Living in the Key West Style Anywhere

Customer Reviews:

not what I thought it was.......2007-01-03

I expected the book to be about lifestyle not house design. It seem typical for what has become of Key West - overbuilt, with a narrow view on style. Key West style to me is an internal thing, not how a house looks or is furnished! I returned this product.

Great pictures and history.......2006-05-18

I have been to Key West several times and love it. This book brings back memories of my trips. The pictures are gorgeous and the reading includes historical information - very enjoyable to read. The back section includes home plans of various styles of Key West homes. My only complaint is I wish the pictures that correspond with the home plans were actually pictures like the rest of the book (they are renderings).

Living in the Key West Style Anywhere.......2004-08-11

An excellent book. Wonderful pictures; easy to understand layout and design information and lots of extra information about things local .
This can be a easy to follow guide to designing a house for anyplace as well as for those who want to learn more about Key West (whether you live here or not).
Great as a gift for those relatives and friends who live where it is cold!! (or at least not in Key West!)

Unique Book.......2004-07-23

This is a very unique look at Key West's house's and neighborhoods. Key West Style really educated me on the the interior archicture, floor plans and history. the book will be useful for anyone want information about Key West or considering remodeling a home to incorporat some of the charming features.

Average customer rating:

Great Book

Welcome to My Studio: Adventures in Oil Painting
Helen Van Wyk
Manufacturer: Art Instruction Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Helen Van Wyk's Favorite Color Recipes

Color Mixing the Van Wyk Way: A Manual for Oil Painters

Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right

Painting Flowers the Van Wyk Way

Helen Van Wyk's Favorite Color Recipes 2 (Favorite Color Recipes)

ASIN: 0929552229

Book Description

Using her own paintings and sketches done during her life as an artist, Van Wyk guides readers to an artist's understanding of: the beauty of gray the background's effect on color how to paint glass eyes and expressions the shine and shape of metal objects how to paint white things the technique of the old masters the three basic paint applications and more. Her instruction is as clear as her artwork is beautiful. Artists will find out about "The 7 Components of Pictorial Expression." They'll learn four steps to painting any flower and see comparisons of stages of works in progress. A colorful, practical, fruitful journey for an oil painter.

Helen Van Wyk was an inspiration to thousands of artists. During her lifetime, she wrote many instructional books and was well known for her popular PBS series "Welcome to My Studio."

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2006-08-31

A great reference book to be read and re-read. She gives quick instruction for the problem areas of painting with lots of illustrations. Easy to use.

Welcome to My Studio: Adventures in Oil Painting With Helen Van Wyk

Average customer rating:

Welcome To my Studio

Welcome to My Studio: Adventures in Oil Painting With Helen Van Wyk
Helen Van Wyk
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Painting | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Oil Painting | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0891345825

Customer Reviews:

Welcome To my Studio.......2000-06-26

This book takes the reader through a step by step process, begining to end of creating a painting. It starts out by talking about setting up your composition (selecting your elements) and ends with examples of how to add finishing touches to make your painting sparkle.

It gives many examples of still lifes but also includes studies of portraits and a few landscapes. This book is especially helpful because the author makes her points very clear through her written instruction along with pictures of her own paintings and the process of creating them.

Average customer rating:
Welcome to My Studio: Adventures in Oil Painting With Helen Van Wyk
Helen Van Wyk
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYAHF8

Average customer rating:
Welcome To My Studio Adventures In Oil Painting With Helen Van Wyk
Helen Van Wyk
Manufacturer: Art Instruction Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UIIX7Y

Book Description

From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, America has been blessed with an incredibly diverse land -- and the vision to protect it for our future generations to enjoy. These lands are ours to view, wander, learn from, and revel in. America's National Parks captures all that is great about all fifty-six parks in the national park system. It also gives interesting, easy-to-understand background on the geological and ecological forces that continue to make each national park so worthy of protection. Nature lovers will be captivated by gorgeous photos of landforms, flora, and fauna. Families will appreciate the information that is sure to enhance vacations at the parks. And visitors to any of the country's national parks will forever treasure this book as a memento of past visits and an inspiration for future ones. Unlike any other book published on national parks, America's National Parks is a must-have for anyone who relishes America's natural wonders and wants to learn more about the powerful forces that created them.

