Sue's Travels

Spice’s biopsy is NEGATIVE!

2011-12-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yay! Spice does not have cancer! It seems that her severe stomatitis was caused by either an infectious process or an autoimmune process. We will continue to treat this with steroids and antibiotics as well as continue the novel protein foods for the next 3 – 6 months and see how it goes. She has a follow-up appointment with the vet on December 19th. I am thrilled!

2011-12-07T08:34:00.001-08:00

After we brought her home, Spice had a very rough night and would not eat anything until the following afternoon. We attribute this to the pain from the biopsy. We brought her indoors, so we could keep a closer eye on her also. She is doing much better now, both eating and drinking! I had to soften up her new venison food with a bit of water to get her to eat it. It is kind of like a meat slurry. We were very excited to see her exhibit a new behavior, she cleaned herself after eating!

I have been brushing her with a furminator because I have allergies to cats and her fur is a complete mess and loaded with mats. She just loves it and becomes a little purr box when she sees it! I use it on both my cats and dogs and it works wonders; if you don’t have one, I highly recommend it!

Also, I bought some kitty litter that is for training cats to use the box and it is called Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract, and it is amazing! It has her using the box, which previously has been an issue for her. It cost the earth, but it had a money back guarantee.

But twice a day, I become the bad guy, because I have to give her meds with a needless syringe into her mouth. She really dislikes that. I give her a pain medication [Buprenorphine] and an antibiotic [Clindamycin]. She has already bitten me! Oh no!

But we wait for the biopsy results. We should know by Friday.

Spice is very sick

2011-12-05T14:04:00.001-08:00

This is a photo of her in her hospital cage earlier this afternoon, when I picked her up.

All along she had not been cleaning herself and was getting thinner. We thought it was because of stress from being relocated and getting accommodated to Moonshadow, her roommate. But then we went on a tiny vacation during Thanksgiving and left her some dry food and water; when we got back, she was much thinner. We fed her canned [soft] food only and she ate it voraciously. The next day I thought we should feed her paté, as we had been feeding her shredded food. She also ate that voraciously. The next morning, she would only lick the goop from the bottom of the paté can and not eat anything at all. That was last Saturday. I got a vet appointment and rushed her in.

The vet opened Spice’s mouth and she had advanced stomatitis and there was a pea-sized mass visible on the back of her throat on her right side [where a tonsil would be]. He asked us her FIV status and we didn’t know, so he planned to test her for that and feline leukemia [both were negative]. He planned hospitalization with support on antibiotics and pain medications over the weekend while he did a full blood work. Then on Monday, he planned to biopsy the mass for pathology to see if it was a malignancy.

She improved over the weekend, eating everything offered, but her globulins on her blood test were extraordinarily high, so the vet suspected irritable bowel syndrome [IBS], and switched her diet to venison. Plus, her stools were bloody, which could be the cancer or the IBS and her mouth was also bloody, again that could be the cancer or the IBS. Stomatitis can be seen with either cancer, IBS or with infections. So, that is where we were at discharge. We wait now for the biopsy results and buy venison for Spice to eat. The bill so far has edged over a thousand dollars.

Spice is home and resting. She was quite traumatized by events of the last few days. We have been given pain medications and antibiotics to administer to her while we wait for her results. She is a very sick kitty. We are hoping for the best.

I've got Flare!

2011-11-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

After the show I visited my brother in his domicile and played with my nephew's albino corn snake "Flare".

This is Flare as a hatchling. Isn't he to die for cute?

Massachusetts Orchid Society Annual Show!

2011-11-07T15:05:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I drove up to meet my brother Verne at the Massachusetts Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale, “A New England Rainforest”, which was held at the lovely Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA.

The greenhouses were neat as a pin, with nary a stray leaf to be found on the floor. Here is a photo of the orangery.

There were many camellias in bud, but only one was beginning to bloom, it was called Yuletide.

Most of the more common orchids that we would readily recognize are of the genus Phalaenopsis. Here is a table of these orchids at the show that I took because it was pretty and colorful:

But mostly I wanted to get photos of unusual orchids that take forms I wouldn’t readily recognize as being orchids. Good thing I had Verne in tow to point them out to me!

I didn’t manage to get a photo of the label with this one, but look at how it seems to be fingers on a hand!

I could not believe that this Robiquetia cerina was an orchid! But if you look closely at the flowers, you can clearly see the 6 petal arrangements.

I just kind of liked these!

These Schomburgkia Wellesley are unusual for their lower liplessness. Whereas lady-slipper type flowers have a lower lip, these do not and that is highly unusual in orchids. There is even a fancy botanical name for it! [Of course Verne knows it!] Pretty lavender color too!

I got very excited when I saw these tiny orchids growing in moss because I had written about Teagueia orchids growing in moss for my Fair View Fantasy Ecuadorian Equinox series [NSFW]. However, this was another species entirely. But I was so happy to finally see orchids growing in moss!

These very interesting orchids have separate moving parts. The little round things bobble up and down like an insect to attract small birds and insects. The effect is more noticeable when the bobble is dark, but this flower is prettier!

This Angraecum distichum hardly looks like an orchid at all; looking much more like a fern or a cactus!

These are sort of ordinary, but I liked the colors!

Verne was partial to these.

As well as these!

These hanging chains of orchid flowers were pretty and had a wonderful fragrance! This was a tiny plant compared to the giant below that filled an entire corner of the building:

The flowers are not yet open. Notice the pine tree next to it for scale.

This is one I noticed in Singapore that I wasn’t able to identify, but here it was with a label!

It is a Pigeon Berry. Note the orange berries and purplish-pink flowers.

A murder in Georgia that history will never forget

2011-09-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

At 11:08 PM Troy Anthony Davis was murdered by the State of Georgia by lethal injection. The “reason” was the verdict from a sham trial that found him guilty with plenty of doubt of the murder of Officer MacPhail over 22 years ago. The real murderer in this crime is most probably still at large and has yet to face justice. Seven of the nine eye witnesses were coerced into perjuring themselves by police, who were under pressure to resolve the case of a slain colleague. There was no physical evidence entered at the trial.

Troy Davis goes down in history as a martyr for abolition of the death penalty since this from of punishment is the ultimate justice a criminal can receive and should never, ever be the penalty when there is a reasonable doubt, such as there was in this case. The death penalty should also never be reached based on emotional reasons or for revenge.

The State of Georgia and moreover, the United States of America, will be judged very harshly tomorrow for this murder of a man who was not proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. We will be called savages, barbarians and maybe worse things. I’m afraid I will agree them about us. We are unenlightened and don’t seem to know anything about the rule of law and how to enact it. We are kindergartners in a world of upperclassmen. I am ashamed to be an American today. Ashamed.

I am Troy Davis.

Candle-Light Vigil for Troy Davis

2011-09-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

The candle-light vigil for Troy Anthony Davis was held as planned at 6 PM yesterday and began at the Deep River Public Library. I would like to thank those who showed up in support of Troy and especially State Representative Phil Miller [Democrat] for coming. Phil galvanized us with a few inspirational words. He said that though we were few, we were in good company and mentioned those around the country and world who supported clemency for Troy, including President Jimmy Carter, former FBI Director William Sessions, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and others. He showed us a NY Times article from the 20th talking about opposition to the execution. He told us that Gandhi got his start this way, by peaceful resistance. He also said that Martin Luther King, Jr. said that it is not the color of a man's skin, but the content of his character he should be judged by, in his "I have a dream" speech. He said that applauded our efforts and said that we made a difference and that this is what America was all about. Then we all lit our candles.

