. In such a regional park of which the judicial status is embedded in the Swiss confederal legislation concerning the protection of nature and "Heimat" a positive outcome is sought in the balance between nature conservation and economic development, in which the local population plays an important role and has got an active say. The entire Landschaftspark Binntal covers an area of over 18.000 hectares, of which more than a third is on the territory of the municipality of Binn (with the entire valley).
I set off for my first stop on Stage 4 of the Red Trail of the Via Alpina, from Binn to Rosswald: the hamlet of Heiligkreuz and the chapel and the Gasthaus with the same name. This hike led over the church hill of the parish church of St. Michael towards the south into the valley of the Lengbach stream. Because I had decided in Fiesch to change my initial plans and to go to Binn, I followed the track indicated on the signs: the maps of this area were still in my hotel room… Nevertheless it was a marvellous journey with wonderful panorama's because I was going from the St. Michael church over the Höhenweg on the south-facing slope of the valley. At first I could see the deeply indented, steep and barren slopes of the Breithorn mountain (2.599m) at the entrance of the valley, eroded by the small river the Binna, also flowing through Binn and into the Rhône at Grengiols, downstream of Fiesch. Below I also spotted the small reservoir near the hamlet of Ze Binne. The bright grey rocks of the Breithorn were vaguely mirroring in the greenish-blue water. Towards the south I looked into the Lengbach valley, closed by the mountain peaks of the Helsenhorn (3.272m) and the Hillehorn (3.181m). The sun was warm like in summer, but there was already a bright orange pumpkin at the doorstep of one of the houses! In the borders of the meadows that had been trimmed or grazed short still some flowers were standing – happily in bloom: a large patch of bright blue (Campanula) and pastel-pink Autumn crocuses (Colchicum autumnale).
Binn: the iconic parish church St. Michael on the hill can be seen from afar
Binn: view on the parish church St. Michael on the hill and the blue sky
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: view on the entrance road to Binn and the Breithorn (2.599m)
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: view on the reservoir near Ze Binne and the Breithorn (2.599m)
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: view on the Lenchbachtal valley into southern direction
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: Campanula in bloom on the sunny side of the Lengbachtal valley
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: Autumn crocuses in bloom on the sunny side of the Lengbachtal valley
The trail has also been indicated as "Bibelweg" (Bible trail) because of the small wayside shrines with texts from the Gospel of Mark about the last days of Jesus Christ, fixed on wooden crosses. The trail slowly climbed and therefore I had the opportunity to see increasingly nicer panoramic views: to the southeast across the meadows and the dark forests, where at the beginning of the valley the sharp peaks of the Helsenhorn and the Hillehorn rise up high, as into the direction of the Rhône Valley and the mountain tops covered with snow and glaciers above Fiesch, where actually I would have been hiking. However I didn't have the slightest regrets about this "change of plans"…!
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: view on the Helsenhorn (3.272m) in the Lengbachtal valley
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: view on the Rhône valley with the snow-capped mountains near the Aletsch glacier
After the sun-drenched meadows the trail disappeared into a dark forest with big, old conifers. The undergrowth in this shadowy environment was interesting: there was a large group of bright white rounded mushrooms covered with many small "spikes" (the rest of the skin that at first envelops the mushroom): they were Common Puffballs (Lycoperdon perlatum). They hadn't ripened yet. One of them had already been gnawed at – when young they appear edible for humans as well: they smell like radish and have a soft flavour. This had probably been the activity of a snail, considering the hole at the side of the head. That the surroundings were humid, was shown by the many small water streams running from the slope downwards that had eroded the footpath. On the rocks grew large patches of scaled lichen. A huge spruce had been badly damaged in its younger years – had it been a scraping tree for a red deer or a roe deer? A large scar was running at the bottom of the tree in which were already drilled holes by a woodpecker or a wood nuthatch, but this tree will surely still live for a long time!
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: a group of common puffballs (Lycoperdon perlatum) grows in the dense conifer forest
