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      "body": "http://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/ZCarsonPass-1.jpg\n\n# Hello Steemit!\n\nI am a bush-pilot, aerial photographer, and explorer.  \n\nOur world is truly beautiful from up here!! And to share how I see it, I am developing an immersive  project called **Where Eagles Fly** and would love to introduce myself and the project to the Steemit community. \n\nMy name is **Gerald Zedekiah Morse**, I go by **Zedekiah** or **Z** for short. \n\nOf course here on Steemit I am \"**skypilot**\".\n\nI was only recently introduced to Steemit by a friend. I find the entire construct of a blockchain content distribution platform to be fascinating. Centralized mass distribution of content is still very much under a gatekeeper rule and I would love to bypass this as much as possible.  Steemit and other kindred platforms such as lbry.io, ascribe.io and many others all provide valuable tools that will greatly assist in the launch, success, and ongoing control of my project content. There is much to learn, and I look forward to the journey! \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/howdysteemit.jpg\n*My proof of life - at my hangar on 8/23/16 with the Bluebird*\n\nIf you would like to see an example of my project and the work I do, please click on the image below which will take you to my website which has a Vimeo clip embedded on it. *(Unfortunately at this time Steemit does not support Vimeo and I do not like the compression quality of YouTube.)* I would right-click to open the link in a new tab so you keep Steemit open and don't lose your place. \n\n[![Your text here](http://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/Piclink-1.jpg)](http://geraldzmorse.com/Love_of_Nature.html \"Click Here To Play - a Love of Natue\")\n\n## My Background\nI am a music composer, pianist, recording engineer, and sound designer. I work mostly as a ghost composer and arranger on film soundtracks and trailers. I love many different styles of music and experiment with recording any genre or style the muse provides. If you would care to listen to my music, visit my listing on [SoundCloud/ZMorse](https://soundcloud.com/zmorse/sets), but please realize, it is not for everyone. Lots of different styles are on there, and I change the material all the time since I have a substantial library to choose from.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/zinstudio-1.jpg\n*Z in the Studio Mixing Film Music*\n\nIn addition to music production, I also code, develop virtual production technology and work as a disruptive technologist. But mostly I am an emerging filmmaker and content creator. For this project, I do everything possible to insure the content is not unduly influenced by outside sources. For that reason, I do literally everything: pilot, aerial photography (cinematography), post-production editing, music composition, sound design, graphics and motion graphics. \n\nI will work with other people in the development of the various post-production components involved in distributing the project content, and when the project is ready I will get a professional voice over artist for the narration of the various film and episodic chapter components. I'd love to get someone like Sam Elliot or Morgan Freeman!\n\n\n\n## I Love To Fly\nIt feels like I was born a pilot. My father was a test pilot for the B58 Hustler and then an aeronautical engineer for NASA during the Apollo program. Those were heady days. Most folks don\u2019t realize, but back when Silicon Valley was just another small California suburb of San Francisco, and long before the advent of the Internet and rise of technology as we know it today, there were two very advanced scientific centers of technology that few knew about outside of the NASA community: Nassau Bay, Texas, and Huntsville, Alabama. \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/B58-team.jpg\n*My father and test crew for the B58 Hustler circa 1960*\n\nThese were the Silicon Valleys of the day back in the 1960\u2019s and 70\u2019s. Huntsville, Alabama, was home to Marshal Space Center, and Nassau Bay, Texas, was home to Johnson Space Center.  I grew up between those two places because my dad was transferred back and forth every couple of years as the Apollo program progressed. This is something I will write about in another article due to there being a lot of interesting things to discuss from that era. What\u2019s important is the impact exposure to this unique community had on me. I developed a love of science and engineering and a wanderlust for space exploration that has had an ongoing effect on me. I still gaze into the night sky in wonderment at the possibilities of what is out there, of what we do not know. I truly love the unknown.\n\nWhen I was a child, my father took me flying a lot, most of the time we had to sneak out of the house because mom was so scared we would crash. Pops would always make me promise not to tell her when we were out doing aerobatics or flying through the mountains and landing on riverbanks. I\u2019m grateful for the influence he had on my life, and the exposure to the science and engineering of flight that has shaped my life. But also in the type of aircraft and flying I am attracted to. I have never been interested in the fast moving jets or high altitude aircraft, instead prefer flying low and slow above the beautiful back-country, experiencing views I know very few people, if any, ever get to see. So this means I require a particular type of aircraft that can safely operate in these rough, rugged, and primitive locations.