Your R System Images - November 2025

Bryan Conner said:

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My wife and I took a walk this morning to a local area that we haven't visited in years. I used Google Gemini to create a short info of the stream pictured here: The Stille Bach (Quiet Stream) near Weingarten, Germany, is one of the oldest and most impressive canal systems in the country, expertly constructed by Benedictine monks of Weingarten Abbey. Its main construction spanned over half a millennium, from the 11th to the 17th centuries, to provide a reliable water supply to the otherwise waterless upper town and monastery. This complex network, covering about 25 km² and originally including up to ten canals and around 30 ponds, was vital for the monastery's operation, serving diverse uses such as drinking water, fire protection, and wastewater disposal via meadow irrigation channels called Rongsen. Crucially, the monks harnessed its hydropower to run at least 17 water wheels for eight grinding mills, five sawmills, and various other operations until the monastery's dissolution in 1803. In the age of industrialization, the waterways were repurposed for electricity generation, powering up to twelve turbines, but today, the Stille Bach is primarily a historical and natural landmark. Since 1985, it has been the focus of a "Water Engineering History Hiking Trail" (wasserbauhistorischer Wanderweg), inviting visitors to explore this remarkable testament to medieval hydraulic engineering and enjoy the local recreation area where brown trout now reside.

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MikeCMG said:

Bridgewater Canal, Warrington, UK.

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PKM-UK said:

Images from our vaguely recent-ish (OK - spring) visit to Skipton Castle, Skipton, North Yorkshire, England.


(Source: Skipton Castle).

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PKM-UK said:

Hi Bryan,

A wonderful image to start the month off - beautiful colours highlighting a perfect composition, all made the more enthralling by the fascinating backstory.

Well seen and captured - thank you for sharing...

P&K

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PKM-UK said:

Images from our vaguely recent-ish (OK - spring) visit to Skipton Castle, Skipton, North Yorkshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed with: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels. Karen used her iPhone and GoPro at this venue, so these are all by Phil). Our visit was made all the more challenging - in terms of securing ‘people-free shots’ - by a continuous stream of guided tours for visiting school children (all sporting high-visibility vests!). Having cycled there wearing cleated cycling shoes we discovered we'd forgot to pack our soft flip-flops (much kinder on delicate and historically important floor surfaces), so did the entire visit in just our socks (to the bemusement of the kids). Fortunately, it remained dry...

You can find out more about the history of Skipton Castle by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Shortly after 1090 Robert de Romille, a Norman, built a primitive timber fort to protect the area. In time this was replaced with a stone castle which stood upon a rocky bluff overlooking the Eller Beck.

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2. In 1310 the Clifford family were granted the property by King Edward II, with Robert Clifford being appointed first Lord Clifford of Skipton and Guardian of Craven (land lying to the north and west of Skipton).

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3. Robert Clifford began fortifying the castle, but he was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 with the improved fortifications barely completed.

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4. During the English Civil War, Skipton Castle was the last bastion of the north, only yielding in 1645 after a 3-year siege.

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5. The castle was subsequently ‘slighted’ (razed) on the orders of Cromwell, but was restored by Lady Anne Clifford and it remained the principal family seat until 1676.

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6. Since 1956 the castle has been owned by the Fattorini family, who are dedicated to maintaining it as one of the most complete and well preserved medieval castles in England, and a substantial part remains open as a tourist attraction.

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(Source: Skipton Castle).

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THXGEEK said:

Couple of thoughts...

1) Thank you for the wonderful pics and historical summary & link. Very informative! Most American brains pretty much only go back to 1776 (wasn't there some tiff about taxes?) and anything existing before that time is a source of continual amazement....

2) I hope you weren't wearing your polka-dot socks!

3) My next house will have a courtyard. You know you've really made it if you have a courtyard.

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Bryan Conner said:

Fascinating, and very nice images. Medieval castles are definitely a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing with us.

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StevenAunan said:

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Bucolic Old Sir Henry said:

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we live in a remarkable place. Last weekend we spent a few nights in the Southern Alps with a bunch of friends. Here are a couple of shots from our Saturday walk (4.5 hours, 13km roundtrip, 680 m vertical).