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: an impressive patch of lichen is growing on the rocks in the woods
Between Binn and Heiligkreuz: this spruce has once been badly damaged and now woodpeckers are drilling holes in the trunk
Then the trail steeply descended. A group of hikers came from the opposite side – they asked me, panting, whether the remaining track was as steep as this. I could reassure them! About 14.00 hrs I arrived in Heiligkreuz. The houses in the hamlet, at 1.450 metres, date from the period 1611 to 1786. The chapel that has been built after 1775, was and still is a famous place of pilgrimage. Every year on September 14th a "Kapellenfest" is organised to celebrate that once the large cross to the south of the chapel has been raised. The interior of the chapel is very rich and colourful. The chapel is very well-maintained – the small turret with a nicely forged cross proudly pierces into the blue sky.
Binn, Heiligkreuz: view on the pilgrimage chapel from Gasthaus Heiligkreuz
Binn, Heiligkreuz: view on the entrance of the pilgrimage chapel Heiligkreuz
Binn, Heiligkreuz: view on the turret of the pilgrimage chapel Heiligkreuz
On a small mound on the slope above the Heiligkreuz chapel is the Gasthaus Heiligkreuz: there was where I was heading to. In 1999 the original inn from 1667 has been the victim of a devastating fire, ruining the building just to the cellar. From 2002 to 2015 a family from Grengiols has rebuilt the house – according to their wish it opened in 2016 again as an inn: during the summer months (mid-May to mid-October) it has got its old function back. I had hoped to meet Gabriela W. there, one of the three people who are running the Gasthaus – I am in contact with her on Facebook). By coincidence she had this weekend off… Nevertheless it was delightful to sit on the terrace with other hikers and to enjoy the peace and the view on the surrounding mountain landscape. On the table where I sat down, snuggly under a parasol that every now and then was rather shaking by the strong wind, the menu was held down by a paper-weight – a chunk of quarts with inclusions – to prevent it from drifting away. I chose the stew with beef à la Saflisch, the mountain pass on the way to Rosswald. Very good! It was funny to read that for children a "Räuberteller" (a thief's plate) was available for zero Francs: children get an empty plate and can "stibitzen" (to pilfer in English) from the grown-ups.
Binn, Heiligkreuz: Gasthaus Heiligkreuz on the slopes above the pilgrimage chapel
Binn, Heiligkreuz: menu of the Gasthaus Heiligkreuz with a nice piece of quarts as paper-weight
Binn, Heiligkreuz: life is nice with the "Saflisch" beef stew under the parasol on the terrace
Binn, Heiligkreuz: view from the terrace of Gasthaus Heiligkreuz
About 15.00 hrs I left for the journey back over the Pilgerweg (Pilgrim's way) and the Twingi Gorge to the bus stop Steinmatten, near the tunnel to Binn. In the 1970s a reservoir has been made high above Heiligkreuz near the Chummibort at over 2.000 metres to produce electricity for the Canton of Neuenburg/Neuchâtel in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Thereby an impressive waterfall has disappeared. In order to transport the employees to the reservoir a cable car has been built from the foot of the mountains in the valley near the chapel, and from Binn/Ze Binne a paved road to the valley station with the turbine housing. For centuries a pilgrim's way from the valley to the Chapel of Heiligkreuz had existed, which had become completely overgrown. Hikers and pilgrims had to cover almost the entire trajectory from Ze Binne to the chapel on paved roads, which wasn't very pleasant in many ways. Therefore in 2017 an Interessengemeinschaft (an association) has been founded, the IG Lengtalweg/Pilgerweg. With financial support from the Landschaftspark Binntal, the Canton of Valais and sponsors volunteers and public workers from the Forestry Department have cleared the old pilgrim's way over a length of nearly 1½ kilometres. While I was walking there it was obvious that hard work had indeed been done: the new path was nicely restored. It had only been open since a few months (on June 4th 2019) and it had been consecrated by the priest. On my way I passed by an old kiln. A large panel gave information about mining in former times (1570–1770): then magnetite, iron ore with a high content of iron (70%) had been mined in this region around the Simplon Pass and in the Binntal valley. In 2008 researchers had already discovered the remains of a kiln; in 2015 the area around this kiln has been researched in depth. It turned out that the kiln had irregularly been filled with iron ore from a mine near the Helsenhorn and charcoal. It isn't clear whether this had been a kiln to prepare for the melting (a "Röstofen", a stack kiln) or a real kiln. This