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Post by Richard on Jul 25, 2006 14:12:02 GMT
Hello Caite, or should I call you Adventure Girl? I hope you enjoy your trip to the Grand Canyon, and I'm looking forward to seeing your photographs. Are you going to take a canoe ride down the rapids while you're there? Best Wishes from London, Richard
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Joe
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Supporting Hayley since 2003!
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Post by Joe on Jul 26, 2006 2:09:11 GMT
A wonderfully fascinating item of American Railroad history, Joe. So would the Stourbridge Lion have been built in Stourbridge, itself a major canal centre in the UK? Yes, Peter...here's a brief snippet from Wikipedia... Stourbridge lies on the River Stour and is linked by the Stourbridge Canal to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. The canal is navigable, by narrowboat.
The town gives its name to local glass production, which has been manufactured since the early 1600s. What is thought to be the only complete remaining Glass Cone of its kind, the Red House Glass Cone stands on the Stourbridge Canal at Wordsley. It is the site of the Red House Glass Museum and there are regular demonstrations of "blowing" glass in the traditional way.
Stourbridge is served by an unusually short railway branch line (The shortest in the UK), the Stourbridge Town Branch Line, with a shuttle service from nearby Stourbridge junction (the town's main station) on the Birmingham - Kidderminster line to Stourbridge Town station in the town centre. The line formerly continued to an interchange basin with the Stourbridge Canal. The old Stourbridge Town station, when demolished, was recovered and materials used for buildings at Birmingham Railway Museum. On Sundays only, as part of a pilot scheme, a gas-powered Parry People Mover operates on the line.
The famous Stourbridge Lion locomotive, was built in Stourbridge at the foundry of Foster, Rastrick and Co in 1828. It arrived in New York on May 13th, 1829 and became the first steam locomotive to run on a commercial line in the United States. The locomotive is quite famous in the town of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, but surprisingly few people in Stourbridge have ever heard of it. A clock has recently been unveiled in the town to celebrate the engine. I learned quite a bit from this article. Joe
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Jul 26, 2006 2:31:57 GMT
Hi all, I had the good fortune to witness a hot-air balloon launch. Unfortunately, the balloon descended soon after becoming airborne and came to rest on a lake. After a few minutes, the balloon lifted up into the blue sky. More pics at the Writers and Arists Forum.
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Post by Andrew on Jul 26, 2006 10:42:22 GMT
Hi Joe, Your hot air balloon pictures are really cool! Funnily enough- we must be on the same wavelength because I submitted the following post on Hayley's Official Forum on July 13th... Heh-heh! Re: If you could spend a day with Hayley ......... « Reply #19 on: Jul 13th, 2006, 2:55am » Quote Modify -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If I could spend a day with Hayley... I would introduce her to some of my best friends before Hayley and I would go off hot air ballooning somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. We would land just in time for dinner at a very fine restaurant. Afterwards I'd persuade her to come and sing 'My Heart and I' to my cheeseplant (plants are allegedly supposed to respond very positively to female voices) in the hope that Hayley's voice would transform the plant into a beanstalk before our very eyes! We would then climb the beanstalk to reach a fairytale castle and a candle lit cathedral with some beautiful stained glass windows. There Hayley and I would join in with the cathedral choir in some choral singing. If Hayley started to feel homesick we could catch the next hot air balloon to Christchurch NZ! Andrew « Last Edit: Jul 13th, 2006, 2:56am by Andrew_Fenning » IP Logged -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Fenning mens sana in corpore sano
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Post by postscript on Jul 26, 2006 10:51:21 GMT
Hi Andrew. Regarding 'mens sana in corpore sano' the sound should surely be Hayley's who is sound in mind, body and voice! But you dont need to go hot-air ballooning to get close to the angels, Hayley's soundly on terrra firma! Peter
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Post by postscript on Jul 26, 2006 10:54:17 GMT
Thank you Joe for that report. I think we have both learned something worth gaining.