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/ZFlying-1.jpg\n*Flying My Bluebird In The Wilderness*\n\nI exclusively fly small bush planes. These aircraft do not require a normal paved runway to take off and land on. All I really need is a somewhat flat space a few hundred feet long, the smoother the better, but not necessary. You have to be very careful landing in short places, as you run the risk of being unable to take off from there again. This is why careful planning and attention to weather conditions and surface terrain are paramount! I also fly float planes, even crashed one a long time ago in the wilderness and had to egress the aircraft underwater as it was rapidly sinking! *(Another story for another time)*.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/airplanecamp-1.jpg\n*Camping on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee*\n\nCamping with an airplane in the wild is an experience of either extreme solitude, when I am out there by myself, or great camaraderie with a very small group of pilots who love the back-country as much as I. We have fly-in's where groups of pilots, young and old, male and female and lots of families all come together to camp out in these hard-to-reach locations.\n\nLanding and taking off on river banks, tops of cliffs, mountain saddle backs or meadows, which are always deep in the wilderness and far from civilization or help, are standard operations. Planning and proper equipment are necessary for survival, and knowledge with continuous training will keep you alive when things get spicy! You can count on the weather to be unpredictable, changing rapidly with little warning when you fly and camp deep in the mountainous hinterlands. Vigilance and a keen sense of awareness must be enacted at all times, especially in the air but also down on the ground, particularly when camping in the wild. \nBecause...*critters!*\n\nAll sorts of wild animals like coyotes, moose, elk, wolves, and bears will come into camp. We all know that they can be a curious lot and after all, this is their home and we are just visitors. Mostly, they are looking for food, especially bears. I am sure you have all seen this photo of a bush-plane that got a bit chewed on? *Never* ever store food in the airplane, not even something as small as a candy bar\u2015especially if it is covered with fabric and not metal, though aluminum skin probably would have suffered badly as well. I reckon that bear was pretty determined and that fabric skin cut like butter with those sharp claws!\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/BearAttack.jpg\n*Bear damage on an aircraft similar to my Bluebird*\n\n# Culmination of My Life's Work\n\nYears ago, I began taking photos while flying and camping in the back-country. Over time, camera technology exponentially reduced in form-factor while increasing in capabilities. I\u2019m now able to carry more powerful DSLR's with amazing capabilities, and I've gone through the gauntlet with different systems: Nikon, Sony, Canon, Hasselblad, and PhaseOne. Some work much better than others, there is no real magic bullet; however, I love the large-sensor-format-based systems because I desire to reproduce my images as large-scale prints.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/zshooting2.jpg\n*Shooting The Grand-Staircase Escalante in Utah*\n\nAs video camera technology matured into smaller form-factor systems, I began experimenting with mounting cameras all around the aircraft, outside and in the cockpit. It has taken quite a while to come up with solutions to mitigate camera vibration. The rolling shutter effect from these systems is always an issue, especially with the bending propeller which I really dislike. But I am using my current configuration as a test bed from which to design and build an aerial platform that will eliminate all of these problems. This new platform will be based on a global-shutter sensor with a custom camera control, mounting, and optical package. \n\nWith the advent of a powerful suite of post-production tools from Adobe Creative Cloud, I am able to leverage my knowledge of virtual production technology into the art of editing and film composition. Because I already do soundtrack work, it was a fairly logical step. With the combination of aerial photography, aerial footage, and music composition and recording, I have the ability to produce my own content. Hence the following project: \n\n# Where Eagles Fly \u2013 The American Wilderness Expedition\n\nFor the past few years, I've been exploring the remaining wilderness areas of North America and filming them from a space just a few hundred to a few thousand feet above ground. The view from this zone is incredible. To accomplish this, I fly into remote off-the-beaten-path locations that are very rarely visited and even more rarely seen from this special zone up in the air... **Where Eagles Fly**  :)\n\n\nWhen you think about it, our view of the world is quite limited to either down on the ground or very high up in jet airliners. Both of these views are restricted by physical limitations such as line-of-sight with ground based views and limited fine-detail when viewing from airliners flying along at 35,000 feet or higher.  \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/Mojave-Mtns.jpg\n*Kokoweef Peak in the Mojave Desert*\n\n\nWhere I fly, earth colors interact with weather and atmospheric conditions to create incredible \u201cpaintings\u201d of nature that are stunning to behold. I see things that \u201cMove the Soul.