A somewhat unique view of the Campanile, or bell tower, in the Piazza San Marco (aka, St. Mark’s Square) in Venice, Italy. A most remarkable place.
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Category: Photography
Niagara Falls High and Low
Ah, Niagara Falls. One of the wonders of the world. And a place that just has to be experienced. And to fully experience it you need to see it from both the American and the Canadian sides, as well as both from dry land and aboard the famous Maid of the Mist boats that take you right up under the, well, mist.
Niagara Falls, which is where the Niagara River drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is actually three separate waterfalls. Yes, three, not two. Most people think of the arching Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and the straighter American Falls on the American side. But there is a third drop – Bridal Veil Falls – which is narrower and separated from American Falls by the tiny Luna Island.
Assuming you arrive by car from the American side, be sure to take the turn over the bridge crossing the deceptively peaceful river just upstream from American Falls and pass onto Goat Island. Here you can get right up to the edge of all three falls. Also visit the edge of American Falls from the US mainland side. You can even walk out on a tall structure that overhangs the river and provides a good view of the falls.
Then get back in your car, get your passport ready, and drive across Rainbow Bridge into Ontario, i.e., the Canadian side. From here you can walk along the banks and see all the falls across the river, providing the best spot for panoramic photos. And if you’re staying at one of the hotels on the Canadian side you might just be able to see the view below from your room on the 38th floor.
Ah, but you want to get closer to the action right. How about this:
Next, head on down to the tour boats, get yourself literally immersed in the experience, then get that camera out because back on shore you’ll likely get a photo like this:
Of course, Niagara also boasts two statues of Nikola Tesla, whose alternating current patents allowed the first electricity generation from Niagara Falls.
So there you have Niagara Falls high and low. But one thing you probably won’t do is get the kind of view that Nik Wallenda recently got:
David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in 2017.
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Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses – Emma Lazarus was born today
Emma Lazarus was born on this date in 1849. A native New Yorker, her sonnet “The New Colossus” would be engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the lower level of the pedestal that supports the Statue of Liberty. The words, and the Statue that held them, would welcome millions of immigrants to this “land of the golden promise,” a phrase used by Nikola Tesla as he prepared to set sail for America.
On a recent trip to New York I shot this rather different photo of the Statue of Liberty. Look close, to the right of the post, but don’t ignore everything else that the picture tells us.
From 1892 to 1954 most immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island; before that they entered through Castle Garden Immigration Depot on the southern end of Manhattan. Ellis Island, below, now joins Liberty Island itself to be part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
I leave you with Emma Lazarus’s poem:
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Where is Stonehenge? It’s Here, Of Course!
If you pop around to the different pages on this web site (which I know you do), you’ll notice that the header photo changes randomly. I previously had four photos that rotated, and now there are five – Stonehenge. In the unlikely event you don’t know what Stonehenge is you can find out more here. The best way to show you is with a photo.
Pretty cool for a bunch of big stones, eh?
For a little more about each of the photos you can go to this now updated article.
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Edinburgh Scotland – Have Fun Storming the Castle
Ah, Edinburgh. I have fond memories of this wee city, the capital of Scotland. I had the good fortune of living there for all too short a time – only three months – but during the brightest summer in recent history I’m told. I was there to work, but spent most weekends exploring the surroundings.
One of the centerpieces, both figuratively and literally, is the Edinburgh Castle. The summer I was there saw the release of J.K. Rowling’s last (or perhaps second to last) Harry Potter book. Though born in England Rowling called Edinburgh her home and so there was a grand book launch at the castle the likes of I’ve never seen before. The castle (needless to say) sits on a hill in the center of town and the line of children and their parents stretched all the way out of the castle and down the narrow streets:
The above photo was taken from the top of Arthur’s Seat, the rocky outcrop looming over the city. Here’s a view to give you an idea. It was a beautiful place to hike up to and contemplate life.
The Seat hovers above the Salisbury Crags, here seen from below to give you an idea of how high up I was:
And the castle a bit closer:
Ah, this inspires a bit of poetry, like the opening lines of Jason Fenton’s appropriately named “Edinburgh Castle:”
Roots of stone
rise unfettered out of the earth;
crenellations of cobble
burnish with pride that cascades
into the Firth of Forth.
Okay, let’s leave town so I can show you a gorgeous photo of the Ballachulish Mountains at Loch Linnhe, a half day drive north of Edinburgh towards the Isle of Skye:
More about Edinburgh Castle can be read here. If you go try to do it in August when they have the “Fringe,” a festival of art and music performances that fill the halls and the streets for a full month.
That’s it for now. This is just a teaser as I’ll be out visiting a bunch of old rocks standing in the (likely) rain. I promise more stories and photos when I return.
David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!
[Fragile]
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial – Washington DC
The photograph below is a close-up of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC. This beautifully massive monument represents King as a “Stone of Hope” emerging out of the “Mountain of Despair,” from the famous line in his “I have a dream” speech given August 28, 1963 on the steps of the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
The site, which covers four acres along the Potomac tidal basin, was opened to the public on August 22, 2011. The dedication ceremony was scheduled for August 28th – the anniversary of his famous speech, but was postponed to October 16th because of the arrival of Hurricane Irene. In addition to the “stone” and the “mountain” there is a long wall displaying some of his most well known quotes.
Overall, the effect is breathtaking. King emerging from the mountain and gazing stalwartly toward the memorial to Thomas Jefferson standing resolute across the tidal basin. The artist did justice to the man and to the memory of his accomplishments.
David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!
Happy Father’s Day
When Life Imitates Art in Bologna – Oscar Wilde Would Go Wild
Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time…with a camera. Such a place and time happened in Bologna, Italy. I’m sure many will recall an old saying that goes something like “art imitates life.” Or perhaps you remember the reverse, as in Oscar Wilde’s The Decay of Lying in which “life imitates art.” Or to put is as he did:
“But you don’t mean to say that you seriously believe that Life imitates Art, that Life in fact is the mirror, and Art the reality?”
So life imitates art. Or art imitates life. Or perhaps both. But let’s take it a step further. What happens when art actually mocks life mercilessly? Take a look at this:
First, see that the jogger positions himself – unwittingly, no doubt – exactly as the artwork on the wall depicts. Ah, you say, perhaps the artist observed many joggers over the years stopping to stretch right at that spot. Perhaps.
But then look closer.
The artist apparently had a wry sense of humor. Not only does the artwork imitate the jogger, it pokes fun of him in a bizarre burlesque. Little does the pausing runner notice that the permanently paused mirror, though manfully bearded, is wearing high heels, a thong, and flowers in his athletic hair. Who could believe it? After all…rouge on his cheeks while jogging? Unheard of.
Seconds after I snapped this photo the jogger toddled off oblivious to the suppressed laughter that so desperately wanted to escape my lungs. I had seen this scene unfolding as I watched the jogger approach from afar. Providence itself couldn’t have delivered a more perfect ending when he stopped to stretch against the light pole.
Sometimes it just pays to be lucky.
David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!