Almost immediately, a young blond woman stepped out of her car with her iphone to snap a photo of us. She said she was from Georgia and wanted to post the photo to her Facebook to show her friends back in Georgia how the Troy Anothony case was being protested up here in her little home town. We tried to get her to join us, but she didn't want to. It was good enough that she posted us to her Facebook. As we strolled down Main Street, cars slowed to see our sign. Some pedestrians stopped us and asked who Troy Davis was. Phil showed them the NY Times article and added any explanation if needed. The responses were interesting. Some cars honked in solidarity. A few people frowned and walked away quickly. Most people looked very sad for Troy. Some people stopped and commiserated with how misguided the verdict was. One woman who works at town hall yelled "Let him die!" Most people had never heard of Troy Davis, probably since the news held off coverage until the final clemency was denied.

The police kept a close eye on us. I have never seen so many police in downtown Deep River since the Muster! Even the K9 Unit was there!

At 7:30 it was impossible for passing cars to see our sign and our candles had brunt down to nubs so we called it quits. And now today, I wait to see if they will really execute Troy Davis. I cannot believe it is really happening after all this time. Troy is at peace with it, but I am not. How can this injustice happen in my country? It is happening with my knowledge and I feel defeated because I can't do anything about it. I have done all I can and wish I could do more.

The rest of the world must think we are fools. They are right, we are. We are barbarians. We know nothing; we slaughter our own people with no good reason, or for emotional reasons. This is not justice, it is hate. It is revenge. It yields nothing. It grants no peace. It is outright murder. We are not an enlightened society. We have so far to go to become one. Troy Davis becomes a martyr for this cause. The price is too high. Way too high. But here we are. With a dead man and no enlightenment. I pray for enlightenment for our country once we get past our hate and blinding bigotry.

Come light a candle

2011-09-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Troy is to be executed on September 21 at 7:00 PM. Please leave any questions in the comments.

Hurricane Irene – We survived!

2011-08-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

We lost power at 2 AM. I slept in until 8 or so and then got up to feed the dogs. Then I took them out and fed the cats out in the metal building. Not too many boughs were down. But then I went out the driveway and saw that there was a sizable tree down blocking our egress and it had landed on our neighbor’s lawn, but did not damage anything. It did take out a neutral wire. I got in touch with my mom via cellphone, who lost power on LI, and my sister, who still has power in Westchester County NY.

So I got Sean and he went out with my Jeep Wrangler to move the tree from blocking our driveway.

More damage and blocked roads around town. Also note downed wires.

Route 80 is the major thoroughfare from the West into our town. It hasn’t been cleared because the storm hasn’t passed yet. This tree also took out wires, which you will see in the next photo.

This elm has an 8 foot [2.4 meter] split in it, that leaves the tree resting on live wires. Eep!

I took these photos of the town landing at high tide.

All in all, I would say that we were pretty lucky in our little town. Not a lot of property damage as far as I could see.

We set up our generator and that is how I am able to post this today. Hope everyone else in the range of Irene is okay too!

Save the Ferries

2011-08-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

On August 25th I attended a meeting between the public supporting Saving the Ferries that run between Chester and Hadlyme as well as Rocky Hill and Glastonbury and representatives from the Department of Transportation here in Connecticut.

Present from the DOT were: Jim Redeker, Commissioner; Phil Scarozzo, Moderator; Chuck Beck, Maritime Manager; Cheryl Malerba; and Colleen Kissane, Scenic Roads.

From the left, Chuck Beck, Maritime Manager, Cheryl Malerba, Colleen Kissane, Scenic Roads, and Commissioner Jim Redeker.

State Representative Phil Miller chats with the DOT Commissioner prior to the meeting. Off to the left, we can see Mr. Scarrozzo with Mr. Beck and to the right we see Ms. Malerba and Ms. Kissane at the table.

Representative Miller speaks with Mr. Scarrozzo while Ms. Kissane chats with State Representative Marilyn Giuliano.

Panel moderator Phil Scarrozzo at the podium.

The meeting was opened with Commissioner Redeker making a statement. He mentioned that closing the ferries was off the table for 2 years since labor concessions had been made earlier. He went on to say that he understood that the ferries were historical, transportational and recreational. But that they also come with challenges and threats. The ferry began in Chester in 1769 and has run on a limited schedule. Vehicle fees are $3 and walk ons average 14 per day. The ferry takes two people to run in three shifts per day and runs at a $284,000 deficit per year. The 62 year old vessel is due for replacement at a cost of 4-5 million dollars, an upcoming capitol need. The floor was opened for questions.

Phil Miller, State Representative for Essex, Deep River, Chester and Haddam, stood up and said that he knew Commissioner Redeker and had worked with him before and that he listened well and had an open mind. He further said that the ferries represented a working transportation infrastructure that was vital to the area and should be kept. Especially as bridges are not an option over the Connecticut River. He included that the ferries will be marketed better in the future for tourism. He noted that while privatizing is a slippery slope, he was aware of an offer, and would this be considered by the DOT. The Commissioner indicated that it would.

A member of the public stood and commented that closure of the ferry would have a negative impact on real estate values on both sides of the River. He proposed to raise the fares; place a toll on the Haddam Swing Bridge; an create voluntary tolls to keep the ferries running.

A member of the public from Enland said that in his country they have plenty of history and they can make money off of it. This is your history; maybe there is money allocated to preserve it. The commissioner said that he would check into that.

Another member of the public stood and commented that if donations were made, the funds should be so that they only go to the ferry, not to other things. The commissioner said that they would create a direct fund.

Ralph Eno, First Selectman of Lyme, CT, indicated that he was also on the Board of 9 Town Transit. He said that there are compelling reasons to keep the ferry and that he was glad that the ferry doesn’t have to be revenue neutral. He would like to explore the possibility with DOT of 9 Town Transit running the Rocky Hill ferry.

State Rep. Marilyn Giuliano speaks.

State Representative Marilyn Giuliano, representing Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook, stood and said that a partnership with 9 Towns made sense.

A member of the public stood and read some comments that were not her own: higher fares for out of state vehicles, adopt a ferry, ferry rentals, lottery to benefit the ferry, she held up a childrens’ book called “Ferry Boat” that was about the Chester ferry. She wanted all present to sign it and then it would be auctioned off to benefit the ferry.

Another member of the public stood and said that the ferry’s carbon footprint was much better than the cars’ because all of the cars’ turn off their engines while on the ferry.

Another great idea was that the ferries be included on foliage routes in the fall.

Another was to make the ferries part of the State Parks system or to purchase used vessels instead of new.

At one point, the Commissioner said that he needed more data on the ferries. a member of the public stood and said we could run surveys for you. I commented and said “Maybe what you are looking for is a study. You have here a room full of people who are chomping at the bit to help you learn whatever you need to know about the ferries. Just let us know how to help you and we will. If you want to see documentation in a study form, you are the Commissioner, you have to make that happen. You have the manpower and you are the boss. It is your job. Don”t stand there and tell us you want to see documentation unless we can help you, because we are all very frustrated.” He then said that there was a sign up sheet at the side of the room. Another member of the public indicated that a study would make a great masters thesis project. The commissioner mentioned that he was scheduled to visit the University Connecticut in the future.

The audience at the Chester Meeting House.

My letter to Mr. Scarrozzo stated that cutting the ferries was too small a savings to make much difference towards the state’s enormous $1.6 billion deficit, compared with the destructive losses and costs it would impart to state tourism and local areas’ merchants, citizens and emergency crews. After cutting the ferries, the state would still wake up the next morning with their billion dollar headache!

Where are the JOBS??? Rally

2011-08-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

At 10:00 AM on August 10th, 2011, I traveled to Old Lyme, CT with my pal Janet to attend Move On's Where are the JOBS??? Rally, which was starting in a parking lot in front of the Big Y market. Arriving a few minutes late, we joined a group of a dozen people already in progress, with Steve Danenberg reading Move On's Contract for the American Dream. We cheered at some of the bullet points, such as ending the wars.