\u201d I wish more people would get into flying like I did as a young man. Flying a drone is very cool, I own a number of them, but nothing compares to being there in person. The experience is worth the effort and the inherent danger. But I do realize that pressures from our socially-connected, Internet-influenced, technically-adapted and risk-averse lives somewhat limit the exposure to flying for most people. *Aha, this too, apparently, is another good subject for a future article*. \n\nMy goal is to chronicle the remaining 47% of the USA and 90% of Canada that are uninhabited and unaffected by the encroaching crush of civilization. By doing this, I hope to increase the lexicon with which we visually describe our planet \u2015 by providing a unique new view that illustrates the untamed beauty and ruggedness of these remarkable places. I also  hope that people will become as entranced as I, and will be inspired to continue the difficult effort necessary to protect and preserve these wild places for future generations. \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/Zion-1.jpg\n*Cougar Mountain in Zion National Park*\n\nFlying a bush-plane while shooting through an open window is not without its difficulties! The type of scenery I seek is dramatic, with weather playing a major role in providing the desired backdrop. For the cleanest, long distance large-area wilderness-landscape images, I require the clearness provided by the cold, dense air molecules of Fall, Winter, and early Spring months, without the aberrations and heat distortion of Summer.  \n\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/zshooting-1.jpg\n*Shooting the San Juan Mountains in Colorado*\n\nAs you can see this is not a large production crew type of project. This is me, all alone, in the wilderness up in the air looking for dramatic weather to juxtapose against dangerous mountains in marginal flight conditions. \n*Nice!!* \n\nTo share this journey, I am creating a highly interactive, immersive virtual journey which will allow you to experience the beauty and wonder of these extraordinary places from this unique perspective. *I will post this in a future article.* \n\n# Wilderness Landscape Photography As Fine Art\n\nThe static imagery can be distributed via a variety of compelling formats, using the Ken Burns effect to make short ambient vignettes. With this, I stream the images to digital frames, provide images as screen savers and mobile device backgrounds, etc. But what I truly love to do is turn them into prints. \n\nObviously, there are many ways to do this, from simple posters, calendars and greeting cards to printed apparel. All of these are , all very appealing. You can print on practically any surface. However, I want the images to really stand out, to grace the locations where they are placed. What is truly spectacular is to create large-format prints on different mediums. For now, there are three mediums I work with:\n\n1. Gicl\u00e9e prints on Canvas\n2. Chrome Metallic Paper Mounted on Acrylic\n3. Aluminum Plate\n\nEach of these mediums has different qualities which influence how the images appear. I have been fortunate to find both an amazing printer (they exclusively print for all the National Geographic Galleries) and a gallery willing to allow me to exhibit my works. To date, I have held two exhibitions in the Wyland Signature Gallery at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both were a complete blast!\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/zgallery-1.jpg\n*Part of My Exhibition at the Wyland Gallery in Planet Hollywood Las Vegas*\n\nIt was quite an interesting experience during the show, in that most of the time I felt like a museum docent explaining the story behind images. Folks are drawn to this unique view of nature, and seem to enjoy watching the in-flight footage showing how the images were acquired. \n\nPeople are not used to seeing wilderness landscape images from this perspective it's such an advantageous place to shoot from. It's not as though anyone can simply follow me up the trail and take the same photo! \n\n# That'a Wrap!\n\nOk, my fellow Steemers! That about wraps it up for this post, if you have stayed with me though this entire article, I thank you!! I would LOVE to get feedback from the community, and if there is interest, I will continue writing about this subject and will update the Steemit community as my project develops.  \n\nPlease let me know what you think. And *Fly Safe!!*\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/zlanding1.jpg\n*Landing Bluebird on the Mesa Top at Pearce Ferry, Arizona*",
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      "body": "# Ancient Mayan Design Aesthetic\nIt amazes me that the concept of basic design seems to have been around for many thousands of years. Think about that! Many centuries ago, some very important Mayan Scribe sat at their desktop and designed the layout below, working with what was at the time, leading edge communication technology. \n\nThis form of written communication was a technology that was only understood and utilized by an elite few. To me, this draws an compelling connection to our global ancestral makeup. What is interesting is that you can see a very strong resemblance to current design aesthetic with columns, tables, pictures (info-graphics) with wrap around text. \n\nThe way we visualize layout obviously goes way back in human history. \n<center>\nhttp://www.pasthorizonspr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Chichen2.jpg\n<center>*This image is from the article in Past Horizons listed below*</center>\n\nI know this is very different than the articles I usually post on my photography, but I felt compelled to share this so if you'd like to see the original article please go [here](http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/08/2016/hieroglyphic-texts-reveal-maya-innovation-in-maths-and-astronomy). The article is about Mayan innovation in math and astronomy and is short and worth the read. \n\nThis article is from one of my favorite sites called **Past Horizons - Adventures in Archeology**. Please visit them if you are interested in archeology and human history. They always have something worth reading.\n<center>http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/smallLOGO@2x.png</center>",
