Rubber, Anybody?

Rubberland on Raadi Military Airfield. Notice the formula 1 tyres:) About the now abandoned airfield: strategic bombers carrying nuclear warheads used to take off and land every 10 minutes - used to watch them land through kitchen windows in 1980ies. Maybe next time I'll show the runway too, this time it was a bit dark for my shitty camera. Photo by Vahur, June 2014

Restaurant for Animals

During winter, wild animals may end up starving. There's some stuff around, like treebark, frozen grass under the snow. Wild boars dig up leftover potatoes from fields, deer and rabbits come near houses and munch on young trees that people have planted a year before... But near the spring it's pretty hard as most of the resources are exhausted. Predators (wolves, foxes, lynx) are hungry, too, unless sleeping as bears do.

That is why humans, mostly represented by the hunting club members, serve the forest dwellers the high cuisine of potatoes, perfectly dryed hay and selected branches from young apple trees. Special animal feeding "restaurants" are built.

The whole are of Kääpa (Välgi) nature reserve is 2039,8ha of land plus 256,4ha of water. By the way, in spring, parts of the reserve are off limits for the man kind (besides authorised personnel) as the local wild bunch is making babies.

Photos by Vahur Afanasjev 7 March 2014, Välgi nature reservoir.

NWC Vineyard

Shit is the father of bread, we say. The southern wall of the lavatory (NWC i.e. no water closet) at my mother's summer home has perfect light, temperature and nutritive soil conditions for growring grapes. They ripe in late August - early September. Btw, here it's wise to hide the vine-trees for winter, by covering them with fur-tree branches.

Yes, grapes in Estonia (latitude 59°), meaning almost ten degrees wrong (latitudes 30° to 50° being the "official" boundaries of viticulture). And trust me, they taste good and one can make wine, too, though I'd stick with eating, as the it's a bit cold for the noble wine grape varieties to grow.

Photos: Vahur Afanasjev

South-Estonian thunder

Thunder hits little island called Salosaar on Estonian-Russian border near Räpina. Smartphone-fhoto by Aapo Ilves, 13.05.2013, Lämmijärv (southern part of the lake Peipus).

Estonia 360

Panoramic views of Estonia:

http://www.estonia360.ee/

Living in the future

 Estonians living already in the future, where everyone is a nature photographer, because everyone has a smartphone. Photos by Aapo Ilves, 11.-12. 09. 2012 in Räpina, South-Estonia.

Wasphouse

Home of some White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Photo by Hilja Afanasjeva, Metsakivi, South-East Estonia, 13 September 2011.

Nature wedding

Check out the designer outfits of the bride and the groom. By Vahur Afanasjev, 15 July 2011

How to use a wheelbarrow

Topic for meditation: what would you use a three-wheel wheelbarrow for? By Vahur Afanasjev, 15 July 2011

Industrial Cemetery

Photo by Mare Sabolotny, May 2011 in Paldiski

Tree on the backseat

Photo by Mare Sabolotny, May 2011, Noarootsi

Hollywood

Hollywood is here. Photo by Vahur Afanasjev, May 2011

Snow and Thunder

A night shot by Vahur Afanasjev 22 October, Tallinn

So Long, Spiderman

Estonians eat anything that comes by.
Photo by Mare Sabolotny, Cambodia, January 2010

Estonian Mushroom

Leucopaxillus giganteus, diameter 44 cm. Photo by Aapo Ilves, 14. 09. 2010, Räpina, South Estonia.

Hair buddy

Paul with his buddy Tree, 20th August 2010 in Tartu
Photo by Liiso

15 feet of pure white snow

Photo by my mother, 31 January 2010

Naissaar/ Nice saar

Naissaar (Women`s island) is a little Estonian island situated in the Gulf of Finland about 10 km north of Tallinn. More about Naissaar.

oktoober 2009

Modern Technology

It's a sink. Even in the forest people want to be civilized and wash.
Photo by Tuuli Teppo. Dirhami, 02.08.2009

Straw Men

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw
T.S. Eliot

Photo taken by my parents in Metsakivi/Kirepi village (Lake Peipsi area) 13 July 2009. The straw men look pretty alive and spooky, too. Should be taken to modern sculpture exhibition.