Jan and I carpooled with Steve up to Congressman Joe Courtney's office in Norwich, Connecticut. It was a beautiful day, but traffic was busy as we crossed Water Street to Joe's office, where we were expected. In all, there were 8 of us to see Joe that morning. Alas, Joe was on vacation, but we already knew he wasn't going to be in the office. We were greeted by Ms. Jenny Contois, the District Director, who was expecting us. I began to snap photos, and Ms. Contois, asked if there were any press. I replied, that no, there was no press. We were served water, and Steve made polite conversation with Ms. Contois and pressed his Contract for the American Dream on the staff, while we all signed in at the reception desk. Steve really wanted to plan an event with Joe, whom Move On supports.

Jan signed up to meet with Joe during one of his "Schedule a Meeting" swings through CT. She has two part time jobs, neither of which give her benefits.

Interestingly, I discovered upon returning home that Joe Courtney voted for the Final debt deal, which is voting against Democratic party lines. Here is a link to an article that explains Joe's vote. I guess we'll have to save that question for another time.

Moonshadow and Spice: our rescue cats

2011-06-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

You may remember Moonshine. Well, the hubs never did like that name so we agreed on a new name, Moonshadow [as in "I'm being followed by a..."]. But, Moonshadow was lonely and so we sought out a new rescue cat to be her friend. We went back to Forgotten Felines, but they wanted a cat who would live in a house and sleep with us. Moonshadow lives in our heated 5,000 sq foot metal building where hubs has his office and spends 8 hours a day. NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM! We looked elsewhere.

We found Spice living in a one room cattery with 8 feline friends and a caged outdoor run. All the cats were previously from a part feral existence and while used to other cats, they were not so used to human beings. That was great for us!

We chose her because all of the cats she was living with seemed to like being near her and we thought that that would be good for Moonshadow too. Right!

They do not get along at all! But I’ve owned cats before and I know it takes time. So each cat has 2,500 sq ft of space and their own cat box and feeding station. Both cats are eating and doing well. Every now and then we have a hissing match but at least there is interaction without a fight. Spice seems to like exploring her new large space quite a bit! Today I pet her for the first time.

Isn’t she pretty?

Moonshadow is as relaxed as ever under the heat lamp this cold morning.

Spice also has a heat lamp, but never uses it.

$$ for JOBS! NOT WAR! Rally & March: New Haven Green

2011-03-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

Even as the US began to bomb Libya, I gathered with my brothers and sisters in peace at the New Haven Green to protest: MONEY FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION!!! NOT FOR WAR!

It was wonderful weather for a protest! This one was called by ANSWER CT (Act Not to Stop War and End Racism) and endorsed by New Haven Against Police Brutality, March Forward, Unidad Latina en Acción, Party for Socialism and Liberation – CT, New Haven Workers Association, ISO New Haven, and more.

The 6 or so speakers were very moving. They represented various topics such as the teachers and unions in strife and under attack in Wisconsin, crimes against women during wars, the influence of megacorporations and big oil during conflicts in the Middle-East, and how Barack should stand with Unions in Wisconsin instead of bombing Libya. It was also noted that Connecticut’s piece of the war pie adds up to 84 million tax dollars, which would help balance the state’s budget deficit if left here in the state.

Then the march began and so did the chanting. It really took me back to the old days of protesting against Viet Nam. I don’t understand why more people didn’t come out to protest. People we passed on the streets just gawked at us like we were some freaks. What will it take to get people off their duffs and out into the streets? How many more young men must die? How many more people need to be raped? How many more people need to be fired? How many more people need to become homeless? How many more people need to go on foodstamps? How many nations do we need to bomb into smithereens? WAKE UP PEOPLE! NO ONE CAN MAKE PEACE HAPPEN BUT US! We did it for Viet Nam and we can do it again!

A National Money for Jobs & Education! Not War! March and Rally is planned for Noon, Saturday, April 9 at Union Square, 14th Street in New York City. The contact information is at the United National AntiWar Committee: 860 478 5300, UNACpeace@gmail.com, www.UNACpeace.org.

I am sad

2011-03-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Because sometime during the winter, my pond froze totally over and killed all my koi, some of which I have had for over 20 years. I know it doesn’t compare to the devastation of the tsunami in Japan, but still I feel bummed.

As the ice melts, I net them off the pond and throw them in the trash can.

On a happier note, today I cleaned out the blue bird boxes!

Rally to Save the American Dream

2011-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday at noon I attended the Rally to Save the American Dream with two of my friends at the Connecticut capital in Hartford that was run by MoveOn.org. We were protesting in solidarity with union workers in Wisconsin who are under attack by Governor Scott Walker and the Republican members of the House. There were about 500 protesters in attendance.

Speakers included Chris Donovan, the Democratic current Speaker of the State House of Connecticut, Laura Donnelly, Ed Vargas, the former President of the AFL-CIO for Hartford, and Bob Kingsley, UE Director. Other speakers not pictured were Debra Emmelman, David Berg, Ed Masterson, and Olia Yelner.

The protest was well-organized but could have been better publicized. I got a tremendous feeling of solidarity from being there and from hearing the speakers and chanting. Especially since my single parent mother was a teacher and raised three of us kids and put us through college, all on her salary. We did need to take out loans. But at that time, college loans were very available. All three of us grew up to have successful careers, my brother in computer science, my sister as a biomedical engineer, and me in the pharmaceutical industry. She was able to do that because she was a Union member. That is the American Dream, and what the protest was all about trying to protect. That is what Gov. Scott Walker is trying to crush in Wisconsin.

But the speakers told stories of a more global nature such as how the states’ and country’s deficits and money woes were not of labor or the Unions’ doing. How the greedy large corporations were responsible instead. How the rich and large corporations needed to be taxed more to fix the problem. It is not the workers who are responsible. Yet, workers are ready to make sacrifices to help out. But workers will not give up collective bargaining; which is the backbone of the unions.

Young Female Cat for Adoption: MOONSHINE

2010-04-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people just suck. This is one of those times. Someone abandoned this beautiful, small young female kitty, who is in heat and friendly as anything.

Though alluring and sweet, we cannot keep her since we are both allergic and our dogs look at her as an hors d'oeuvres and are seeking the correct mustard to have her with. Grey poupon perhaps?

She definitely needs a good home and plenty of love. She loves to play and will respond to any name, though I have named her Moonshine, since she has a tiny gray moon next to her nose.

Please leave a comment on this post if you would like more information on Moonshine.

UPDATE: WE ADOPTED HER!

Rapporto di Roma 15: Traveling Homeward

2010-04-10T06:40:00.001-07:00

Meet Leeluu [a Boston terrier]. We made her acquaintance at Madrid Barajas Airport. Isn't she a princess? Her lady-in-waiting was returning to her castle in Miami.

Her lady would take her chew toy from her and taunt her with it. Leeluu would grab it and...

Return to the safety of her carrier, probably thinking, "I am not to be disturbed until I am in my palace!"

Look at her regal lines. Definitely royal lineage!

Rapporto di Roma 14: Roman Holiday!

2010-04-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Our last full day in Rome dawned sunny and bright! We had decided to rent a motor scooter from Bici & Baci and it was a short walk to get there. They had Vespas just like in the movie Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Of course we had to have a bright red one! Plus they gave us a 10 Euro break on it!

I don't suggest you rent a motor scooter in Rome unless you have ridden one, or a motorcycle, in a city before. Rome is a busy city and there is traffic zooming around you and you will have your life in your hands at all times. Sean has had this experience when he was in his twenties on motorcycles and has ridden his bicycle in NYC as well. I have been a passenger on motorcycles in my *cough* ill spent youth and pretty much have lived on my bicycle as well as having ridden in NYC. More than that though, you may think you know your way around, but then the street that you plan on taking is one way the wrong way and you have to not be flustered by that. Just keep going and look for a street that goes the way you want.

