Brooklyn, Iowa, USA with grain silos right on main street. Open, blue skies and corn fields, driving east from Oregon US to Ontario, Canada. Too many large IHOP and McDonalds billboards in the fields though, disrupting the otherwise gorgeous scenery.
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Multnomah Falls, Hwy 84 along the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
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Riverfront Pedestrian Bridge and The Keeper Of The Plains, Mid America All-Indian Center, Wichita, Kansas
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Union Station, old street car, Kansas City, MO
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The old and the new; the Chicago landmark, John Hancock Center in background, and the Warwick Allerton Hotel on the Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL
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The historic Water Tower was built 1867-69 to house pipes that regulated water pressure in the city, Chicago, Illinois
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The Robert E. Lee Showboat is one of Lowell / Grand Rapids, Michigan’s tourist attractions in the downtown business district.
Ornate architectural detail, exterior of Cheng Hoon Teng temple, Malacca, Malaysia. The temple was established in the 1600’s, with two halls added in 1704 and the bulk of it constructed in 1801 by craftsmen from China’s southern provinces. The architecture conforms strictly to the principles of feng shui, incorporating the fundamental belief that every aspect of life is closely related to attaining perfect harmony with nature. The interior is saturated with symbolism and intricate gold-covered carvings framing the walls and ceilings.
The Cheng Hoon Teng temple ministers to Malacca’s Chinese community, particularly those devoted to the order of San Chiao or the Three Doctrinal Systems of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Photos here show various methods of prayer for the souls of the deceased, as in candles, photos of the deceased and messages on gold, and offerings in the form of mass-produced objects mocking material items they might desire in afterlife.
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Chinese guardian lions, known in the West as Fu Dogs, represent male and female energies, or yin and yang in Chinese philosophical context, supporting the concept of harmony when displayed together. The lion statues are traditionally known in Chinese as Shi, and are usually depicted in pairs at a property entrance or gateway, as they are here at the front entrance to Cheng Hoon Teng temple. Though artistic interpretations and styles may vary, always the male leans his paw upon a ball or similar representation of strength and supremacy, and the female on the right restrains a playful cub representing nurture.
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