type of kilns haven't often been found in Switzerland and the funnel shape used here is rare. A wrought-iron grid that has been placed in front of the cellar in the Gasthaus Heiligkreuz (and hasn't been destroyed by the fire!) is the only object made of iron, mined in the valley and that has survived. On the panel also a map of the area where iron has been mined is shown. It is quite impressive that after so many years the kiln is still recognisable as such…, and I realised as well that also a long time ago a lot of energy has been put to work here! Along the pilgrim's way the trees already showed beautiful autumnal colours. In most of the streams just clear water was flowing, but one of them really had a rusty-brown layer on the pebbles – it was obvious that here still is iron in the rocks!
Between Heiligkreuz and Ze Binne: map of the iron mining near the Simplon and in the Binn valley on the information panel at the kiln
Between Heiligkreuz and Ze Binne: remains of a kiln for iron ore mined here in the surroundings of Binn
Between Heiligkreuz and Ze Binne: the first autumnal colours in the small trees along the "Pilgrim's way" to Ze Binne
Between Heiligkreuz and Ze Binne: The rusty-brown colour in the bedding of this stream indicates that there is still iron ore (Magnetite) in the soil
Around four o'clock the small reservoir near Ze Binne came in sight, that was bathing in quite another light than this morning around noon. While I bought a bottle of water at the cosy restaurant on the reservoir bank, the Alpsaga Twingi Stübji, I spotted a beautiful, round white cloud floating in the furthermore blue sky – that was a special sight! Looking back I could see how the mountain slopes on the right hand bank of the Lengtalbach stream were reflected in the tranquil water of the reservoir. Again a peaceful moment…
Ze Binne: beautiful white cloud in the blue afternoon sky at Ze Binne
Ze Binne: afternoon light on the reservoir and the slopes of the Breithorn
Ze Binne: here the river Binna flows from Binn into the reservoir
Ze Binne: the mountain slope between Binn and Heiligkreuz mirrors in the reservoir
Downstream of the dam in the reservoir where in the meantime the water from the Lengtalbach stream and the river Binna had been merged, was the beginning of the Twingi Gorge, a deeply eroded, rugged gorge, that in former times had been very difficult to pass. Nevertheless tradesmen had been traveling from the Rhône Valley near Grengiols to Binn and from there over the Albrun Pass to Italy. Apparently a road had already existed in the 14th century. In the 1930s the existing, but very dangerous road has been transformed into a semi-paved road. In 1938 the first Postal car drove from Ernen to Binn. After the construction of the tunnel in 1963-1964 the old road was no longer maintained. It deteriorated. Only in 2010 the Landschaftspark Binntal took the initiative to restore this from cultural-historical point of view important structure. Now the walls protecting the road at the abyss and the drainage of the stream that runs underneath the road ("tombino's") have been repaired. Now it is a special experience to hike or cycle here.
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: the historical road through the Twingi Gorge has been widened and equipped with a stone wall in the 1930s
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: snow has accumulated in the narrow depths of the Twingi Gorge!
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: the bottle-neck in the historical road though the Twingi Gorge is formed by this narrow passage in the rock
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: here the stone wall separating the historical road from the Twingi Gorge has gone…
This year the art manifestation Twingi Landart had been organised, already for the 13th time: international and Swiss artists had taken their inspiration from the surroundings. Not every item did appeal to me. What I really liked was the work of art "Aurum", a circle of gold leaf applied by Joëlle Allet (Leukerbad) on the mountain wall. From afar it looked like a lightening spot, a sun – coming closer I saw that the gold leaf had been absorbed by the small cracks and lines of the rock wall, whereby in the circle itself a kind of mountain landscape was shown. In the course of time the gold will fade away and disappear, but that is the meaning in nature …– and also the artist's intention. On the trajectory of the road along the Twingi Gorge are some narrow tunnels. At one of these passages a Dutch artist, Bart Ensing, had made a piece of art with the title "Connection": he had attached a large number of sky blue strips (fencing wire for agricultural use) to the metal railing along the gorge and let them pass over the rock in which the tunnel had been made in order to connect both tunnel ends. Because of the colour (and the metal threads in the strips) there was quite a contrast between the geometrical form of the piece of art and the rugged nature around it. Even from a distance it stood out!