Also, the Roman drivers are more aware in general than in the USA. They make eye contact before they take action and are aggressive. You can rely on them to go if you don't. He who hesitates is lost.

So we rented a bright red, brand new automatic Vespa and had a blast! People everywhere just gaped at us as if we were driving a Ferrari! I clung to Sean and he drove like a pro; we leaned into the curves and blended with the traffic! What a trip! First stop, the Murano Glass Shop to get Mom's beads. We headed to Via Veneto and wouldn't you know it, the street the shop was on was one way the wrong way!!! But we got there.

Here are photos from inside the shop. I love glass! And I love Murano glass even more! Here is the Antica Murrinia case where mom's beads came from:

Here is another case in the shop:

I you enlarge it you can see the millefiori in the picture frames and paper weights. In the photo below you can see one of the famed Murano chandeliers in red.

The wall of the shop below has vases, and trinkets.

Isn't this ceiling fixture lovely? It has gold sparkles that may not be visible, but make it quite handsome in my opinion. I would have it in my house if I could afford it.

Just because there can never be enough glass:

More vases and picture frames:

Here are the beads we bought for mom:

They really suit her and I think she liked them!

This is what I bought for myself:

It is a golden glass necklace with matching earrings, a pair of turquoise blue glass heart shaped earrings and some green and yellow millefiori cross earrings. The crosses were originally pendents, but I asked the sales clerk if she could make them into earrings and she did.

Sean saw a bowl and two perfume bottles for his collection, but refused to buy them.

We were not charged the Value Added Tax (VAT) and she gave me the cross earrings for free! What a deal!

We remounted our Vespa and were on our way! We had not yet seen the Piazza del Popolo so we zipped over there. We parked across the street and walked to the Piazza. We got quite the surprise when we entered! Another protest! Ah, this time the Communists and Socialists!

It was difficult to see the famous Piazza landmarks with all of the protest paraphernalia distributed around. At least the Fontana del Nettuno is still visible!

Well, I always say, if you can't beat them, join them! I raise my fist in solidarity, my Italian brothers!

Then it was back on the Vespa to continue our tour of the outskirts of Rome! We just had to stop for Sean to take my photo in front of this little secret basilica though.

This was truly a capper to our trip to Rome! It was breathtaking and exciting all at once! I highly recommend renting a motor scooter if you go and can handle it.

One more post to go!

Rapporto di Roma 13: Colosseo

2010-04-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

So we continued through a short cut from the San Pietro in Vincoli down to the street leading to the Colosseum. We were walking of course, because there was a bus and metro strike scheduled for the morning. And, what do we run into? A teacher's strike! You may enlarge the above photo if you would like to see any of Rome's finest a bit better.

This was an impressive strike! They had a full band on a truck and the entire procession took a half an hour to pass. Sean got swept up with the excitement and joined in taking photos with the real news people. After waiting until the entire strike had passed, I figured out that he wasn't coming back. So I went ahead to the Colosseum unconcerned that we were separated. Because you see, he and I are in the same karass, and the universe will bring us back together at some point in time. It is inevitable. We met up a short time later. While a waited I took this photo of the Arch of Constantine, 315 AD.

Reunited, we used our Roma Card to avoid a group of students and head in. The last time I visited the Colosseum was in 1967. Of course it was a bit different then, we could go a level higher and it was filled with cats. The kitties are gone now.

As we walked around, I tried to remember that this structure is nearly 2,000 years old. So what is the difference between this structure and so many in the United States that are made of brick and mortar and don't last that well? We examined the brick here closely to figure that out.

Look at all of the arches. Sean took some close ups of these. The brick work is truly impressive!

We saw a student of Art History prise a piece of mortar out from in-between the bricks and say with excitement "Concrete! Two-thousand year old concrete!"

I was thinking, yeah, so put it back bitch. If everybody picked off their own little piece this thing wouldn't be standing here! Sean's comment was that it was really mortar, not concrete.

Look closely at this small area of bricks. Here we see some that have been repointed, some that need to be repointed and a nail. The nail does not look modern, in that it is not from this century. But what century is it from? The head was almost an inch [2 cms] in diameter and looked hammered. It also seemed to be iron, rather than steel. The repointing seemed a bit more modern. Maybe within the last decade or so. But who knows?

In the last photo is a place where the brick is wearing away over time. Just think, Italians are the people that brought brick work to the USA!

As it was 1:00 PM, the bus strike was over and we caught a bus back to the Hotel Barberini. The Roma Card pays the fare. I took my nap, and Sean went out.

When he came back, he told me that he had found some beads that were perfect for my mom and I could look at them tomorrow!

The most exciting episode is yet to come!

Rapporto di Roma 12: San Pietro in Vincoli

2010-04-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

We headed out from our hotel to see the Michelangelo Moses at the basilica San Pietro in Vincoli, or Saint Peter in Chains. I saw a group of Rome's finest and asked them if I could take their photo. Immediately the cutest of them left the group, saying that he was not Polizia. I politely urged him to join his pals again, but he declined. Here they are, Rome's finest!

Below is a street bazaar where we shopped briefly. No beads for mom here! Everything was too cheap.

Here is our destination: San Pietro in Vincoli. Who put a street lamp right in front of it? The front is not notable, since it has been reworked through history. The inside is a different matter.

This is the Michelangelo Moses, taken with my shitty camera. I got frustrated asking Sean for his shots, so you will have to suffer with the terrible lighting of my camera. Please enlarge it.

Note that Moses has horns [which I didn't notice until I returned and just read about it on Wikipedia, for shame, for shame.]. Apparently the tomb of Pope Julius II is behind the sculpture.

Above, you can see that the sculpture of Moses is seated in a huge arrangement of figures and in a temple like scenario that doesn't seem to fit into this tiny basilica. That is because it was meant to fit into St. Peter's. It was completed in 1545.

In the photo below, you can see how it is only squeezed into this tiny church and dwarfs the main altar which is to the left.

This reliquary, in front of the main altar, is said to hold the chains that held St. Peter captive in Jerusalem.

Here is a photograph of the main altar from a distance and you can see the reliquary in the foreground. Note how dark the basilica is.

Here is the ceiling fresco which was painted by Giovanni Battista Parodi, portraying The Miracle of the Chains, 1706. The fresco was quite dingy and seemed to need a cleaning.

Supposedly, the tomb of Cardinal Cinzo Aldobrandini in behind a grim reaper, but I noticed two grim reapers, one was behind some construction material and then this one, which I photographed. So, there is a 50% chance that the Cardinal is behind this one. LOL!

This is a gorgeous Byzantine mosaic of Saint Sebastian from the 7th century.

This just really cracked me up. A perfectly good solid marble holy water font, with a glass water bowl in the center. What is up with that? Was the priest to lazy to walk to the font to bless the water? So I ran over to check the other one...

Yup, same deal. Glass water bowl. I would give my dog water from a bowl like that. I mean, ditch the bowls; keep the holy water fonts!

Rapporto di Roma 11: Santa Maria della Vittoria

2010-03-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

The church of Santa Maria della Vittoria was closest to our hotel but always seemed to be closed when we walked by. So, one morning we made a point of visiting it.

Below is the main altar, which Sean had to photograph, as the light was very dim and my camera just wasn't up to it.

I took a photograph of the ceiling because I found it unique in that although the central oil painting is a typical heaven and hell scenario, it is surrounded by white marble angels that are applied and just hanging by means that are not readily apparent. I felt the effect was spectacular!

Here is a side altar which combines both marble inlays and bas reliefs. Stunning, isn't it? This church was built in the 1600's and I am sure would have swept anyone living at that time into Catholicism.

Another stunning side altar. The oil painting atop it is almost anticlimactic or superfluous. Again, why go to a museum, when the art is in the churches?

