something blue

Finally got back to the garden after a few 
weeks—I've missed it!  My fave
flower this visit was this pretty and
delicate little thing—which I 
believe is a columbine. [No, it's borage.]

[Linking back to Macro Monday and
Blue Monday at Magical Mystery Teacher.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is the Barberini chapel, in the church 
of Sant'Andrea della Valle.  Opera
buffs will recognize it as the setting for the 
opening scene of Puccini's Tosca.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Everybody out of the water!
I've been spending some time in Cape May,
where the beach is beautiful
no matter what the weather.  We did get some 
rain, but it was followed by a 
beautiful rainbow!

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

Weekend Reflections

Last August when I was up in the Arctic, we
had mostly wonderful weather.  At one
point, the temp even went up to 42°F (5°C)!
There was this one day, however . . .

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

16 October

This sign, in Rome's ex-ghetto, honors
the 2,091 Jews who were picked
up there on that day in 1943 and taken
 to Nazi extermination camps.  
It's hanging on a wall next to a structure that
was built in the year 2 B.C.—
a thought-provoking juxtaposition.

[Linking back to signs, signs]

ABC Wednesday—C is for "cellist"

This one is Fabio Cavaggion.  He had a very
successful career playing in orchestras,
but decided that he could reach more people
with his music by playing in the street.
I took this shot at the same spot as the one I
posted yesterday—but this was much
later in the day and all those folks are on a 
looong line to get into the Pantheon.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

getting an early start

This horse and driver were ready for
all the tourists who will show
up here—but at not quite 8 a.m., they
weren't yet out and about.

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

Blue Monday

Better late than never, I suppose. Found myself
someplace yesterday where I didn't
expect to be—and unable to post to this blog
with just my iPad.  Now I'm at work
with a limited supply of photos, but here's
an image from last year's trip to
the Arctic, where the blues look blue but
also the whites do too.

[Linking back to Blue Monday at
Magical Mystery Teacher.]

inSPIREd Sunday

Here's a doorway detail of a little
off-the-beaten-track church,
San Crisogono, which is in Trastevere.
It was built in the 4th century,
rebuilt in the 12th, and finally again
in the early 1600s.
[To see more churches from
around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Il barbiere di . . . no, not Seville—Roma.
Do you recognize this spot
from a certain Julia Roberts movie?

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

Lunch in Trastevere

This is my pal Blanche Dubois (no, not
that one—her namesake).
Blanche loves to travel with me
and has been to the opera in Budapest
and hiking in the Arctic.
So far this year, she's been to Venice,
Florence, and Rome (twice!).

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

Thursday Challenge—"sun" #2

This was taken at the same spot as last
week's Thursday Challenge
sunset, but three minutes earlier.

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

ABC Wednesday—B is for "brides"

One afternoon when I was in Rome this
past May, I encountered four
bridal parties—but there were five brides!

Later that night, I passed by a 
wedding reception in full 
swing and a 6th bride—who knows 
how to party (and pose).

[To see more ABC
posts, go here.]

Happy Birthday

This installation—thousands of pinwheels—
was created recently as part of the
celebration for the 150th anniversary of my
local park, Prospect Park, in Brooklyn.

[Linking back to Our World Tuesday.]

And the winner—by a nose

. . . is the birdlike medico delle peste mask,
modeled after those worn by doctors
dealing with plague victims.
They filled it with strong-smelling herbs
and/or camphor in the belief that
it would purify the air.  They also wore a
long overcoat, and that was actually
what kept them safe—from the fleas that
were carrying the plague. (Though,
of course, who knew at the time?)

[Linking back to Blue Monday at
Magical Mystery Teacher.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is the church of Sant'Eustachio, in Rome.
It was originally built in the 8th century,
restored in the 12th, and almost completely rebuilt
in the 17th and 18th centuries.
                             

Like so many Roman churches,
the present-day city has
built up around it—you turn
a corner, and voilà.

