Stone Plow

21/04/2018

I’ve only got eight days, so decide to sample the most interesting bits. I start at the beginning in Carinthia, Austria.

The Alpe-Adria Trail is Europe’s newest long distance hiking route and runs for 750km from the foot of the Grossglockner (at 3,798m Austria’s highest mountain), into Slovenia and ends in Italy, near Trieste on the Adriatic coast. It’s divided into 37 daily stages, each around 20 km, although i...

23/03/2018

The Dodges and VWs are no longer part of the equation, but variety still is. With multiple body styles, body lengths, cab designs, payload ratings, load-compartment heights, and drivetrain layouts, Mercedes says its new van will offer no fewer than 1700 different configurations.

Smartphones are what Mercedes-Benz wants you to think of when you look at its new Sprinter van. Not just because of the big touchscreen display in the dashboard, but because the new Sprinter represents a technological leap over the simpler hardware that came before, from analog to digital, isolated....

22/03/2018

The joy of a vibrant market and Carmel Market is just that. It’s been there since 1920s when it was just a humble Yemenite market, but today it’s colourful, aromatic, noisy and THE place to buy all sorts of bric-a-brac and food such as local vegetables,

I defy anyone to be bored during a short break to Tel Aviv. The high octane vibe is almost tangible and urges you to walk its streets and explore. Do so and you’ll find this is a moody city: beautiful chill-out beaches hemmed by high rise hotels and lapped by the blue Mediterranean sea and a fanta...

22/03/2018

In reality, nature is usually surrounded by even more nature, getting in our way or cluttering up the background while we’re trying to work.

Photographing flowers and plants should be easy as pie. In theory, Mother Nature has already provided us with all the subjects and backgrounds and lighting we need. What’s left to do but point the camera and press the shutter button, right? In reality, nature is usually surrounded by even more nat...

22/03/2018

The fussy CUE infotainment system and dismal 15-mpg observed average further dim the XTS’s appeal, but the absurd $73,490 base price is truly the nail in the coffin.

The XTS is a big, plush Cadillac sedan in the old-school tradition, which makes it decidedly out of sync with the American luxury brand’s current push to compete with the best German sports sedans. (Even so, it’s outselling the ATS, CTS, and CT6 and was Caddy’s best-selling passenger car in 20...

20/03/2018

Best known as the star of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, this sleek and athletic dog breed has a history that goes back several hundred years.

20/03/2018

The Bullmastiff dog breed is a firm and fearless family guardian. While standoffish toward strangers he’s got a soft spot for his loved ones.

20/03/2018

The seaside town of Llandudno is my base, a pretty town with a mish mash of elegant Victorian and Edwardian architecture and pleasant scenery.

The hills are alive in North Wales with the cranky rhythm of chugging wheels and the whistle of coal powered trains as a stream of steam is funnelled out through their chimney. It’s a mode of transport that hails from the early 19th century that all too soon came to the end of the line. Rail enthu...

20/03/2018

Most of the time, however, there is one essential aspect that a lot of photographers – especially the new ones – easily forget or take for granted: the subject. To create good images,

There are a lot of things that you can do to make sure that your photos come out exceptionally well. For most photographers, the most important item on the list is to familiarize every single detail of the camera. Of course, technical knowledge, a good location & the right weather, and a complete un...

20/03/2018

Make sure both car batteries are the same voltage (most batteries are 12 volts) and the same polarity (both have a negative ground). You can check this information in your owner’s manual in your glove box.

Ever found yourself stranded with a weak or dead car battery? You can jump-start your vehicle safely in a few minutes if you follow these simple steps. Carrying a set of jumper cables can help you help a fellow motorist-or the other way around. Jump-starting a vehicle is usually pretty simple, but i...

20/03/2018

Since you are learning to let go of all the control, work with a bigger brush. This will help you to focus more on shapes and less on lines.

What is your favorite style of watercolor painting? Do you prefer clean, crisp lines and defined edges? If so, you may be a traditionalist. Or, do you favor fluid strokes and hazy backgrounds? If the latter sounds more like you, you may be a “loose painter.” Both styles have their own great qual...

17/03/2018

How Gonzaga Got Flexible to Build Itself Into a Unique Contender.
After losing in the national championship game last season, before the start of another year, the Gonzaga basketball team decamped last fall to a lake near their campus in eastern Washington. They spent two days there, only this wasn’t a typical team-building retreat. This trip had some of those elements, a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament, a ziplining excursion, intense games of pickleball, but it also contained an underlying theme that was decidedly more modern.