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: a waterfall, refined by nature amid the expressions of the Twingi Landart 2019
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: "Aurum", a golden circle decorates the rock wall along the Twingi Gorge as part of the Twingi Landart 2019
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: bright blue threads ("Connection") by Bart Ensing connect both sides of the tunnel over the mountain as part of the Twingi Landart 2019
Between Ze Binne and Steinmatten: also at the other side of the tunnel the bright blue threads ("Connection") by Bart Ensing are quite visible as part of the Twingi Landart 2019
At 17.00 hrs. I was back at the entrance of the tunnel to Binn and waited for the Postal car to take me back. There was not only a terrible draught through the tunnel, but each time a car drove into the tunnel it sounded as if an aeroplane was taking off… Fortunately the Postal car arrived on time. It was crowded in the bus, but in a pleasant way: all passengers were elated hikers, who had obviously had an equally wonderful day as I! The views on the way back were beautiful with the low sun on the landscape – especially on Ernen with the Fieschertal valley at the opposite side. I could clearly see a huge waterfall. In Fiesch I took the train to Brig, where I arrived around half six. What an extraordinary day it has been, again in an area that was new to me, but where I have certainly not been for the last time!
Steinmatten: entrance of the narrow tunnel to Binn, 1,9 kilometres long, from 1963-1964
Between Steinmatten and Ausserbinn: view on the green slopes and the village of Ausserbinn
Between Ausserbinn and Ernen: view on Ernen in the evening sun and the valley near Fieschertal at the opposite side of the Rhône Valley with waterfall
Switzerland, Via Alpina, Via Alpina - Blue Trail
art and cultureCH-ValaischurchesfloraGorges and cavesnaturewater
From Andermatt to Brig: from the Reuss to the Rhône
Blatten/Belalp: Stage 96 of the Red Trail of the Via Alpina – part 1
2022: a year full of new possibilities! January 17, 2022
The year 2021: a fresh start! January 4, 2021
In the year 2020: a warm welcome! February 19, 2020
Simplon Pass: Stage 6 of the Blue Trail of the Via Alpina (reverse direction) – part 1 October 12, 2019
Eischoll: a walk through the village and along the Suonenweg October 9, 2019
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text:
Almost Starring Skinnybones
Star-Struck
In this sequel to SKINNYBONES, Alex collects his big prize for winning the catfood essay contest. He heads to New York City to star in a commercial! Unfortunately, his part is totally humiliating, making him look and act like a four-year-old. AND people don't seem to quite recognize what a big star he is.
When he gets home, he worries. His friends and enemies might actually give him a hard time when they see his commercial. Would they? Indeed, they would--and do. Oh, sure, Alex now has a fan club, but the members are his grandparents (who can't attend because they live in Florida), his cat, and the kid in diapers who lives down the street.
Alex gets a second stab at stardom when he tries out for the school play. What happens then is funny and deeply thought-provoking. The author has a gift for making readers laugh out loud, and yet getting to the heart of an important issue.
Terry Miller Shannon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Captive is a powerful series by Washington D.C.-based Canadian photographer Gaston Lacombe that takes a look at animals in zoos and their living environments. Shooting his images from the perspective of any regular visitor, Lacombe manages to capture portraits of creatures, big and small, confined to the spaces they've been provided by the zoos they've been forced to inhabit. The series, which documents the viewable conditions that animals live in at zoos from nine different countries on five different continents, leaves each institution in anonymity. Choosing not to reveal any specific names of these wildlife exhibition spaces, Lacombe draws attention to all zoos rather than just shaming a few. He says, "Even in the very best of zoos you still find animals placed in horrible cement enclosures or little glass boxes." The photographer adds, "Not all zoos are equal. Some make great efforts to provide their animals with adequate and comfortable habitats, and some others can only be described as animal torture chambers. However, in all zoos, there are always some animals wedged in habitats that are inappropriate, inadequate and uncomfortable. I still haven't seen any exceptions to this." (© – www.mymodernmet.com) For more information or to get in touch with the photographer, follow the link below.