This small stained glass window illuminates how every inch of this church is decorated and stylised. Ornate, is it not?

Each altar is hung with it's own censer for burning incense. So I would say there were maybe a dozen or so in this church altogether. All of them are exquisitely beautiful like this one. All churches have them, including St. Peter's. Hmm. Someone should do a book on them!

This church is most notable for the Bernini sculpture of the Ecstasy of St. Teresa as noted in her diary. There was quite a controversy as to whether St. Teresa had experienced a true sexual climax, or just a divine passion when the angel of god visited her and thrust his golden arrow into her repeatedly. The church was not altogether happy with the statue's placement in this basilica. This is Sean's photo, again, as my camera could not get enough light to capture it.

Then a priest asked everyone to leave as the church was closing for lunch.

We continued our wanderings around Rome and found a house we would purchase, were we to move here [right!]:

Isn't it lovely? It is in a quiet neighborhood with little traffic, but near the embassies. It has it's own wrought iron fencing for security as well as lovely architectural detailing. We would be so happy here! La di da!

Rapporto di Roma 10: Galleria Borghese

2010-03-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

We reserved to see the Galleria Borghese at 5-7:00 PM the same day that we saw the Capucin Crypts. So, we headed up to the Pincio Park and Sean took my photo with Rome in the background.

Here is Sean's photo of the Roman sunset:

Here is my photo of the Roman sunset:

Same sunset, different cameras, different colors! Amazing!

Before we entered the Galleria Borghese, I took a photo of it. No photographs are allowed of the art inside the Galleria [of course!!!], so all the pictures of art are from the official site except for the mosaic, which is from the wiki site.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was only 25 when he completed this sculpture of David facing off against Goliath in 1624. What had you accomplished by the time you were 25? Makes you ill to think of it, doesn't it?

This is Apollo, god of light, chasing chaste nymph Daphne, who turns into a laurel tree. He began it at age 24. The figures are life size. We rented the audio tour and learned that tools were rediscovered that were used at the time, in order to clean the sculpture. The leaves ring like crystal when carefully struck. This piece is extremely impressive in person because of the free expanses of marble that just hang in the air: note his left foot and right arm. Each leaf is thin as a piece of paper! The sculpture is miraculous!

Here is Pluto and Prosperpina by Bernini; also a masterpiece. The group was completed in 1622.
This is a very impressive work in that it is so life-like. You can really sense the emotions that Prosperpina feels as Pluto's powerful hands grasp her tightly, indenting her flesh, as his foul dog Cerebrus barks loudly and tears pour down her face. She helplessly pushes him away, screaming and kicking for all she is worth; to no avail. Her fate is sealed! Alas, poor Prosperpina!

It is very regretful that there are not many more photos of the wonderful Gladiator mosaics available on the internet [this wiki one is the only one]. They were very impressive. I especially liked the ones where they were fighting animals. Also, we learned from the audio guides that the little theta symbols mean that a gladiator died. The mosaics dated from 30 - 320 AD!

Diana by Domenichino painted in 1616-17. The audio guide indicated that males were not supposed to witness Diana and her nymphs at play, yet the nymph at the bottom had spotted the observer. Hmm. So my thought was, were these "pin up girls" of the times?

Sacred and Profane Love a masterpiece by Titian painted in 1514. Painted when the artist was only 25. So... what did you accomplish by the time you were...

After our evening of high culture, we went to our now usual joint for dinner. That's right, we found a local dinner place that was family run, where we loved the food, especially the deserts, and the staff. They would sit us on the wall adjacent to the pizza ovens which was always toasty warm! We methodically went through their entire menu and enjoyed dish after dish of fabulous high calorie Italian food! Their baba were notable as they would pour the rum over them right before serving! YUM! I was addicted!

On our last night there, I hugged the waitress warmly and kissed her!

Much more Rome to come!

Rapporto di Roma 9: Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini

2010-03-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

The day after the Vatican did us in, we awoke and went upstairs for our complimentary breakfast and was stunned by a beautiful rainbow! It was as if the world was making peace with us and promising no more rainy days on our vacation! Neat! "But it is really cold!" said our waitress. We didn't mind the cold at all! It was Roman cold! Ha, ha, ha!

So we walked out of the Hotel Barberini to the nearby Piazza Barberini, which we need to cross diagonally to get to the Via Veneto. Right in our path, was the famed Triton Fountain, as photographed by Sean:

The Triton Fountain was sculpted by Bernini in 1642-43. We crossed the square and immediately found ourselves at the:

Fontanella delle Api - Via Vittorio Veneto

Immediately after the erection of the Triton Fountain, Bernini was charged to plan a small drinking fountain for horses, usually to be found near all monumental fountains.
This beautiful example of Roman baroque was demolished in 1867 and carried to one of the deposits of Testaccio. Thanks to the pressure made by students, the fountain was rebuilt in 1916 with some material of the previous one.

But according to the design of the Dutchman Lievin Cruyl, of 1665, the result was not very faithful to the original.

Source

Of course, Sean made me sit on the cold marble! At least it wasn't wet!

Here is Santa Maria della Concezione. The entrance to see the Capucin Monk's Crypt is around the side. "Offerte(s)" are welcome. People have umbrellas, but it is only spitting. Notice the blue skies.

All of the photos of the Capucin Monk's Bones are from Wikipedia, as photography is not allowed in the crypts.

So you walk through all these dusty, gloomy rooms that are packed to the ceilings with thousands upon thousands of bones and of course it is deathly silent in there. The message you get loud and clear is that life is short.

But, this being Italy, there was a group of people in the last chamber having a heated argument in Italian. What on Earth could they be arguing about? They were really going at it. I refused to be intimidated and moved into the final chamber with them. That did not quiet them. They were not hushed by the sanctity of a holy space; not at all. I mean, I'm not even religious, but these people showed no respect.

Sean never even came into the final chamber. He thought the entire thing was way kinky. I mean, who lives and dies to put their bones up on a wall?

So we left there and entered the main church. Workmen were busily doing stuff in there. Huge scaffolds and ladders were being moved from behind the altar space, which was opened by a gate in the confession railing. I snapped a photo of this painting of St. Micheal, my confirmation Saint [back when I was Catholic], painted by Guido Reni in 1635.

While I was busy doing that, Sean was misbehaving and entering the altar space. The head priest swiftly had him tossed out. Sean, heathen that he is [he was raised Northern Baptist], had no idea that he was committing sacrilege. Poor thing! But, when the priest in charge left, a little Sri Lankan man rushed up to us and started saying "You from Seattle? Right???" He was extraordinarily pushy and his English was very hard to understand as he spoke very quickly and had a heavy accent. Turns out, that he was in charge of the church when the priest was gone. He was sort of the head janitor. He had seen Sean wander into the Altar area and he offered us a tour of the back of the church. That is how we got to see the following [and Sean took these photos:

The Apparition of the Virgin by Sacchi in 1645 in a private chapel used only by the clergy. The bible is very old and was made on a printing press. Reportedly, Popes have celebrated mass and prayed here.

I have no idea what the story was with this little chapel, but we were rushed in and out of it.

This is the tomb of St. Crispin. I kept elbowing Sean to take a photo of the coffin, but he didn't get the message. He later explained that he had no idea what we were looking at. Oy!

Of course we knew he would want money. So Sean gave him some coins and we were on our way. He even did a little sailor's jig for us. Egad.

We exited the church and began to shop on the Via Veneto. I was hunting for a leather bag and we went into a couple of shops. One shop in particular had some nice crocodile bags at reasonable prices and I was looking at one when Sean said "Where do you think you will wear that?" He was right. It was white and yellow and I had no place to wear those colors. Then he looked around and spotted some metallic bags that were really cute. I fell in love with one and bought it. Here it is:

It is about 7 x 8 inches [17 x 20.5 cms] and she knocked 30 Euro off the price. I love metallic and shiny stuff! In Rome, everybody has at least one shiny thing on; either on their shoes, or handbag. I am so glad this trend is making a comeback! I missed it!

