Arctic Summer

The Arctic summer is a short but intense burst of life. For just a few months, the harsh climate of the Arctic relents. The sun shines day and night. And in come the birds Snowy owls live on the tundra and hunt during the day, unlike their cousins, the great horned owls.The arctic summer is a time of brightness and life.

Snow and ice clear to reveal a landscape of colourful tundra and bright alpine flowers on the shores of clear blue, iceberg-strewn fjords.

A visit to the Azores - São Miguel Island

Ponta Delgada, the main town.

A Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores islands have volcanic origins.

Lagoa do Fogo

Cryptomeria, the Japanese cedar, is a conifer extensively grown for its timber; the large trees here reach 70 m and cover the extint volcano hillsides:

Hot springs are mostly located in the center of the island. São Miguel has several stratovolcanoes, the largest of them Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas.

The Terra Nostra Garden, fed by hot sulphuric springs:

Tropical forest? No, just a local Nature Park.

Hydrangeas are considered to be a symbol of the archipelago and decorate roadsides:

The Northeastern coastal road has the best panoramic sights of cliffs and sea.

A brief time out

I will be in the Azores islands in vacation, starting tomorrow. No posts than, for a week or so.

Nome presentation

A presentation in powerpoint of Nome city, Alaska, that completes a previous post I made just below.

Nome, Alaska

View more presentations from Mario Ricca.

Telemann's wisdom

The greatest pasttime one can life
Is pleasure that alone music can give
Everything else that we percieve as good
Excellent wines or most delicious food
Sleigh rides or games
Or hunting or the dames
Cause in the end
Especially if overdone
If not annoyance, damage, or else pain,
At least adversity shall certainly remain

Music alone knows nothing but God´s grace
The start will be so easy
The middle will sure please ye
And in the end your mind is full of peace.

G. Ph. Telemann, 1722


Allegro from the Trio Sonata in D minor