text:
Катьо́щине — село в Україні, у Томаківській селищній громаді Нікопольського району Дніпропетровської області. Населення — 325 осіб.

Географія
Село Катьощине розташоване за 47 км від районного центру, 101 км від обласного центру, 1,5 км від смт Томаківка. Селом тече пересихаючий струмок з загатою. Через село проходять автошлях територіального значення   та залізниця Апостолове — Запоріжжя, пасажирський зупинний пункт Платформа 141 км.

Історія
Село засноване до 1932 року.

18 серпня 2016 року Томаківська селищна рада, в ході децентралізації, об'єднана з Томаківською селищною громадою.

17 липня 2020 року, в результаті адміністративно-територіальної реформи та ліквідації Томаківського району, село увійшло до складу Нікопольського району.

Див. також
 Перелік населених пунктів, що постраждали від Голодомору 1932—1933 (Дніпропетровська область)

Примітки

Посилання
 Погода в селі Катьощине

Села Дніпропетровської області
Населені пункти Нікопольського району

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Keuchel, Kimbrel can sign without compensation Monday
Posted: Jun 2, 2019 / 02:12 PM EDT / Updated: Jun 2, 2019 / 02:26 PM EDT
FILE – In this Oct. 16, 2018, file photo, Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel throws against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning in Game 3 of a baseball American League Championship Series in Houston. Pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, the last two top free agents on the market, can sign starting Monday, June 3, 2019, with their new teams having to forfeit amateur draft picks as compensation. Both turned down $17.9 million qualifying offers in November, Keuchel from Houston and Kimbrel from the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, the last two top free agents on the market, can sign starting Monday without their new teams having to forfeit amateur draft picks as compensation.
Both turned down $17.9 million qualifying offers in November, Keuchel from Houston and Kimbrel from the World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
Under baseball's labor contract, compensation is eliminated for free agents who sign starting on the day the amateur draft begins.
Keuchel, a 31-year-old left-hander, was 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA in 34 starts last season for the Astros. A two-time All-Star, he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2015. He struck out 216 that year, but he fanned 153 last season, when he had a $13.2 million, one-year deal.
He is 76-63 with a 3.66 ERA in seven major league seasons, all with the Astros.
Kimbrel is a seven-time All-Star who led the NL in saves in both 2013 and 2014 after tying for the lead in 2011 and 2012. The 31-year-old right-hander has 333 saves in 367 chances over nine major league seasons, going 31-19 with a 1.91 ERA. His strikeouts per nine innings dropped to 13.86 last year from 16.43 in 2017.
Kimbrel had a $13 million base salary and earned $1,443,939 in bonuses last season in the option year of a contract he signed with Atlanta in 2014, a deal that originally guaranteed $42 million over four seasons.
Before Monday, a new team signing either player would have lost at least one draft pick and possibly two, and some teams would have lost international signing bonus allocation. The exact penalty is tied to whether a team paid luxury tax last year, and whether it paid or received revenue-sharing money.
ODU holds off late Charlotte charge, snaps 3-game losing streak
by Nathan Epstein / Jan 20, 2020
NORFOLK, Va. (AP/WAVY) -- Jason Wade had a career-high 23 points as Old Dominion narrowly beat Charlotte 66-62. Kalu Ezikpe's fast-break dunk with nine seconds remaining sealed it for the Monarchs, who played their third game in five days.
"They're tired," said head coach Jeff Jones. "What's happened in the last three or four days, whatever it's been, last 72 hours is more than NBA players play, and we got two more coming up this weekend."
Virginia Politics / 1 hour ago
Woman arrested for allegedly wearing mask at pro-gun rally in Richmond


Season Six of Travels with Darley from Travels with Darley.
From a classic American road trip all the way down Highway One and California's Central Coast to a paddleboard excursion along the Pink Granite Coast in Brittany, France, the newest installment of "Travels with Darley" takes viewers on a journey through a truly eclectic mix of exhilarating cultural experiences. Some of our favorite moments included getting to meet the adorable elephant seals hanging out on the beach in the quaint, coastal town of San Simeon, California.
In North Dakota, we had the wonderful opportunity to get in touch with Native American culture at the Earth Lodge Village. In Culpeper, Virginia, we had an exclusive tour of the Library of Congress Packard Campus, home to the world's largest collection of film, video, and sound recordings. In Brittany, France, we set sail around a medieval walled city while taking in the ocean breeze.
Getting to know Arkansas via cycling.
We road tripped through Birmingham, Mobile, and Alabama's Gulf Coast checking out urban hotspots and beachside getaways to Northwest Arkansas where we were enlightened with the state's rich history while simultaneously biking accessible trails. And who doesn't love food? "Darley's Global Food Guide" highlights some of the most mouthwatering food on this earth for all types of foodies to enjoy.
Farm-to-tabling in Finger Lakes, New York.