Next, I was looking for beads for my mom's birthday. I was thinking maybe some marble ones would be nice. So as we were walking down the street, a necklace catches my eye and we MUST go in and check it out. But once we do go in, I notice this wonderful marble inlay table and photograph it.

Here is the necklace I found! The artist is Pasquale Bruni:

Is it not just for ME! You will have to click to enlarge it. It was a good 2 inches [4.8 cms] across and felt and draped like fabric. I did not try it on, or ask the price. Even I have limits to my nerve! Sigh. I'm afraid it is beyond all our resources though. But if any of you wish to purchase it for me as a huge surprise, the name of the jeweler is: Capuano Gioielleria.

Rapporto di Roma 8: Cappella Sistina

2010-03-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

After seeing the basilica we also visited a temporary exhibit of a large [2 feet tall] ancient gold and jewel embedded cross and a few rooms of other Papal valuables such as rosary beads, crosses, crucifixes, chalices, reliquaries, etc. The riches were a trifle overwhelming and of course, no photos were allowed.

Then we left the basilica and walked out in the rain, through the colonnade and outside of the huge, thick wall of the Vatican, all the way around the block to the side entrance of the Sistine Chapel. The wind blew rain in our faces, but my hat kept it at bay and Sean had an umbrella. There was no line and we had to buy tickets for both the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, even though we only wanted to see the Chapel. If we only had known then what we know now! We were directed to take the circular stairs [Wiki photo] and head on left to the Chapel. It sounds so straight forward, doesn't it?

So, we got to the top of those stairs, and there were two signs pointing to the Sistine Chapel. Both pointed to the left, one into another room and the other into a freshly plastered wall. Both of us walked up to the wall and said "This is where it is." And that is where it is and was the last time I was there. They closed it off. But why?

So that they can drag visitors through all the fucking garbage of the Vatican Museum that no one would look at if they could just run in and see the Chapel and leave. Or, more importantly, they need to sell their "holy" crapola, shit souvenirs and make every dime they can off the dimwitted dolts that fall into their web.

Well, trying very hard not to be bitter, we moved on. The aforesaid "fucking garbage" is in reality priceless works in marble and other valuable materials. This little wooden china cabinet caught my eye. The chair rail behind it is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) high, so the piece is about 10 feet tall (3 meters), give or take. The wood seems to be maple. One problem: I don't have a room it will fit into!

The hall contained all kinds of other interesting things such as old globes and solar system models, with the earth at the center. There were also valuable paintings.

In addition, we toured through rooms upon rooms filled with frankly, ugly amateur paintings that were truly a non sequitur with the priceless treasures around them. Why were they displayed here?

Next as we twisted and turned, we entered seemingly endless halls filled with urns and smaller sculptures. Here are a few I found worthy of photographing:

Isn't this one gorgeous? Look at the depth of the yellow! I wonder if it is marble or agate?

This one has such an ancient look!

I love the swirled concave fluting on this one.

Here is a square one.

The delicate floral decorations and angel wing handles on this one caught my eye.

Here is a marble faun. I was so excited to find one, because I had just read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun at the suggestion of my mom! I looked very closely to make sure he had pointed ears! Where art thou Donatello?

Here is a close up that Sean took. We never even spoke about the faun! How cool is that? I tried to google the artist and date, but without luck.

Here is another marble sculpture that I remember seeing before, but cannot remember the name of the artist. Why doesn't the Vatican put the artist's name on their art??? Duh?

Finally, we reached the Map Room. Phew, I thought we would never get there! but to my complete astonishment, there were two souvenir shops IN THE MAP ROOM! You have to understand, that this is a very sensitive area that is climate controlled and no photographs, especially with flash, are allowed. The windows are permanently shaded to prevent sunlight from entering. And here of all places, they are hawking crapola! You can even see it in the Wiki photo below! See the posters on the left, that is where there is a souvenir shop.

How crass and capitalistic can the church be? They have no shame! We need Jesus (if I believed in him) to come down and throw these money lenders out of his church! I mean, WTF?

So, we saw the Sistine Chapel. It was really dark and gloomy, as it was a rainy day. This was the third time I have seen it and what struck me most is what a fire hazard that room is. It is huge and holds well over a hundred people, all of whom are gazing upwards. They are packed in there like sardines. God forbid there ever be a fire in there, because the exit is funneled down to one person at a time. The place would be a panic stricken madhouse. There is one fire extinguisher and it is really tiny. It is not strapped to anything and just sits on the floor. It would be lost and if not, completely useless in a real emergency.

Finally, completely tired out, we searched for the exit. How hard could it be to find an exit? Very hard, it turns out; especially when the obvious ones are closed off! We could see the daylight from where I was standing, but would have been stopped if we had gone under the velvet rope and escaped. No. We had to walk around, and around, and around, past all the Vatican shops again and again. I was stumbling tired! I just wanted to be on the bus to the hotel already!

And when we finally did escape the Vatican, I was so relieved, I can't tell you!

Tomorrow we shop!

Rapporto di Roma: 7: Visita Basilica San Pietro

2010-03-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

The next day was rainy! We decided to take a bus to the Vatican. The concierge at our hotel directed us to a bus stop nearby and with our bus map, we found a bus number and it was easy enough to catch one that took us right where we wanted to go. Once we arrived, dark skinned Asian people flocked to us selling umbrellas. It was like mushrooms in the rain. Where did they all come from?

There was no line to get in today! But I saw what the problem was; they were screening for security. Thank you terrorists! Colorful Swiss Guards were gone in favor of serious guards dressed somberly and scanning our bags and giving us a watchful eye. After being allowed entry, I climbed to the top of the stairs of the basilica and took this photo of the bleak weather looking back, while I waited for Sean to check his bag [a new requirement].

And so we entered Saint Peter's Basilica. The last time I had been there was in the mid-90's. The first thing I noticed was that the Pieta by Michelango was behind a huge glass barrier and tons of people were in front of it. Eh, I have seen it before. The next thing I noticed, was that you could not just walk up to the confessio and gaze down at the Tomb of Saint Peter. I don't know if this was permanent or not, but what a disappointment after telling Sean about it.

My camera flash was inadequate to take any indoor photos, unless they were of white marble. So Sean had to take this altar photo [51, 52, 53]. My first time here, they were making marble pews. I wonder what happened to them?

Here is the famed bronze baldacchino by Bernini, which lies in the center of the dome. I have no idea how Sean got this photo since the area was roped off...

This is a small side chapel on the right, perhaps near the transept of the church were penance was being given. Sean was taken with the types of marble and took this photo.

Sean noticed the four statues set in niches of the four piers supporting the dome and photographed the sculptures there. This first one is Saint Veronica holding her veil with the image of Jesus' face by Francesco Mochi.

Sean also took this photo of Saint Helena holding the True Cross by Andrea Bolgi.

This is the monument dedicated to Pope Innocent XI (1676-1689). He is flanked by Faith and fortitude. The sculpture was completed by P.E . Monot. I thought it rather a fine sculpture of three figures.

Many people go to St. Peters and look at the large sculptures and the big picture as we have done already. I decided to look at the details and see what I could find about the workmanship of the day.

Here are some darling angles. Examine their facial features. The one on the right is so pouty. Now, look at their little chubby feet. They are so irresistible that over the years, many have fondled them, leaving the white marble yellowed.

Sean had to take the photo of this life size lion since confession (in many languages) was being offered in that section of the basilica and it was barred to non-penitents. Also, the priest on duty quietly denied my polite request to enter just to photograph it. The exposure was 4 seconds and that is why the photo is blurry. We also had not brought our tripod. But wasn't it worth it???

