Here is a star map of the Lyra star system (constellation) where the star Vega is quite prominant. This is one of 88 known constellations but I'm sure there are many more we haven't even discovered yet. Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyra for more information. This is also where the map came from. - Volker
Its been a while since posting a few hot pics, so here are a few to warm up your weekend! Love the toned muscles, abs and pecs, don't you? And Edilson, below, is looking as hot as ever..jpg)
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I'm not much into tattoos but I've posted a photo of Beau with those hot muscles of his (second last pic). Enjoy your weekend! - Volker 
The Poinsettia, or as its known in Latin, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is native to Mexico and the Pacific coast of the United States. This plant occurs in some parts of central and southern Mexico and some parts of Guatamala. This lovely plant associated with Christmas is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, who introduced this plant into the United States in 1825. In the Nahuatl language of Mexico the Poinsettia is known as Cuetlaxochitl. Euphorbia's are known for their toxicity but the Poinsettia is not very toxic but those sensitive to latex may suffer an allergic reaction. If eaten, the plant may cause diarrhea and vomiting. The sap may cause temporary blindness if it gets in the eyes, even dry sap! Despite all this, if sensible precautions are taken, the plant is quite safe and a beautiful addition to the home during the Christmas season.
There are signs of snow, in the mountains of course. Before I went on into Vancouver on Sunday, I stopped by the Fraser Cemetery in Sapperton (New Westminster) to have a look at the view from that vantage point. As you can see, there are signs of snow in the nearby mountains. The rain we had over the last few weeks has contributed to the accumulation but we are long from seeing any snow here in the valley. The snow should make the skiers happy though!
The cherry trees are all stripped of leaves as I've found is the case throughout the region. You can see more snow in the mountains to the north. Below, the signs of nature's handiwork and the birds in particular and seen now that the trees are free of leaves.
The cemetery also has a lone monkey puzzle tree. There are other good examples in the region such as on Capital Hill and the Heights in north Burnaby, at the Lions Gate Bridge (Stanley Park side) and Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver amongst others. Are you ready for winter when it comes? - Volker 
On the way home this evening I made an early Christmas purchase before the good plants are gone. The photo was taken just after I gave the plant a good soaking. Its a little over a month before Christmas and then shortly after that the year is over and we start 2009. Have a good week! - Volker
I finally made it into downtown Vancouver Sunday afternoon but there wasn't too much time to take photos before the sunset was past. The above pic looks south across English Bay to Vancouver's Westside and below we have English Bay Beach (1st) just after sunset.
Above is a photo of the corners at Denman and Davie Streets all lit up and busy as usual, even on a Sunday evening. There are a couple of photos of Hotel Vancouver at Burrard and West Georgia Streets in lights ready for the coming Christmas season.
Look for more posts coming up very soon. Its bedtime for me since I've got to get up early again for the start of another work week. Have a good one yourself! - Volker 
Well, I finally made it to Burnaby Mountain after my errands were completed early Saturday afternoon. There was enough time to get up there by bus, walk from the campus of Simon Fraser University and get some photos before the sun went down. Its dark after 4:30 pm, so a delay doesn't leave much time. As you can see, the cherry trees are completely stripped of leaves. These are the trees behind the Horizon Restaurant on the western end of the mountain.
The view above looks north up Indian Arm which flows into Burrard Inlet. Then below we look west to see Capital Hill in the foreground and downtown Vancouver in the background. Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge are to the right of the downtown with English Bay and Georgia Strait beyond that.