Peter
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Steve H
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HWI Management Team / Official Site Photographer & Videographer
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Post by Steve H on Jul 26, 2006 11:23:28 GMT
We would then climb the beanstalk to reach a fairytale castle and a candle lit cathedral with some beautiful stained glass windows. There Hayley and I would join in with the cathedral choir in some choral singing. Hi Andrew, my ballooning buddy, Could I join you for this part, there could be nothing better than a cathedral choir singing with Hayley! Steve H
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Post by Andrew on Jul 26, 2006 12:43:02 GMT
We would then climb the beanstalk to reach a fairytale castle and a candle lit cathedral with some beautiful stained glass windows. There Hayley and I would join in with the cathedral choir in some choral singing. Hi Andrew, my ballooning buddy, Could I join you for this part, there could be nothing better than a cathedral choir singing with Hayley! Steve H Hi Steve, Why of course... So long as your voice doesn't overpower mine or Hayley's! Regards, Andrew
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Post by graemek on Jul 27, 2006 0:15:56 GMT
For Stuart H. who appears to have birdspotting interest: An Australian Magpie. Totally different to the European one but, interestingly enough, has very similar behaviour pattern. A very robust fearless bird. photo by Mike Fox Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia 10/05/2003 This image is directly linked to a bird lover's site 'birder.pwp. blueyonder' who's pic this is. Graemek (moderator's: I gather I can't offend anybody by doing it this way as it's already published on the web. Is that true?)
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Jul 27, 2006 3:07:12 GMT
Hi Joe, Your hot air balloon pictures are really cool! Hi Andrew, Thanks! Yeah, I think your day with Hayley would go well! I feel that restaurants should offer a hot-air balloon hire. If they offer valet and limousine services, why not balloons for the ride home? Joe
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Joe
Administrator
Supporting Hayley since 2003!
Posts: 6,714
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Post by Joe on Jul 27, 2006 3:40:11 GMT
For Stuart H. who appears to have birdspotting interest: An Australian Magpie. Totally different to the European one but, interestingly enough, has very similar behaviour pattern. A very robust fearless bird. photo by Mike Fox Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia 10/05/2003 This image is directly linked to a bird lover's site 'birder.pwp. blueyonder' who's pic this is. (moderator's: I gather I can't offend anybody by doing it this way as it's already published on the web. Is that true?) Hello Graeme, Thanks for that pic. Here in America, our magpies have mostly black plumage. In fact, that entire website has tons of birds from all over the world. It was good of you to include the website that contained the pic. I always feel that I should include (if listed) the name of the photographer. Also the date and place of the photo might be helpful to the viewer. All of that has been put into your post. Great job! Joe
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Post by graemek on Jul 27, 2006 4:32:15 GMT
Thanks Joe, Appreciate the edit & the tip. That bird website is an excellent one actually!! Graemek By the way, thanks for your hot air balloon shots. Very good.
I've often wondered how they'd feel to ride in. Even a glider is quite noisy due to the necessary velocity to create lift but a balloon must be the most peaceful vehicle. (when its on the way down anyhow)
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Post by fusilier23 on Jul 27, 2006 11:30:35 GMT
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Post by postscript on Jul 27, 2006 12:11:31 GMT
I was going to reply to that, fusilier, then decided it was too rude for so polite a forum as this. but, just as I was passing on it occured to me how i could be pollite enough even for Roger's awareness of all our NICE PEOPLE HERE. Aaah! No! Changed my mind. I have just checked and Roger has left us for the moment so I think I will self-moderate and not say it after all! Peter
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Post by postscript on Jul 27, 2006 12:22:22 GMT
Hi All, Jeff particularly. My morning guests for breakfast. Ironically, sitting close to them is a bit of a pain as the kitchen in this house is on the first floor! However, there is a dumb waiter down to the living room, provided one remembers, when upstairs, everything one wants before going downstairs to lift it off the dumb waiter. Normally one al fresco's on the balcony which provides a superb view down a quarter of a mile of canal with a lock and some superb old buildings and landscaping. Peter
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