This is a small dragon (it was about a meter long) at the bottom of a sculpture, representing evil, I suppose. I found it pretty cute, and I am not alone, judging from all the handling it has had [NB: yellowing of the marble].

This is a life size bas relief of an angel that stands on a marble column towards the left rear of the basilica. I took the shot because it is the only full adult nude in the entire church. What a work of art.

A bas relief of a white dove holding the olive branch of peace at the bottom of a major column. These lovely white dove motifs appear throughout the church and are probably a detail that nobody notices at all while they are gaping at the Pieta, which is now entirely behind glass.

Floral carving detail in white marble at the base of a column and over a screen. Incredibly, All done by hand. Note the continuation of the bee theme.

A heavy marble railing with solid marble balusters. Identical balusters were noted in another Roman church dating to the same time period as St. Peters. There must have been a marble factory just churning out these orders for the church way back then. They are probably honed to the millimeter as far as specifications. Very impressive when one considers the tools available at the time. Look at how gorgeous they are!

Colorful marble inlays top the communion rail. Identical inlay patterns were at every junction of the marble.

A detail of a bee from the white marble of the communion rail along the front of Saint Peter's.

Next, the Sistine Chapel!

Rapporto di Roma 6: Walk to the Vatican

2010-03-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, the next day was also sunny! We decided to walk to the Vatican. We headed off in the direction of the Tiber and through some pretty nice neighborhoods of Rome. We saw many fashion designer stores but when we saw the Ferrari store, we could not resist and had to go in!

This is the car that was currently racing Formula 1 in Bahrain [and won!]. Though the staff told us wouldn't get far in it, because the engine was across the room on display. [I didn't think my ass would fit into the cockpit anyhow.]

Now that is a piece of machinery! I bought a bright red Ferrari cap with thin red, white and green racing stripes on the sides. It is really hot/cute.

We crossed the Tiber River at the Ponte Cavour. I took this photo of the River as we crossed:

You can see the next bridge to the south, Ponte Umberto. Then, I turned to my left and shot the street light at the Rome side of the bridge.

Traffic looks busy. We crossed the bridge and continued walking along the Lungotevere, or Riverwalk, towards the next touristy attraction. We came upon the Palazzo di Giustizia or Hall of Justice, which was built by Guglielmo Calderini between 1888 and 1910.

Of course the whole way we were walking on this side of the Tiber was lined with people selling souvenirs. Knock-off handbags and scarves, small camera tripods, all manner of Rome related crapola, and junky rosary beads. When I had been here in the sixties, it was really much better. The souvenir sellers were here, but they had better quality stuff. My mom bought a real coral necklace and they had real marble rosaries and eggs.

Suddenly, I saw the cutest little tri-color dog! I raced after it, but it was off lead and once I located the owner, I followed her. She was moving rather quickly through the crowd. I did catch up to her, but she said did not grant her permission, saying that her dog, a basenji, was very shy. What a shame! Her dog looked straight at me questioningly. It looked kind of like this:

We continued walking and shortly came upon the Castel St. Angelo, originally built as the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian between 135 and 139 AD. Eh, more antiquity... But it was too beautiful a day to go into places

Finally, we made it to the Vatican. All along the way, I had assured Sean that there would be no line to get into St. Peter's. Then we get there and there is a HUGE line! I was shocked!

You can't see it in this photo, but the line went all the way from the front door, down one side of the colonnade to where we were standing! It was moving, but we weren't into standing on any lines. I was so bummed! I was very tired and Sean wanted to explore the other side of the river and I wanted to head back to the hotel. So we split up and I went back to rest. I took one more photo of Via Portoghesi on my way home.

Though claustrophobic, it had three jewelry stores that were reminiscent of Tiffany's.

Rapporto di Roma 5: Foro Romano

2010-03-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

We walked up the street from our hotel, and found the Quattro Fontane. Here are photos of the goddess Juno and the River Arno. The famous church seemed always to be closed when we passed by. So we never did get to visit it.

This is the Horse Tamers sculpture that is on Quirinal Hill. It dates from Antiquity. The light wasn't great, but how could we not photograph it? We don't have many sculptures dating from Antiquity where we come from.

We arrived at the Roman Forum and I was so excited! Of course, when I was last there in 1967, you could roam around in it for free! Here are the photos I took:

This is Caligula's Palace:

You can see the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II looming in the background. I heard that Mussolini took tons of marble from churches he razed to build it.

Me, standing in front of Trajan's Column.

I admired the artistry and detail of the workmanship in marble that lay in pieces around the site, but looked good as new even though it was created so long ago. Here are some samples:

Sean took these last two shots:

By now you should know there has to be a dog in this story! The owner of this 6 month old canine claims that he is a Slovakian Wolf. He chewed up my hand pretty good, but heels on his leed very well for only 6 months. He sure is cute as a button though, isn't he?

Rapporto di Roma 4: Piazza Navona

2010-03-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Once again, we rounded a corner and eureka! The Piazza Navona was before us! It was such a lovely sunny day, that we stopped for some overpriced cappuccino and to chat with an ex-pat couple who were vacationing from Brussels. We listened to a fine classical guitarist and even left him a few Euro.

I dashed across the piazza to snap a photo of Sasha, a 4 month old German Shepherd dog, who very politely “struck a pose” for me. Madonna in the making?

The Fountain of Neptune was all sparkly and gorgeous in the sunshine. Unfortunately, the Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini was shrouded by construction walls and was probably being cleaned or repaired. My photo of the fourth fountain, La Fontana del Moro, was less well lit due to the position of the sun at the time of day we were there.

A gentleman adores his white poodle by the Fountain of Neptune. Who wouldn’t?

My camera loved the French Bull dog being walked across the Piazza. I had to run to catch up to take these photos. The owner must have thought me crazed. He did kind of chuckle to himself with amusement. But I guess it has happened before; his dog is a chick magnet.

The pigeon lady was almost invisible against the gray wall with her largely gray sweater. But I shot the photos once I had spotted her. If she keeps feeding them, they will take over the Piazza! Picturesque now, but a nuisance later!

We window shopped our way back to our hotel; done for the day! Rome is a terrific place to window shop! You just never know what you will find.

Rapporto di Roma 3: The Pantheon

2010-03-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

The Pantheon was built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC and rebuilt in 110 AD. Read more about the Pantheon here. Just like most extrememly old and historical places in Rome, you turn a corner, and there it is. Eureka! Of course the obligatory hansome cabs were in front of it.

It was mobbed with student groups and tour groups. I had to wait a long time to get photos of each niche without people in them. The one with the lit casket is Raphael's tomb. The Madonna and Child are carved in marble above it, as commissioned by Raphael. Italy's first two kings, Victor Emanuel II, Umberto I and his wife Margarita are also buried there. One of the photos shows two guards standing by a book where visitors can register their support for the Savoy royal family.

Although the only source of light was the 30 foot [9.1 meters] oculus, 142 feet [43.3 meters] above us, the Pantheon seemed well lit and was bright enough for photos. Its dome is the world's largest unreinforced dome. The coffers, width and different ingredients in the concrete make this possible. It is certainly a wonder of the ancient world!

Rapporto di Roma 2: Fontana di Trevi

2010-03-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

You can hear the water falling from a block away and the excitement builds as you approach the Fontana di Trevi. It was a beautiful bright, but cold day as we took the short walk from our hotel to the fountains. This was my third time there and each time I threw a coin to ensure my return.

This is the Chiesa dei Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio in the fountain’s square.

I took pictures of this hansome cab because I love horses. I sure hope they treat them well here in Rome. Cabs like this are a common sight in the Eternal City.

For future reference, marble is really cold on your ass.