Then there is the setting sun. The scene is different each time I've been there. Here the sun is setting behind the mountains of Vancouver Island with Georgia Strait just ahead of the island(s). The Gulf Islands are also located at the southern end of Vancouver Island. These small, scenic islands are divided between Canada and the United States. The camera is looking to the south-southwest with the Pacific Ocean beyond Vancouver Island. Enjoy these pics! I have not downsized them, so you can look at the details closer. I'll have more of them posted on Haliaeetus very soon, perhaps this evening. Meantime, I am off to Vancouver to have a walk and enjoy some sun before it disappears for the day!!! - Volker 
Last year I was able to take a series of shots of the autumn colour on the western end of Burnaby Mountain. The scene in the photo above is of the grove of cherry trees behind the Horizon Restaurant. The lawn is carpeted with leaves and the colour on the trees is fantastic but deceiving. On the other side of these trees the branches have been stripped bare of leaves by the north winds but the illusion of beauty is awesome to look at, don't you think? I missed out on getting to this grove early enough to see the leaves in colour. The trees are likely stripped completely of leaves by now as we are nearing the end of November but I will know for certain later this afternoon when I visit the mountain after completing errands in north Burnaby. So, I will get out to take advantage of the rainless weather (it was pouring rain and very windy last evening and overnight!) with some sun before the rain returns, and it will as its that time of year. There will be more later but enjoy this photo for now! - Volker
Jason Beam, model and trainer of Shaolin Kung Fu, is 27 years old, born in the United States and living in Sydney, Australia. He is 5' 10 1/2 " tall with a chest at 41 inches, brown hair and eyes and a shoe size of 10. That means he's only an inch taller than me and a shoe size smaller. I'm not much into tattoos but his physique is very impressive. The pics are mostly from teamm8.com, so do a Google search to find out more. In the meantime, enjoy these photos! - Volker 
Back in September I presented three pics of hot model, Kerry Degman. Well, here are some more for your pleasure. The top photos is from the blog, Hunk du Jour. Look into those eyes. Don't you just love them? Feast your eyes and enjoy!
The last two pics are set in New York City's Central Park with the Kerry in the centre in the last photo. Do a Google search and examine his work to discover what he's been up to. Enjoy! - Volker 
Today I received an email from the mover that his my stuff in storage since last October. This was in answer to an email I sent them on the status of an auction since I couldn't pay the fees to get my things out of storage. The auction hasn't happened yet but I do have a short time to come up with the money, just over $4,000, a hefty chunk of change for anyone that is short on cash while paying rent, utilities, paying off debts and having money left over for groceries. I had expected Brad to be here by this point which would have made everything move along much faster and smoother but this is the way things have worked out. To be fair to Brad, I didn't mention this issue to him in our many chats on msn or the few phone calls we made. I wanted him to proceed across the country at his own pace, without pressure. Neither of us foresaw the car problems which ended setting our plans back some. Now since not hearing from him since about mid-September, I am hoping something else hasn't come along to set things back even further. A friend of mine in Australia hoped that he would show up by Christmas. I certainly hope she is right for all our sakes. However, as bad as things have appeared to date, I recently access to another credit source which wasn't the case even just over a week ago. The plan now is to use it to pay off the storage debt, get access to the stuff at the movers, and then sort through the items in order to determine what is to be auctioned off and what is to be kept. There is a lot of stuff that can be auctioned off that is more than I actually need. Too bad I didn't auction much of it off before I moved from Surrey to north Burnaby in October 2007 but we all learn from our mistakes, or so we should! I hope to sort this all out in the next couple of days and get it all behind me. The stuff I choose to auction will pay off the debt to the creditor or much of it. Meantime, this will end the need to survive in the new apartment with just the basic necessities and not much more! More on all this later. - Volker
This is Ashtyn Long, one of my friends on MySpace. Most of my friends on MySpace are writers, musicians, photographers and now models but they are involved in the arts in some way. So this 23 year old model from New York City, New York has been photographed by various photographers such as Adam Bouska, Sandros Bross and David Vance as examples. Ashtyn's a hot young guy! I love the first pic. What do think?
Each photographer has their own ideas, so the mood changes! I purposely chose some of these close-up shots but there are so many photos to choose from that it was a challenge making a decision in what to include in this post. This should give you an idea of his talent though.
I can certainly see Ashtyn as an angel, can't you? Interesting expressions!
This is just a sampling of Ashtyn's photos taken by various photographers but it gives you an idea of what sort of pics have been taken of him and the different moods they evoke. Check him out! I'm certain that he will be worth watching as his career as a model continues to unfold and I'm certainly lucky to have Ashtyn as my friend. - Volker 
Photography has been a serious hobby of mine since age nine and continues to be so. With all these years of experience behind me, I can easily see such talent in others, especially Adam Bouska. We are friends on MySpace and Facebook, the former being the longest which dates from when he was still living and working in Las Vegas. Now this 25 year old professional photographer is living in Los Angeles, California where he continues to work do his thing. So, here is but a sampling of his photographic work starting with Ethan Reynolds, a favourite of both Brad and myself. Have a look and enjoy!
I guess spirits and an angel mix? Why not! Love this pic!!!
The washing machines reminded me of what I need to do: get the laundry done, which is happening right now as I write!
Check out www.bouska.net and www.adambouska.com for more of Adam's photos. A photographic post on Ashtyn Long is next. Keep viewing and feel free to comment! - Volker 
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