366 Theme 29: Challenge

These two young elephant seals are engaging in behavior that for now is just play, learning the skills needed as adults. But as adults, this behavior is quite serious. Large male seals have been seriously injured as males challenge each other for access to the adult females.

366 Theme 216: Telescope

My friend Scott makes telescopes, for fun and profit. He works at Tele Vue, a company that makes high end refractors and eye pieces. His passion is astronomy and he has made a number of scopes including this one. This is a one of a kind scope assembled from surplus Tele Vue parts. It looks good and it gives good looks.

366 Theme 111: Ball

Products of the Batsto iron works during the War for Independence. Not only were the iron workers exempt form military service during the Revolutionary War, but there was company of fifty men, with two lieutenants and John Cox, then owner of the iron works, as captain of the unit, authorized to defend the ironworks. 

366 Theme 5: Needlework

As befits a bird nest built in the Pinelands National Reserve, this one in made with twigs, leaves, and pine needles. This nest was above my car in the Batsto visitors center parking lot.

Thanks to Lorrie (see Challengers sidebar on the right) as it was her needlework theme image that made me look at the theme in a different light.

366 Theme 119: Map

If you look closely, you'll see that this map depicts the vision of Joseph Wharton, Esq. Mr. Wharton was a Philadelphia businessman who attempted to buy up much of what is now the Pinelands National Reserve with the idea to sell the water in the Pinelands to his home city. 

Eventually Wharton would amass holdings of 112,000 acres within the Pine Barrens. The New Jersey legislature got wind of Wharton's plan  to sell water and passed a law banning the sale of water out of state. Wharton then turned to farming. In 1912 Wharton's heirs attempted to sell the land to New Jersey, but a referendum to do so was defeated. They state would later reconsider and in two separate deals would acquire 96,000 acres by 1956.

I live near where the Rancocas Creek meets the Delaware River.

366 Theme 77: Coins

Continuing with the "show me the money" themes, here we have coins typically used in everyday life in a town like Batsto. The larger ones are pennies. The two out of focus smaller ones are, I think, a two cent piece and a half dime.

366 Theme 66: Money (Notes)

Another exhibit at the Batsto visitors center, of the day to day currency used in the town. Bank notes used to be just that, notes for payment upon presentation issued by a bank. The total face value shown here is sixty cents. Half a day's pay for working in the iron works.