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      "body": "This was shot during a blizzard in Kit Carson Pass below Lake Tahoe. I couldn't leave so I took pictures. It was cold and the snow was falling almost horizontally and it was bright white. It got so bad a few times it was impossible to see more than a dozen feet away. \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/Whiteout.jpg\n\nI find the contrast between the brilliant white and the colors of the trees intriguing .",
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      "body": "http://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/Vimeo_logo-2.png3fformat3d1500w.png\n\n# Howdy folks, Z here... \n\nI am very happy to announce that steemit has now made it possible to directly embed high quality Vimeo clips within the iframe structure provided by Vimeo.\n\nSimply drop your embed code in the editor as you would pictures or a Youtube clip and it should work fine: \n<center><iframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/179551577?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe></center>\n\nIf you are interested in the post where this short vignette lives from please take a look at the first post about my project: [Where Eagles Fly](http://goo.gl/cliI88) \n\nPlease don't feel compelled to vote on this post... I am simply sharing the news so that when new users search about Vimeo they will find it is possible!\n\nThank you Steemit crew! This is awesome!",
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      "body": "This photo was shot from 9,500 feet up while I was flying towards the southwest after sunset. I am in the Flathead Mountains of Montana and the moisture in the air is condensing from the cool evening to create this mystical view of the mountains.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/FlatHeadatDusk.jpg\n\nThis is from a series of images I call \"Wilderness Alpenglow\". I enjoy how the image resembles classic Chinese or Japanese paintings of old.\n\nIf you want to see other work from my project **Where Eagles Fly** visit my first post [here](https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@skypilot/an-introduction-to-where-eagles-fly-the-american-wilderness-expedition-by-zedekiah-morse) or second one [here](https://steemit.com/photography/@skypilot/where-eagles-fly-part-2-zapata-ranch-colorado-by-zedekiah-morse).",
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      "body": "# Isolated Rain Storm \nI came upon this strange isolated rain storm over the Great Sand Dunes when I was flying out over the San Luis Valley while filming Zapata Ranch. It was clear skies about the rain clouds and clear all around it... yet it was raining on this stretch of the Sangre de Cristo Range in the Rocky Mountains. \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/GreatDunesRainStorm1.jpg\n<center>*Eastern side of the Great Sand Dunes National Park*</center>\n\nIn this photo you can clearly see the curving edge of the sand dunes boundary where the dunes delineate from the San Luis Valley floor. These are the tallest sand dunes in North America reaching heights of 750 feet (228m).\n\n# Sand From an Ancient Glacial Lake \n\nThe dunes were formed within the last 500,000 years from sand and soil deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries as they spread out through the San Luis Valley. Over the ages, the glaciers melting created a vast lake in the San Luis Valley... as this lake and the waters evaporated and drained to form the river, it left behind massive volumes of loose sand. Westerly winds then picked up sand particles from the lake and river flood plain and carried them across the valley floor. As the wind diminished in power before crossing the Sangre de Cristo Range, the sand deposited all along the eastern edge of the valley.  As the sand stacked up over time it became what we see today, the Great Sand Dunes National Park. \n\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/GreatDunesRainStorm2.jpg\n<center>*Western side of the Great Sand Dunes National Park*</center>\n\nIn the photo above taken from the same position as the previous photograph, you can see the small Mount Seven Peak and behind it the snow capped 13,200 (4,023m) Cleveland Peak of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range peeking through the rain shower.\n\n# Whipped By Fierce Winds\nThe wind continues to whip about and shape and reshape the dunes on a daily basis, and continue to increase the volume of sand and size of the dunes. These fierce winds are strong enough to move sand and small rocks from miles away across the valley. While the dunes don't actually change location or vary in size that often, the wind forms parabolic dunes that grow in the sand sheet, the outer area around the dunes, and migrate towards the main dune field, giving a very prominent beveling or warping visual effect, especially notable from up above where I fly.\n\nLocated near Alamosa, Colorado just north of the Nature Conservancy's Zapata Ranch the dunes are a great place to visit.  To check out the National Parks Service website on the Great Dunes National Park go [here](https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm). \n\nAnd to check out my previous exciting fly-in trip to the Zapata Ranch to visit Duke Phillips the Flying Cowboy, go [here](https://steemit.com/photography/@skypilot/where-eagles-fly-part-2-zapata-ranch-colorado-by-zedekiah-morse).\n\nIf you're unfamiliar with my work please check out my introductory post [here](https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@skypilot/an-introduction-to-where-eagles-fly-the-american-wilderness-expedition-by-zedekiah-morse). \n\nOk thanks, hope you enjoy this and yehaw!",