text:
class Composite : public Shape {
public:
	Composite();
	Composite(std::string const& name);
	Composite(std::string const& name, Box const& bounds);
	std::ostream& print(std::ostream& os) const override;
	Hit intersect(Ray const& ray) override;

	void add(std::shared_ptr<Shape>& shape);
	void remove(std::string const& name);
	std::map<std::string, std::shared_ptr<Shape>> get_children();

	void translate(glm::vec3 const& trans_dir) override;
	void rotate(float& radiant, glm::vec3 const& axis) override;
	void scale(double& scale) override;

private:
	std::map<std::string,std::shared_ptr<Shape>> shapes_;
};

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Their new family member is coming home and they are going to be thrilled to receive all the treats and toys this basket has to offer. Our 'Congrats on Your New Pooch' Pet Dog Gift Basket is filled with a wonderful assortment of treats for your dog. Featuring ''Way to Go! How to Housetrain a Dog at Any Age!'' Book, Plush Dog Bookmarks, Oval Dog Brush, Double Play 2 Knot Cotton Rope Toy, Etta Says Bold Yumm Stick and much more!. A great way to let them know you are thinking about them during this special time.
Dogbag Duffel Carrier for "Poopie" Bag Roll in Black & White Polka Dot Design - Includes 1 roll of tie-handle bags on a roll. The duffel is 3 1/2 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches in diameter and includes two different reattaching fasteners to easily secure to your leash, belt or collar. The zipper secures the bags and the opening allows the bags to come out easily. 1 roll of tie-handle bags (12 bags on each roll). Bags are ocean-scented.
Original Red Kong® Toy - Satisfies a dog's natural need to chew and cleans teeth and conditions gums! Made with super-bouncy, puncture-resistant natural rubber; dogs love it! Jawrobics' fitness and fun for dogs; world's best dog chase & chew toys! Stuff with your dog's favorite treats!


I recently had the pleasure of working with the new "Hello December" Project Life Card Collection and Project Life Accessory Pack from Stampin' Up. I love that Stampin' Up has teamed up with Becky Higgins to develop and offer fun Project Life kits and supplies. Stampin' Up is actually one of the very first companies I purchased supplies from. I bought a ton of their ink pads about five years ago and they are still going strong today! Talk about quality!! So needless to say, I was super excited when I got the chance to play around with their new Christmas-themed kit.
With the card collection and accessory pack together, it pretty much contains everything you will need to pull your spreads together.....journaling cards, wood veneer, alpha, cork numbers, sequins, washi tape. Basically everything except adhesive!!
Since I don't have any December photos to document yet, I decided to go back and put a few Project Life spreads together of Christmas 2013. I didn't really add too much Christmas related to my album last year since I put together a December Daily® album. I kept meaning to go back and add in a few more photos (since it kind of looks like we skipped over Christmas when you flip through our books), but I never got around to it (or I just wasn't in the mood....). But...since my brain is in complete Christmas mode right now, it was a no brainer to print out those old photos!!
Let's reminisce a little, shall we???
The photos in my spread are really in no particular order. I wasn't really concerned with being chronological, or really even telling longer stories, since most of those memories are already documented in my December Daily® album.
The journaling cards that are included in the kit are outstanding! I love that they have square corners (yay!!) and that the kit offered a good variety of filler cards and unlined cards. I'm a big fan of filler cards and find that often spend more time searching for them than anything else!!
I also created a fun little shaker pocket from some of the sequins and wood veneer that were included in the accessory pack! If you follow along with me, you know that I love "peek-a-boo" elements in my book, and well....you just can't beat a sequin shaker pocket!
These little pockets are so easy to make, but add such a fun visual effect to the pages.
I used my typewriter to add my journaling and then finished a few of the cards with some stitching. Stitching seems to be the icing on the cake these days. I just love the details and "homemade" look it adds to my pages.
I continued with the back of the Design A page protector and put together a second spread of our Christmas. As you can see, I continued the same theme throughout this spread...lots of photos, filler cards and journaling.
I've found that sticking to eight 4x6 photos really is a time saver for me! It keeps me from wasting time trying to figure out how to decorate a card, or find a filler card, or whatever.... I mean, those pockets were made for photos, right??
Since this is the backside of the previous spread, you can see the effect that the fun little shaker pocket has. I love that the little pieces float around and move as the pages turn.
I used the large wood veneer "JOY" piece on the right hand side to create a similar peek-a-book effect. It slipped right into my pocket and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was meant to be!! Plus, I think wood elements add such a nice, homey look to pages, scrapbook and Project Life alike!!
And that's a walk down memory lane! Thanks so much stopping by today and thank you so much to Stampin' Up for letting me play around with their fun goodies!!