Customer Reviews:

Great for nature lovers and armchair traverlers! .......2006-12-28

Fabulous book! The text is very interesting and educational, and it explains the scientific aspects of the National Parks and their land very well. The photos are gorgeous and made me want to visit every single park! :-) They really show some of the awesome beauty of God's handiwork. I highly recommend this book to all outdoor enthusiasts, lovers of nature and science and fellow armchair travelers. The book also contains helpful contact information for planning a visit to the parks. A great read and a great book to enjoy!

spectacular visuals, excellent text.......2003-02-07

This book is a spectacular visual text to some of the American National Parks. The size of the photos, and their photographic quality, are just excellent. The photos are right up there with National Geographic-type quality. In addition, the accompaning text gives ecological insights to where and why this part of the United States was designated and saved as a National Park. The book gives short but insightful accompanying text for each of the Parks that are presented to the reader. The only problem is, unfortunately, the organization of the chapters, and a very skimpy table of contents, and the reader can get easily annoyed with these two problems. It is hard to understand why the publisher made such errors, as the problems are very obvious, and the whole book suffers as a result. It is a beautiful book covering many of the National Parks, with super photos and very good college level text, and if you can put up with the problems of a missing table of contents, this book is a great collection of art, ecology, and the National Parks of the USA. A 5-star for the photos and accompanying text, and a 3 for a useless table of contents. Sorry, but the publisher made major mistakes in putting this otherwise spectacular book together. But I will still give the book a 5-star anyway. The photos and text are just too good to give this book anything less than a 5-star.

Spectacular Presentation of Natural Wonder.......2002-06-08

Paul Schullery presents a book filled with powerful and beautiful images of fifty-six national parks that have been dedicated to the preservation and protection of irreplaceable treasures. This book shows why these parks are so worthy of protection.

Not only are they places where indescribable beauty can be seen, they have also been formed by unique geological forces. From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, these are the lands we view, wander in and learn from.

America's National Parks is a celebration of the diversity of national parks throughout the United States. They are grouped according to the geological forces that helped to create them.

Diagrammatic illustrations, important landmarks, travel routes, topographical maps and spectacular full-color photographs illustrate the sheer majestic beauty of nature.

You will also find captivating information to encourage an awareness of the landforms, flora and fauna. Families will also find information to help enhance their vacations at the parks.

Inside the front cover a map of America shows the location of each park I started to remember my trip to the Grand Canyon National Park and my husband's visit to Denali.

Our Treasured Lands
The Rolling Land - Volcanic and Geothermal Forces
The Broken Crust - The Power of Mountain Building
Water Designing Lands - Waves, Caves and Currents
Ice Sculpting Stone - The Carving Power of Glaciers
The Patient Power - Wind and Water Erosion
Weather Shaping Life - Effects of Extreme Climates

This book contains some of the most amazing photographs I've ever seen of America. From pictures of dripstone formations adorning New Mexico's Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico to Lush Ecosystems shrouded in Fog in the National Park in Washington, these pictures help to vividly describe each park. I remember once having an argument with someone over the fact that there were rainforests near where I lived in Washington and no one would believe me. Well, here is proof!

I was also especially interested in looking up the Painted Desert we visited once on a trip across America after college. At the time, I didn't actually realize I was in the Petrified Forest national Park in Arizona because technically, we were just driving right through and I wasn't paying attention.

This book has helped to bring a new awareness to my own life and also encourages a desire for more exploration. Now I definitely want to see Mount McKinley in person.

Voyageurs National Park looks like a fascinating place to paddle around lonely islands. However, they do say never to skimp on insect repellent. A third of the park is water.