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From the Bealey Spur track looking east(ish) along the valley of the Waimakariri river, with SWMBO providing scale. First bluebird day since a significant late spring snowfall.

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Looking up the Waimakariri valley towards the main divide, with the Bealey River flowing in on the right. The pass over to the West Coast is about 10km up the Bealey valley.

Not so much sun at The Punchbowl Falls on Sunday.

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Now I need to catch up with the mowing...

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PKM-UK said:

Images from our vaguely recent-ish (OK - spring) visit to Skipton Castle, Skipton, North Yorkshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed with: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels. Karen used her iPhone and GoPro at this venue, so these are all by Phil). Our visit was made all the more challenging - in terms of securing ‘people-free shots’ - by a continuous stream of guided tours for visiting school children (all sporting high-visibility vests!). Having cycled there wearing cleated cycling shoes we discovered we'd forgot to pack our soft flip-flops (much kinder on delicate and historically important floor surfaces), so did the entire visit in just our socks (to the bemusement of the kids). Fortunately, it remained dry...

You can find out more about the history of Skipton Castle by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Shortly after 1090 Robert de Romille, a Norman, built a primitive timber fort to protect the area. In time this was replaced with a stone castle which stood upon a rocky bluff overlooking the Eller Beck.

View attachment 40827

2. In 1310 the Clifford family were granted the property by King Edward II, with Robert Clifford being appointed first Lord Clifford of Skipton and Guardian of Craven (land lying to the north and west of Skipton).

View attachment 40828

3. Robert Clifford began fortifying the castle, but he was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 with the improved fortifications barely completed.

View attachment 40829

4. During the English Civil War, Skipton Castle was the last bastion of the north, only yielding in 1645 after a 3-year siege.

View attachment 40830

5. The castle was subsequently ‘slighted’ (razed) on the orders of Cromwell, but was restored by Lady Anne Clifford and it remained the principal family seat until 1676.

View attachment 40831

6. Since 1956 the castle has been owned by the Fattorini family, who are dedicated to maintaining it as one of the most complete and well preserved medieval castles in England, and a substantial part remains open as a tourist attraction.

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(Source: Skipton Castle).

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ACEkin said:

The castle, its architecture, and history are quite interesting, but the tree in the courtyard with a gentle and steady swirl grabbed my eyes!

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ACEkin said:

For those interested in fountain pens, I have a few more teasers here and more on my website. They are all focus stacked in Photoshop. The full article with more pens is on my website. I will publish one more article with pens with unusual looks or features, and stop boring many!!

A Sheaffer Balance

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A Montblanc Masterpiece 644

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A Lamy 2000 (Don't let its name fool anyone, it was introduced in 1966!)

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dgphoto8 said:

A few more photos from my autumn escapades. First up, a common loon in winter plumage on the northern part Lake Willoughby in Vermont; I did not know that loons had red coloration on their feet, but I checked using online birding resources and found out they did!
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A photo of Lake Willoughby from the southern end, with the distinctive notch that the lake sits in between two colorful mountains.
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A congregation of Asian ladybugs huddling for warmth before the morning sun hit the rock they were on. Once the sun hit, they warmed up and began flying around. While they are interesting to look at, they are an invasive species that is wreaking havoc on the population of native ladybugs, and unlike the native ladybugs, they like to get into houses like ours when it gets cold. Since they emit a bad smell when scared or crushed, we have a procedure to capture them live, then down the toilet they go...
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Reflection Pond in Shelbourne, New Hampshire with the colorful ridges of Mount Adams as a backdrop.
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US Route 2 winding through fall foliage with Mount Washington in the background. Visible at the summit of the mountain is the Mount Washington Observatory, home to some of the world's most extreme winter weather, with wind chills and temperatures rivaling those of Antarctica and Mount Everest. Even in summer, the differences in temperature between valley and summit can be 20-30 C. A very popular hiking and scrambling area, the White Mountains can be ascended without sophisticated climbing gear. However, this results in many unprepared/inexperienced hikers putting themselves in peril due to hypothermia, avalanches, and falls from literally being blown off a cliff. There are an inordinate number of mountain rescues and fatalities logged every year in this area. We enjoy this area from the valleys...
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Finally, an American hoverfly getting some of the seasons last pollen. Hoverflies have protective coloration mimicking the aggressive yellowjacket wasp family, but they are very docile and beneficial insects since they are effective pollinators. Also, hoverfly larvae growing on plants eat aphids and other plant-damaging insects.
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klaspavel said:

Majestic oak tree in the autumn setting sun in the castle garden.