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      "body": "# Las Vegas Valley from the Sloan Mountains\n\nA rare perspective of the city sitting in the valley taken from above Sloan Mountains to the south. I never shoot images of cities or buildings, it's jut not my thing to do. I am an aerial wilderness photographer. However I got this while testing out a different camera.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/B6583414-Las-Vegas.jpg\n\nIn this uncommon point of view you can see that Las Vegas sits down in a valley, that is Gray Mountain in the distance and the foothills of Sloan Mountain in the foreground. To the bottom left, right above the small hills you can barely make out Henderson Executive Airport. \n\nThe image was captured late in the afternoon from an altitude of 4,500ft (1,371.6m) shooting towards the northeast.",
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      "body": "This is an unusual rock outcroping I photographed south of Mesa Verde, Colorado in the desert near my camp. I found the colors of the stone and desert sand juxtaposed against the background vermilion cliff walls and blue hued sky to be pleasing and relaxing. \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/Mesa-Verde-Outcrop.jpg\n\nThis image is also from my Artistic Impression series where I use a digitizing tablet to lightly brush various filter effects into the image to give it a certain mysterious quality.",
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      "body": "http://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/ZCarsonPass-1.jpg\nFellow steemers ! \n\nMy experiment on Steemit was a success. I earned $2,184.74 \n\nThe posts automatically last only 24 hours. If many people like them and upvote then they extend an additional 12 hours for a total run of 36 hours. Which mine did. \n\nOnce the post run-time is finished the post was automatically moved out of the 5 categories it was tagged in and placed in my blog page. It is still available for viewing and people can still vote on it, you can find it on my blog page. This is a necessary function of the fairness and democratic operations of this amazing website!!! How awesome is this!?!\n\nThis test was primarily undertaken to review the marketing viability of my project to the public, to see if everyone liked the concept and content. From the responses at the bottom of the post which are permanent, I would think the answer is a resounding yes. \n\nMore to come from this experiment later. Suffice to say I have established a presence and become part of the community on the most powerful cutting edge - platform/community in this new and very exciting cryptocurrency-based content-support market. \n\nI have taken the funds, held some as steem cryptocurrency and transferred the rest onto a cryptocurrency exchange called Poloniex where I am holding steem dollars (SBD) and watching the various cryptocurrencies valuation. The current SBD will increase in value or at any time I can transfer these to bitcoin or any of a number of other currencies.\n\nThis is absolutely cool!!!Thank you to the 217 steemers that upvoted me and even to the 2 that downvoted it...I sort of would like to know why but it really does not matter. \n\nPlease continue to enjoy my blog and I would love to continue building support for my project from the steemit community. I am a now a firm believer and strong advocate for steemit. \n\nMore to follow.\n\nz",
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      "body": "For my entries into the 6th steemit photo contest I've chosen 3 unusual formations to share.\n\nIf you don't know anything about my work please visit my introduction post: \nhttps://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@skypilot/an-introduction-to-where-eagles-fly-the-american-wilderness-expedition-by-zedekiah-morse \n\n**Image 1: BLUE POINT BAY**\nThis image was taken above Blue Point Bay on Lake Mead, Nevada. A powerful rain storm had just passed over and the earth was still soaked. The sun was coming back out and these vibrant, rich colors are from the water soaked natural minerals reacting to the bright sunlight. The green areas along the edge are the shallow water of the lake. I am about 2,000 feet above the lake shooting straight down from the airplane.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/BuePointBay.jpg\n\n**Image 2: SP VOLCANO** \nThis is a volcano just north of Flagstaff, Arizona simply known as \"SP Volcano\". I have searched high and low and cannot find any history on how it got this name. Certainly the Navajo First Nations called it something  but I couldn't find mention of it anywhere. I love that this is a perfect representation of time-stood-still. You can see the how lava flowed down from the volcano, spilling out across the desert, coming to a standstill where it froze in time.\n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/SPVolcano.jpg\n\n**Image 3: CASTLE PEAKS**\nThis is Castle Peaks on the New York Mountains in the Mojave Desert. When you are driving from Los Angeles on highway 15 to Las Vegas, you can see these peaks in the distance across the valley as you come down the last hill towards Primm, Nevada. I took this picture from about 1,000 feet above the ground and what struck me about the formation was the small replica formation that sits just below Castle Peak, mirroring it. It is like a miniature formation of the larger peaks! Very strange. \n\nhttp://geraldzmorse.com/images/steemit/CastlePeaksNorth.jpg\n\nOk Thanks and hope you enjoy the images. If you have not seen my original post explaining what I do please follow the link at the top and come on by! \n\nYehaw",
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