Book Description

The concept of the national park is an American contribution to world civilization, and it remains a defining characteristic of our country. From the rocky shore of Maine's Acadia to the barren crater and lush rain forest of Hawaii's Haleakala, America's national beauty is celebrated and preserved in its national parks. This book retells the history of each park, describes its most important features and wildlife, and reproduces its gorgeous scenery in full-color photographs that will enthrall armchair travelers and entice others to lace up their hiking boots and reach for their sporting gear. Organized by region of the country, it includes well-known parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier as well as lesser-known destinations like Shenandoah, Biscayne, and Kenai Fjords.

Customer Reviews:

Just imagine..........2004-04-23

If you ADORE Nature, even half as much as I, this book is perfect for you. I have always wanted to visit National Parks someday--and divers places worldwide and this book confirms my dream and that I will make it happen! Every single page is full of breathtakingly gorgeous, striking photography by not just true professionals but true artists which impress me more than any photos I've seen in a long time. The helpful 'reviews' about each, written adeptly by various writers who not only personally visit the park but share some of the history about each and much more is very interesting, informative and helpful reading. Usually for me, when I gape and gander through a book of photography of this quality and magnitude with three-page foldouts, the writing is boring but this is terrific! On each page the state is included beside the page number. Well- organized, well-written, flawless photography--the Perfect book. You will never get photographs this good even if you visited all the parks. That is all the reason you need to buy it now!

Here is a list of the parks: (* I must see)
THE EAST: Acadia, Shenandoah*, Great Smoky Mountains (I've seen), Biscayne, Everglades*.
THE MIDWEST: Mammoth Cave, Hot Springs, Voyagers, Isle Royale*, Theodore Roosevelt, Badlands, Wind Cave.
THE SOUTHWEST: Big Bend*, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, Petrified Forest*, Saguaro, Grand Canyon*, Zion, Bryce Canyon*, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Arches*, Mesa Verde*.
THE ROCKIES: Great Basin, Rocky Mountain (I've seen), Grand Teton, Yellowstone*, Waterton/Glacier, North Cascades.
ALASKA: Wrangell-St. Elias, Glacier Bay, Denali*, Kenai Fjords*, Lake Clark*, Gates of the Artic, Katmai, Kobuk Valley*.
THE WEST: Channel Islands*, Death Valley*, Yosemite* (WBHW! Wish I were there with you!) Joshua Tree*, Sequoia/Kings Canyon*, Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods* (Everlasting. Aaggh you're going there too? This is torture! LOL! Well, I am going someday too, Lord willing), Crater Lake*, Olympic*, Mount Rainier*, Haleakala, Hawaii Volcanoes. Just imagine, if earth has places this glorious, how wonderous Heaven will be!

Happy Trails and Soar!

Other recommended readings.......2001-04-28

Just to add on. To see more great scenic shots, see books by David Muench, Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe, among the very best nature photographers/writers out there, not to mention many others.

Wildlife photography? See them. Arthur Morris, Tim Fitzharris

Stunning, Breathtaking Superb Coffee Table.......2001-04-28

Angel Lee had already said most of the great features about this book so I will just add on it.

Breathtaking shots on America's national parks, I bought it along with Spectacular China, and Spectacular Ireland, books from the same series. A very general book on the national parks of America, and so do not expect many shots on each area. My favourite would be the canyon shots, but there are too few, and none too surprised. A companion book would be Spectacular Alaska, which I find a real essential to get hold of.

It's been said and I'm going to say it again, the real treat is the fold-out panoramas (about 3 x A3 paper length). With the wide-angle view, one can almost imagine standing right in front of the parks, not to mention the other full page shots. At this price, it's a fairly good deal, with all the panaromas you can hardly find elsewhere, you would just need to get dedicated books on individual national parks, especially those of Colorado and Grand Canyon, among the best nature can offer I would say.

Ths is the best one among the Spectacular series, China is another great book, with panaroma shots of the Great Wall, as well as her scenic valleys and mountains. The whole series is Highly recommended for coffee table (though the shots in Spectacular Ireland seems so murky and out of focus) and to inspire you to get off the couch and see them for yourself....