Wildlife Photographer of the Year is back at the Royal BC Museum, by popular demand. The exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, returns with 100 of the most stunning brand new images from around the world.
From the adorable to the elegant, the exhibition showcases award-winning images that tell astonishing stories of our natural world while pushing the boundaries of technical skill.
The exhibition showcases finalists and winners of the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The overall winner, and official "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" for 2017, is Brent Stirton, a photojournalist from South Africa. Stirton won for his arresting image Memorial to a species, featuring a recently shot and de-horned black rhino in South Africa's Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve. The image illustrates the devastation of poaching; Stirton took the photograph to highlight the impact of the illegal trade of rhino products.
Not all the images are as sobering or graphic as Stirton's. As always, the exhibition also features photographs of startling beauty, whimsy and grace. Many of the images feature animals unconcerned by (or wholly oblivious to) any human presence, creating a gorgeous gallery of candid moments that families can pore over for hours.
The photos are back-lit on a large scale for maximum impact, a dramatic setting for some of the world's most respected nature photographers and wildlife experts. Young photographer categories also feature budding talents, while special categories tell stories of the natural world's beauty and struggles.
The Royal BC Museum has added specimens to the exhibition, allowing visitors to get a closer look at, and to sketch, animals from the museum collection.


text:
Mulroney, Thomas
Will of Thomas Mulroney
(husband of Bridget Goodwin)
From records of Notary Cyrille Tessier
Quebec Archives Original Records
On this eleventh day of August, one thousand nine hundred and fourteen, before the undersigned Notary for the Province of Quebec, Canada, residing and practising in the City of Quebec, personally came and appeared Thomas Mulroney, of the City of Quebec, Captain in the Fire Brigade, who has made as follows his last will and testament:
I give, devise and bequeath to my eldest daughter Margaret, all the property real and personal, moveable and immoveable of which I may de Possessed, instituting her my universal legatee, to have and to hold the same in full ownership subject to the usufruct of the whole in favor of Dame Bridget Goodwin, my wife, during her life time.
I wish my universal legatee to give a suit of black to my daughter Helen, wife of Michael Henchey.
I rely on my wife whom I do name the Executrix of this my will for the care of my funeral but I wish at least twenty five masses said for the repose of my soul as soon as possible after my decease.
This last will and testament received by Cy. Tessier, the undersigned Notary, in the presence of L.P. Sirois, his colleague, having been read to the Testator by the first named Notary, in the presence of his said colleague, he has declared to well understand the same and has persisted in the same as containing his last intentions.
At Quebec, Office of the said Cy. Tessier, Notary, under number eleven thousand two hundred and seventy two of his records.
In witness whereof, the said Notaries have signed in the presence of the Testator and of one another, the Testator having declared not to know how to write nor sign his name after the reading done according to law.
Forty three words erased null & one marginal note good.
L.P. Sirois, N.P., his signature;
Cy. Tessier, N.P., his signature
(Transcribed by Gerry Neville – 2012)
Notes by Patricia Balkcom: Thomas died four years later in 1918 at the age of 82 years. He and his first wife, Catherine Kennedy, had one child, John in 1860. He and Bridget had several children but several of them died as infants.


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