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dgphoto8 said:

A few more photos from my autumn escapades. First up, a common loon in winter plumage on the northern part Lake Willoughby in Vermont; I did not know that loons had red coloration on their feet, but I checked using online birding resources and found out they did!
View attachment 40890

A photo of Lake Willoughby from the southern end, with the distinctive notch that the lake sits in between two colorful mountains.
View attachment 40891

A congregation of Asian ladybugs huddling for warmth before the morning sun hit the rock they were on. Once the sun hit, they warmed up and began flying around. While they are interesting to look at, they are an invasive species that is wreaking havoc on the population of native ladybugs, and unlike the native ladybugs, they like to get into houses like ours when it gets cold. Since they emit a bad smell when scared or crushed, we have a procedure to capture them live, then down the toilet they go...
View attachment 40892

Reflection Pond in Shelbourne, New Hampshire with the colorful ridges of Mount Adams as a backdrop.
View attachment 40893

US Route 2 winding through fall foliage with Mount Washington in the background. Visible at the summit of the mountain is the Mount Washington Observatory, home to some of the world's most extreme winter weather, with wind chills and temperatures rivaling those of Antarctica and Mount Everest. Even in summer, the differences in temperature between valley and summit can be 20-30 C. A very popular hiking and scrambling area, the White Mountains can be ascended without sophisticated climbing gear. However, this results in many unprepared/inexperienced hikers putting themselves in peril due to hypothermia, avalanches, and falls from literally being blown off a cliff. There are an inordinate number of mountain rescues and fatalities logged every year in this area. We enjoy this area from the valleys...
View attachment 40894

Finally, an American hoverfly getting some of the seasons last pollen. Hoverflies have protective coloration mimicking the aggressive yellowjacket wasp family, but they are very docile and beneficial insects since they are effective pollinators. Also, hoverfly larvae growing on plants eat aphids and other plant-damaging insects.
View attachment 40895

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PKM-UK said:

Our final 'Postcard from America' comes from Daytona, Florida, United States.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PhotoLab Elite/ Viewpoint/ Nik Collection and Adobe LrC/ Photoshop with Tony Kuyper Panels. Karen used our Sony RX10 IV on the US trip, so you’re stuck with Phil’s images. Officially - some insets may occasionally veer a little off-piste. Don't tell Tim... ).

You can find out more about the Daytona International Speedway by clicking Here and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Museum Here.

Phil and Karen


1. The Daytona International Speedway track was built in 1959 by NASCAR founder William "Bill" France Sr. to host racing that was held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course and features multiple layouts - including the primary 2.5 mile high-speed tri-oval.

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2. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a 20,000 sq. ft. museum located in the grounds of the Speedway which is jam packed with historic vehicles and artefacts. The exhibit area shown in this image features the same 31 degree banking as the Speedway track.

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3. The 2025 Daytona 500 was won by William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (after a final lap crash saw him elevated from 7th place). The race winning car - this AXALTA Chevy Camaro - has to be provided to the museum for the following year (in the condition it finished the race - ticker tape and all!).

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4. As recommended by members of the RFShooters Forums - we followed up with a visit to ‘The World's Most Famous Beach’. (At the time of our visit it was also the home of the world’s hottest Moore's - though those hot dogs were very nice!).

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5. Daytona Beach Pier. (The current pier - opened in 1925 - replaced the original item, which was severely damaged by fire in 1920). During the years of beach racing, some of the pilings were removed to allow race cars to pass under the pier…

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6. We hope you’ve enjoyed sharing our (all too brief) USA travels - as you can tell, we had an absolute blast. Now, please smile and say 'Cheers!'... P&K

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(Sources: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Wikipedia).

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