Breathtaking photos. Info on over 50 different nat parks.......2000-05-02

This is an absolutely breathtaking book on national parks and a must have for anyone who loves nature. There is information and beautiful photography for over 50 different parks across the United States.

The book opens with a brief history of the development of our national park system. A map showing where each is located in also included. About two to four pages are then devoted to each of the parks.

The history and features are then described along with the spectacular photographs. There are many diverse landscapes including lush forests, desert vistas, magnificent mountains, huge glaciers, pristine lakes, & mysterious caverns.

Several 3 page fold-out panoramas are the highlight of the book. It almost makes you feel like you're there. I could go though this book a thousand times, discovering new things each time.

Average customer rating:
Americas Spectacular National Parks

Manufacturer: perpetua press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0883633388

Average customer rating:
Our National Parks: America's Spectacular Wilderness Heritage
Susan J. Wernert (Editor)
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books | 19th Century | 20th Century | 21st Century | African Americans | Civil War | Colonial Period | General | Revolution & Founding | State & Local
General | Regions | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
North America | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0895771977

Average customer rating:
Our National Parks: America's Spectacular Wilderness Heritage
Reader's Digest Association
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXSDGW

Book Description

Dr. Radium is the last scientist in the "perfect" world of tomorrow. Ignored by society and feared by his assistant, Dr. Radium pursues Science with happy disregard for knowledge, progress, or safety. Or he would, that is, if he wasn't constantly being interrupted by the Elvi (hateful big-hair aliens), bureaucrats with shark teeth, and the Rocket Scientists, a group of time-travelers from the 50s looking for commies. After extensive laboratory testing and thorough peer review only one conclusion is possible: It's Science with Dr. Radium expertly gathers all seven issues of Scott Saavedra's original cult-fave comic book series, It's Science with Dr. Radium (Catchy title, eh?), into one handy and molecularly stable collection.

Amazon.com

Even the most dedicated expat rarely manages to completely fit into an adopted foreign culture. It's precisely this quality that allows American Mary Blume to so thoughtfully observe and record Paris, the city that's served as her home for over three decades, though its ways may still mystify her. In A French Affair--a collection of essays published in the International Herald Tribune--the columnist deftly captures the quirks and changes that are visible only to those who live in France, though they may be most interesting to those who don't.

In these commentaries--ranging from the opening of invention conventions to the mire of bureaucracy that accompanies the naming of a street (which may only be named after dead people, preferably deceased for at least 15 years)--Blume unveils the French quest for perfection in a world that's perfectly imperfect because of French design, and how the logic of Descartes's descendents--regarding such points as grammar--is sometimes extreme to the point of being irrational. She captures trends, from the fashionable la ratte potato to the metric system. She records notable moments---the death of a designer, the opening of a charm school for men--and notable people, such as Renoir's jet-setting son and Simone de Beauvoir. Of course, this being a book about France, Blume occasionally delves into food, be it the inner workings of a soup kitchen or the launching of cooking classes taught by royalty. With these witty and insightful short snippets, Blume provides small, crystal-clear windows into true French life--a rare accomplishment from an expatriate or a native. --Melissa Rossi

Book Description

"Sophisticated . . . Witty . . . Blume has a unique talent for tracking down interesting, sometimes bizarre, and almost always funny . . . doers of things French." -Diane Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

Mary Blume brings her insight, humor, and unique perspective to bear on the French in this collection of thirty-three years of International Herald Tribune columns. A trusted insider in an exclusive world, Blume is also the quintessential American in Paris. Francophiles will love her intimate conversations with French icons such as Franois Truffaut and her tribute to Simone Signoret. In another essay, Blume takes us back to the humble beginnings of the Citroen 2 CV, which began as a motorized wagon and became a beloved symbol to the French, despite its ungainly practicality. From "The Friends of Mona Lisa" to "The Fine Art of Window Shopping," this collection of sixty-one pieces, with illustrations by Ronald Searle, is a delightful celebration of French ways and their meaning.