The stag with the cross is
the symbol of St. Eustace
(though I don't know why).

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

dirty birds!

Yes, I did disturb these pigeons so I could
get this shot.  But they went right
back to their feast—and who goes out of
their way to feed them, I wonder?
One well-known New Yorker famously
called them "rats with wings" and
that does seem to be the general consensus.

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

Allons, enfants!

Happy Bastille Day to all my French
(and Francophile) friends.

[Linking back to Skywatch Friday.]

Thursday Challenge—"sun"

Quite a departure from yesterday's post, 
and I sure hope this doesn't presage anything.
This was yet another incredible
sunset over the Delaware Bay, taken from
the beach in Cape May, NJ—and
(I swear) totally unretouched!

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge,
visit Dale's meme.  Also linking back to
Orange You Glad It's Friday? at Life's Sweets and Spices.
and to Skywatch Friday.]

ABC Wednesday—A is for "Arctic"`

Remembering last year's wonderful trip
and the beautiful sights I saw:
like kittiwakes taking off from the very icy waters
of Burgerbukta (Burger Bay), with
Paierbreen (Paier glacier) in the background.

[To see more ABC posts—or join in
for Round 21 (!) of this great meme, go here.]

guardians

Another shot from the beautiful cemetery
behind the basilica of San Miniato al Monte, 
way up above Florence.

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

Buon compleanno

This one's for my daughter Lila, because
today is her birthday—and she's
celebrating in Florence, where I took
this photo in May.

[Linking back to Blue Monday at
Magical Mystery Teacher.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is the sanctuary of Santa Maria 
ai Monti, in the very hip
Monti neighborhood of Rome.

[To see more places of worship from
around the world, go here.]

taller than I am*

 . . . *but that's not a hard thing to be.
I found this pretty pop of pink
in picturesque Cape May, New Jersey.

[Linking back to Pink Saturday
at How Sweet the Sound.]

Weekend Reflections

Lucky girls, who are growing up as I 
did—enjoying the beach and the
 water, and searching for sand crabs.

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

dinner and a rainbow

 July 4th weekend:  Went out to collect
our dinner and came back with
a definite bonus.  I saw by friends posting
on Instagram that this storm
made its way up the East Coast and
left rainbows wherever it went.

[Linking back to signs, signs and Skywatch Friday.]

ABC Wednesday—Z is for "zucchini blossoms"

I ate as many of these as I could when I was
in Italy—fried, stuffed, or both.
Bonus: I never noticed the "Eat Me, I'm Ripe"
 sign until I got home and put this
up on the computer. 

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

the red, white, and blue

Happy 4th of July from small-town
America—in this case, Piermont, New York.
It's only +/- 21 miles up the Hudson
from New York City, but
what a difference 21 miles makes!
Enjoy your holiday.

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

blue flower

This was taken with my new (okay, used)
macro lens.  Nice glass—and I'm
looking forward to the shots I can take when
I actually learn how to use it!

[Linking back to Blue Monday at
Magical Mystery Teacher
and to Macro Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This is Santa Maria in Aracoeli, in Rome,
way up at the top of the Capitoline Hill.
I've been wanting to see the inside 
of this church for years.  Finally, last month, 
I climbed up there only to be stopped
at the door because there was a wedding
taking place.  The guard decided to
let us in, though—and I'm so glad.  There are
many, many gorgeous churches in Rome, 
but none with dozens of chandeliers like this one.
(And the wedding was beautiful too,
and bilingual: French bride, Italian groom.)

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

The Weekend in Black and White

I was taught by nuns when I was in
elementary school.  Looking back, I realize
that some of them were up to the
task of dealing with 50 kids with that special
blend of tough and patient—and some,
frankly, probably shouldn't have been allowed
near small children.  Either way, I'm
left with a soft spot for nuns (especially elderly
ones).  These two were climbing  the
steps up to Santa Maria della Salute, in Venice.

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