he's a halberdier

In addition to all of his other finery
(how about those red ostrich
feathers?), this young Swiss Guard
is sporting the civil merit 
medal—though I have no idea what 
he had to do to earn it.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday
and Our World Tuesday.]

a head of her time

In the Capitoline Museum, in Rome:
I don't know who sculpted this
bust of a Roman lady from many, many
years ago—but I'm blown away
by the folds and patterns in that marble!

She's joined by a few dozen
of her compatriots.

[Linking back to Macro Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is the 16th-century church of
San Luigi dei Francesi, in
Rome.  I'm hoping to visit while I'm
here, to see once again the three
Caravaggios that feature
moments in the life (and death)
of St. Matthew.

[To see more churches from
around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

The view from one of the windows
at the Vatican Museum.

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

blue sky in Rome

This column was built more than 1,800 years
ago, between 180 and 193 AD, a gift
from the people and the Senate of Rome 
to Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
(I'm off to Rome tonight for a few days 
with my daughter Kate—we'll pass by here on our
way to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain
to ensure a return visit.)

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"open space"

No trees, no people—nothing but
350-million-year-old
mountains off in the distance.
This open space is Faksevagen, at
80°N latitude, up in the Arctic.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—G is for "garbage?"

At my office, we occasionally
find some very festive
items in the trash.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Soup's on!

My cousin Kay, the best cook I know,
visited recently.   This is the start of just one
of the yummy things she made while
she was here:  a creamy fennel and
asparagus potage.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday
and Our World Tuesday.]

lights under glass

We have a "giveaway" table at work, where
I have found some pretty random
items—recently I picked up this glass
globe.  Didn't know what I was
going to do with it exactly, until I discovered 
these itty-bitty wired LED lights. 

[Linking back to Macro Monday.
To see more, go here.]

inSPIREd Sunday

The pretty purple doors of  St. Etienne du Mont
give a hint of the beauty that awaits
inside.  (Yes, this is that church from the
movie Midnight in Paris.)

[To see more churches from
around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

My (lucky) brother and sister-in-law spend 
quality time in this warm and cozy
"extra" home Out East on Long Island; I like
its nice angles and shadows.

[To see more b/w shots, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

This jewel-toned drake has been living
in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for a few years now.  He's a regular
(just like me).

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"road" (#2)

Also a TBT photo:  I was driving with my late
brother, David, through his adopted
home state of Idaho.  This was my intro to the
American West—in a word, gorgeous! 

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—F is for "northern fulmar"

I saw these birds on a snowy day last August.
Snow in August may be unusual in
most of the Northern Hemisphere, 
but not in the Arctic.

[To see more ABC pics, go here.]

hearts for sale

Found these little wooden hearts at 
the flea market in Paris—
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday
and Our World Tuesday.]

R.I.P.

A detail from the Cimetière de la Villette,
in Paris's 19th arrondissement.
It seems to be a fairly local cemetery—not
a lot of celebs spending eternity here,
but it's pretty and it's peaceful.

[To see more Macro Monday, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Fan palms at the Brooklyn Botanic: What 
a treat to walk 5 to 10 minutes from
my house and enjoy the tropics in the
dead of winter.  Lucky me.

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

A couple of weeks ago, I showed a little
snow and said how glad I was
there wasn't more.  As predicted, we did
get something more serious.  It wasn't
quite as bad as this, but high winds made it
a challenge for a small(ish) person
to get across some streets.

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

Midtown Manhattan: a rainy
night on Third Avenue.

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"road"

This road is in Rome and runs right
in front of the Colosseum.
It dates back a few millennia—at which 
time, btw, there were no cigarette 
butts here—and I'll be 
walking on it in a couple of weeks.


[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—E is for "Eiffel Tower"

Per Blogger, this is my 31st post that
features the ET.   That sounds
like a lot until you factor in that this is
pretty much my fave thing in
my fave place.  And considering that there 
are entire blogs devoted solely to the
Eiffel Tower, 31 posts out of more than 3,000 
actually seems like a pretty small number.
(So does that mean it's time to go
back and take more pictures?)

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

This land . . . which land?

I believe this mural—which I found last year in
Bordeaux—delivers a positive message.
What strikes me about it right now are the words
of Woody Guthrie's famous protest anthem
at the top, especially after Lady Gaga just sang
them Sunday at the Super Bowl.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday,
Our World Tuesday,  signs signs, and
Monday Mural at Oakland Daily Photo.]

Surinam powder puff

That's the name of this little flower that measures
 an inch or two in diameter.  This one blooms 
in temp-regulated greenhouse comfort
every winter at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

[Linking back to Macro Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is St.-Gervais-et-St.-Protais, in Paris. 
This church—the first constructed in
French Baroque style—was begun in the 
15th century.  It's famous for its organ, which
was played by several members of the 
talented Couperin family.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

One more from the Brooklyn Botanic:
this Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) from
their large bonsai collection.

[To see more b/w images, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking back to Shadow Shot Sunday.]

Weekend Reflections

Last Sunday at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden:
reflected trees and a bright red fish.

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.  Also linking back
to Orange You Glad It's Friday?]

Thursday Challenge—"group" (#2)

At a shop in Paris that sells all sorts
of acrylic dishware, I found
these wonderfully colorful spoons.
I love small spoons, but I couldn't decide
from among all the fun patterns.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—D is for "democracy"

Last night I joined a few thousand of my
neighbors here in Brooklyn and we
made our voices heard loud and clear;
apparently, we'll be doing this here
on a weekly basis.  God bless an America
where you can still do that.

[To see more ABC pics, go here.]