Customer Reviews:

A good book for your lunch break............2001-07-21

I think A FRENCH AFFAIR will be best appreciated by those who have seen Paris once or twice. Those who have no familiarity with Paris and it's residents may become lost. If you know the difference between Simone de Beauvoir and Simone Signoret you may find the book entertaining.

If I had not known Mary Blume wrote her Paris beat pieces for the International Herald Tribune, I would have thought they were written for The New Yorker magazine. She wrote tongue-in-cheek stories that begin in the middle and assume the reader already knows a great deal about Paris life. If she pops up in London you don't blink an eyelash because you know it's a day trip to travel from London to Paris, or Paris to anywhere else for that matter since Paris has made itself the travel hub of Europe.

I read these articles over lunch--spread over a few months. I carried the book in my book bag and broke it out when I needed a little light reading. This is a perfect book for travel because if you put it away and don't look at it for a month you won't loose your train of thought. If you read it straight through it may be as disappointing as reading a week of newspapers.

Disappointing.......2001-02-03

I have visited France frequently, and am an avid reader of books about France. I loved the title and cover photo on this book, and had great hopes for the book since the writer had reported from Paris for The International Herald Tribune for many years. While the book is well written, I felt that many of the essays failed to connect with the French spirit and joie de vivre. I found some of the writing to be dry and the book slow. Each story was originally an article in the paper, and while they might have worked reading them with the morning coffee, they did not work for me as a collection.

The book title would lead you to believe that the book is about France, some of the stories take place in other countries and I could not figure out how they ended up in the book. Additionally the last section of the book focuses on a group of European filmmakers that would have worked well as a Filmography, but for my money did not belong in a book of this title.

Don't get me wrong, there are some interesting and well-written pieces in this book, but you have to trundle through pages that I feel are slow and dated to get to them. If you have not read much about France, I recommend Adam Gopnick's "Paris to The Moon," John Littell's "French Impressions," or for a humorous perspective any of Peter Mayle's "Provence" works. Of course, don't miss the grandfather of all books on France, Hemmingway's "A Moveable Feast."

Great book if you're into Paris!.......2000-11-23

Having lived and worked as an American in Paris for 7 years in the late 80's and early 90's, I really appreciated Ms. Blume's commentaries on the French and evocations of the details of Parisian life that made it so wonderful. She captures the sheer fun of observing and participating in a foreign culture better than any writer on the subject I've read to date. Her empathy for the French despite their quirks - naturally, only quirks when seen by an American - resonates well with my experience. Highly recommended!

Fun, smart, accessible..........2000-08-31

Phew... Let me defend this book a little against a couple of odd criticisms. First, this is a collection of essays written over quite a few years. As such, it is not meant to be cohesive in the way a single book about the French might be. That said, it all hangs together quite well and is organized in an intelligent and useful way. It also seems a little odd to make a distinction between a book about "the French" and a book about the French which includes material about French filmmakers, writers, etc. I would think any book about the culture would be incomplete without fairly extensive sections on the arts. The arts are pretty inextricably linked with outsiders perception of the French and, to a large degree, their own perceptions about themselves. The people she talks about are hardly obscure or only of interest to "old people" --- Duras, Simone de Beauvoir, Truffaut, Doisneau for god's sake, whose photos adorn the walls of a hefty percentage of college kids to this day. Duras is a particularly amusing choice for such a book, as she seems more stereotypically "French" than perhaps anyone else in the whole country. Should the reader not know who any of these people are, the essays are written for a wide audience and do not assume knowledge of the subjects. And the style is certainly not coldly intellectual; the writing is intelligent, but quite breezy and very enjoyable.

Almost good..........2000-02-28

As a 50 year old with a newly found love of Paris and, as a result, a desire to learn French, I bought "A French Affair" because it was recommended as shedding light on what makes the French act, uh, French. If this is the point of the book, then it only partially achieves the goal. A great deal of the book, however, is given to anecdotes about French film makers. Very nice if that's what you're interested in. If your interests are similar to mine, understanding the French, I'd come back to this book later. That being said, some of the articles were very good indeed.

