Our next stop, Bath, photos of The Royal Crescent, a dog having a fun in the sun, and the flowers nearby

Found on the World Wide Web - Bath, England. In 2011, its population was 88,859. The city became a spa with the Latin name Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") c. AD 60 when the Romans built baths and a temple in the valley of the River Avon, although oral tradition suggests that the hot springs were known before then. It became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, leaving a heritage of Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

Bath became a World Heritage Site in 1987. The city's theatres, museums and other cultural and sporting venues have helped to make it a major centre for tourism with more than one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and there are large service sector, information and communication technology and creative industries.



The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building. Although some changes have been made to the various interiors over the years, the Georgian stone façade remains much as it was when it was first built.

Many notable people have either lived or stayed in the Royal Crescent since it was first built over 230 years ago, and some are commemorated on special plaques attached to the relevant buildings.



The Royal Crescent now includes a hotel and a Georgian house museum, while some of the houses have been converted into flats and offices. It is a popular location for the makers of films and television programmes, and a major tourist attraction in its own right.

The Royal Crescent is close to Victoria Park. The street that is known today as "The Royal Crescent" was originally named "The Crescent." It is claimed that the adjective "Royal" was added at the end of the 18th century after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany had stayed there.

John Wood designed the great curved façade with Ionic columns on a rusticated ground floor. The 114 columns are 30 inches (76 cm) in diameter reaching 47 feet (14.3 m), each with an entablature 5 feet (1.5 m) deep. The central house (now the Royal Crescent Hotel) boasts two sets of coupled columns.

Each original purchaser bought a length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house behind the façade to their own specifications; hence what can appear to be two houses is occasionally just one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear and can be seen from the road behind the Crescent: while the front is uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration. This architecture, described as "Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs," occurs repeatedly in Bath.

In front of the Royal Crescent is a ha-ha, a ditch on which the inner side is vertical and faced with stone, with the outer face sloped and turfed, making an effective but invisible partition between the lower and upper lawns. The ha-ha is designed so as not to interrupt the view from Royal Victoria Park, and to be invisible until seen from close by. It is not known whether it was contemporary with the building of the Royal Crescent, however it is known that when it was first created it was deeper than it is at present. You can see the ha-ha in the two photos I've used above.


The railings between the crescent and the lawn are included in the Heritage at Risk Register produced by English Heritage and were restored in 2011. This dog and its people had a great time, enjoying our wonderful sunshine!



Bright, colorful plants and flowers nearby--between The Royal Crescent and the street. The Royal Crescent is to my left as I took this photo, beyond some trees.



The coach is parked on Royal Avenue--that's Tommy in the tie at the front of the coach. Victoria Park is across the street beyond the coach.




As I made my way back towards the coach, these red berries and green needles caught my eye--it's a yew tree, something I really, really wanted to see in the United Kingdom. Serendipity!

While cold and blustery weather lingers, I'm dreaming and knowing this too will come, No. 7

Sunny mid-day, busy downtown park, the perfect training period for this seeing eye dog. I took this photo on July 16, 2009, at 11:58 a. m., during my lunch hour. I took the bus from my building west across the Willamette River and ate my lunch in the park. Always I find plenty to photograph there at that time of day. Positive effort reinforced through a reward--the best way to have the dog learn exactly what is needed in order to become a successful help-mate to a person who truly needs that help.

Winter Opposites - No. 8, Who's walking whom?

June 2, 2012, back at sunny Director Park and Teachers Fountain, in downtown Portland. I surmise this well-heeled gentleman loves his dog. Shiny coat. Slim and trim. Bright red harness. Properly tagged at his neck. And the all-important doggy bags attached to the leash handle. That means that the gentleman also respects his fellow humans by following the city's guidelines about picking up after your pooch. I wish I could tell you what has captured the dog's intense attention, but I didn't get it in this photo or the one after it. I know. Let's imagine a pleasing female dog is right out of the photo.

Mother's Day Mini-Vacation, No. 22 - Across the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway--the Deschutes River--an old dog knows all the tricks.

Little dog, six or seven months old. Big dog, 13 years old. Stick and man, ages unknown. Fun for old dog--ageless. Learning for young dog--ongoing. Photos of old dog having a blast--priceless!
 

Shower time!
 

Help an ol' dog get outta the river, please.
 

Throw it again. I'm just about ready.
 

I see it. Thanks!
 

I love to make these big splashes!
 

Stick, you belong to me!
 

Son, you've got a lot learn and the energy to do it!

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 4

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A minute after the cleaner in yesterday's post cleared out of this sidewalk space, here came this woman and her big white dog. The restaurant whose kitchen is off the unmarked door and whose entrance sports its name, Bistro Petit Oiseau, is The Oregonian's 2012 restaurant of the year. One of these days I need to go there. 

Seen on a TriMet bus

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(1) The bus rolled to a stop. I noticed two passengers in the space for one, associated with this motorized wheelchair and a hanging black bag. 


(2) The bus driver gives the pup a pat as he/she continues dangling on the back of the exiting wheelchair. 


(3) You know, I assumed the black bag was a backpack, but now that I see it from this angle, I'm thinking maybe it's a duffle bag with its handles hanging over the headrest on the chair. 


(4) Almost gone, swiftly and silently rolling on their way. Bye, doggie. 

I took this series of photos on November 20, 2010.

Framed for Christmas, No. 9

At Tuba Christmas, held at Pioneer Courthouse Square, on December 8, 2012, I saw this fellow in an elf costume. He's pretty cute, and I like the fact that if you look close enough, you can see the man's face in the elf's hat. I'm happy that I got this shot, but it wasn't until I looked at it on the iMac that I noticed the woman behind the elf, sort of holding onto him. I'm guessing that she is helping with peripheral vision for the elf.

My favorite part of the photo--the white dog wearing a sweater and reindeer antlers. Seeming to smile, the dog looks intently at that woman in the dark coat, perhaps thinking that a treat is on the way. I didn't stay around to check--Leland and I crossed the street to catch the MAX Yellow Line so that we could go eat lunch.