Book Description

Be inspired by how the human spirit prevails over cancer

Crossing Divides is the story of a young couple’s heroic struggle with cancer and their 800-mile hike across Montana’s Continental Divide. The hike provides an opportunity for metaphorical comparisons between perserverance and fighting cancer. Scott and Katie face their challenges--from chemotherapy to grizzly bears--with spirit, resolve, and a unified front. This celebration of the precious, unpredictable nature of human life and wild places illustrates the courage it takes to put one foot in front of the other--without knowing whether peace or danger lies around the next bend.

Customer Reviews:

Love on the trail; cowpies and OHV's.......2006-08-30

Shakespeare has not written a more compelling tale of love and romance than the story woven through this biographical tale of Scott and Kate's journey through her recovery from cancer and their trek along the Montana Continental Divide Trail. The book is not gushy or explicit but shouts of love while restricting its prose to a description of recovery from cancer and the 900-mile journey. No written expression better captures the feelings of neophytes to long distance hiking.

This is truly a book for 4 day backpackers who yearn to walk the distance of one of the big three North South trails, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. There are no gear lists, no suggestions for how to go the distance. There is an exciting and entrancing tale of commitment, uncertainty, fear, and satisfaction as well as a description of the Montana portion of the CDT which will alert all to its beauty, its lack of remoteness, the presence of livestock, and the amount of time spent on roads as well as the feelings concomitant to the presence of grizzlies.

The book is sectioned in a to allow the selection of either the cancer recovery or the trek, or both. Those who have been through traumatic medical conditions of their own may wish to read the trekking portion only; hikers without this experience will find Kate and Scott's commitment to her recovery truly amazing and uplifting.

A neophyte planning a long distance hike can see the problems with logistics of supply and transportation, route finding, grizzlies, and fishing as well as feel the joy of being out for an extended time. Here too is the camaraderie of the trail, trail angels and the scourge of cattle, clear cutting, and OHV's.

Any hiker thinking of their first two week or longer trip will benefit from this easy read; it is uplifting, inspiring and informative.

Bischke's best!.......2002-08-21

Meeting a grizzly on the trail is terrifying. So is battling cancer. Scott Bischke's creative mind connected these two fears and the result is the cleverly interwoven story Crossing Divides. This true-life tale recounts the trials and triumphs of Kate's (Scott's wife) battle and eventual victory over cancer. Their celebration takes them home to the Continental Divide for an adventurous traverse across their home state of Montana. The challenges of each journey show us the power of attitude in all endeavors. Crossing Divides is a riveting read that does not gloss over the tough parts of life - it infuses them with the hope and strength to persevere.

Healing With Love.......2002-05-22

Crossing Divides is a beautiful love story of a young couple's successful struggle through the wilderness of cancer.

Kate and Scott were a young, athletic, married couple in the prime of their lives when Kate received the diagnosis of cervical cancer. It immediately became "their" cancer.

Their love of wilderness and their desire to return to nature became the focal point of their healing process. Kate and Scott take us along on their post-treatment hike though the beauty of Montana's section of the Continental Divide while relating the story of their cancer ordeal.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an insight into cancer and everything that relates to it. I especially liked the story because they won.

An Inspiration.......2002-05-20

This book gives hope to anyone who has had to deal with cancer. Katie and Scott fought a tremendous battle against "their recurrent cancer" and came out as the victors by always staying in control of their choices in treatment and caregivers. They researched all their options completly and came up with a plan that would work best for them in beating the odds. I say "their cancer", because Scott was there through each and every step, supporting Katie, so she was never alone. This is a love story between a couple who have great strength and determination, as shown by the parallels of their battle with cancer and the journey they took on the Continental Divide trail of Montana soon after Katie's treatments. It is also a great book for any outdoor enthusiast who loves nature and a happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

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