We continued on our way and on and nearly a block down the road was the Piazza di Pietra which houses a temple that was built in 144 AD by Antoninus Pius for Emperor Hadrian. Below are the columns from that temple and the last photo is a detail from the marble roof trim with a lion head roof drain.

Next stop, the Pantheon!

Rapporto di Roma 1: Hotel Barberini

2010-03-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

After being nearly strip searched and felt up at JFK, our flight was uneventful and we simply strolled into Italy uncontested at Fiumicino. A quick taxi ride to the Hotel Barberini and we arrived at our new home for the next 9 days. Our room was as pictured at the hotel's website; the room was on the 4th floor with a lovely view of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica di Palazzo Barberini (pictured).

Though early for dinner we were directed to the trattoria Tritone which was only down the street from our hotel. The building it was in was easily centuries old and notably, the ceiling was of brick coffers. Bright red peppers hung in bunches from broad wooden beams and wines were on curved brick shelves in the dining room to add to the ambiance.

Sean ordered a veal scallopini in lemon sauce and I ordered pumpkin filled ravioli with black truffle sauce. Both were excellent.

The real treat awaited us in the morning though when we came up to the 6th floor for the complimentary breakfast. First of all, we could not believe our eyes when we saw the spread of food available to us! Plus, the espresso and capucino were divine!

But the capper was the stunning view from the rooftop of the hotel which looked out over all of Rome!!! We could see from the dome of St. Peter's to the Villa Borghese!

All in all the hotel was a hit and we will stay there again when we return. The concierge(s) were extremely helpful and the staff was very nice. We recommend this hotel highly to anyone who visits Rome.

National Zoo

2009-10-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

On the morning before I was to leave, I decided to visit the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. It was nearby and FREE! Plus, I had been visiting zoos every place else in the world! So, why not in Washington, DC? It was only one stop away on the Metro.

To my mind, what makes the National Zoo famous is the pandas! Now, since the birth of Tai Shan, there are three pandas. I have no idea who is who so I just numbered them 1 through 3. They were all housed separately when I visited. It is quite exciting to see them in person and each one drew a crowd of their own.

Panda 1
After taking ten shots of this one eating at a distance, he got up and moved closer!!!

Then he sat back down and resumed eating.

Panda 1

This panda was comtemplating.

Panda 2

And this panda never moved at all.

Panda 3

The red pandas were up in trees. One was galvating around, just out of sight, but this one was cat napping well within camera range.

One thing I really love about the National Zoo, is that they manage to have unobstructed areas where camera shots of the animals can be taken. In otherwords, there is only air between you and the animal, so your camera does not focus on chain link or flash is not reflected back on glass. So, here is a really great photo close up of the fishing cat. One place where I really had a difficult time with getting photographs of animals because of poor animal housing planning as far as photography concerns was the Columbus Zoo.

But here again, the animal housing is a problem with the clouded leopard, illustrating that not all zoos are perfect. This cat was so beautiful, but I just could not get a shot. It is my fault.

These parents were facsinated that the sloth bear was keen on their toddler.

The cheetah housing was again, perfect for photography! But, they moved quickly!

Kandula, an Asian elephant, was born in the zoo in 2001 and seemed to be just wandering around his enclosure. Then, suddenly, he turned and lifted a car tire off of a pole and tossed up showing that he is intelligent. We hoped he would play more, so that I could get a photo, but he just decided to munch on some left over rye grass instead.

This is a closeup of a large catfish in the underwater tank section of Amazonia.

This is a roseated spoonbill that landed very quietly. They are rather tall birds, almost as tall as a great blue heron.

Roseated Spoonbill

These are fresh water stingrays swimming in the tanks in Amazonia. We then went to the lower level, where we could see them from the side.

Fresh Water Stingrays

We could hear tropical song birds above us, and I caught a glimpse of a blue one, but I was not quick enough to get a photo. But I did catch this little red hooded bird. I don’t know the name of it, and there was no signage saying what it was. There were quite a number of them flitting around the trees. They were very pretty to hear.

200,000 at National Equality March: Where was the news coverage?

2009-10-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

My friend and I got to the rally site at 1:30 PM and went right to the front. We were right behind the fence constructed to keep the crowd away from the press risers in front of the podium, which was dead center in front of us. We had the best seats in the house, if you ask me. I was wearing a bright red t-shirt and you can see me on the Daily Show, when the camera scans the NEM audience in the beginning of the piece on the bad coverage of the NEM rally. The big white building in the background is the United States Capitol building.
Many people spoke, but I only photographed some of them.

The program opened with a medley of songs performed expertly by the Gay Mens’ Chorous of Washington, DC. We sang along to two anthems, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and The Star Spangled Banner. Next up, Toby Madigan sang his runner up song, Stand for Love.

Then, little Mario Nguyen gave his runner up Idol speech that I really liked and he had lots of pep. He told a story about coming out to his sister and how she told him his marriage would never be as real as her’s was. His plea to the audience was “make my marriage not just a fairy tale!”

Judy Shepard held up a camera and asked everybody to smile! Then said that she was there because she lost her son to hate. Sigh.

Cynthia Nixon spoke and looked fabulous.

David Mixner pointed out how wrong everybody was about the turnout. I have to agree with him there. It was quite a crowd. Even I was surprised. The place was mobbed!

Then, my favorite speaker of the day, Lt. Dan Choi came to the podium.

Here is the video of what he said:

I was very moved by this speech and it confirmed for me that he really didn’t need to hear my little story at all. He knows everything he needs to know already.

So, I ask you, where was the press coverage of this event? When is the equality of a segment of society so unimportant to our nation that it ranks little to no press whatsoever? Imagine any other segment of society marching on Washington in numbers of 200,000 or more and being totally ignored. Unimaginable, isn’t it? Infuriating too.

Wreath Laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Was Mobbed

2009-10-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

It was a gray and misty day for the wreath laying as I headed for the Tomb of the Unknown. I had another reason to visit Arlington that day, my father is there in the columbarium as he was a WWII veteran. I got there early, as is usual for me, and got the very best spot. The guard paced his route back and forth in front of the marble coffin so precisely, that deviance seemed impossible. At noon, the bell chimed the hour. A small ceremony of changing the guard took place and then another guard came out and announced “Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to witness a wreath laying ceremony sponsored by “Knights Out” GLBT graduates of West Point. Please stand and remain standing.. Those of you in uniform please render proper salute those not please place your hands over your heart during the playing of taps.”

Above, the outgoing wreath from the Battle of the Bulge Veterans and the incoming wreath from Knight's Out are held by the Tomb of the Unknown guards.

Lt. Dan Choi and Capt., MC USNR (Ret.) Michael Rankin flanked by two guards marched out to place the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Above and below, you can see them doing just that.

Bill Wilson Photo

You can see me in the photo above, in my gray sweater, second from the left, holding up my camera.

This event was literally mobbed. Even tour guides said that this many people were rare for the Tomb of the Unknown. It was packed. So where was the press coverage?

I found it encouraging that the military allowed the event to take place at all.

Then I wanted to meet Lt. Dan Choi. So I raced up through the crowd and into the museum building, and he wasn’t there. So I headed over to the other side and almost bumped into him. He was surrounded by paparazzi and fans. Everybody wanted their photos with him! It was as if he was Elvis!

I had literally two seconds with him. I said that I was honored to meet him and asked if he was out of the military. He replied that he wasn’t taking questions.

What I wanted to tell him, if I had had the time, was that my father who was a WWII veteran, POW and hero, would have thought it a terrible waste and crime that gays were not allowed in the military. He had always been extremely open minded and raised me to be the same way. But then looking at Dan and seeing him with his supporters, I got the feeling that he already knew everything he needed to know. He didn’t need to hear my story to buoy his confidence; he knew he was right. I could feel it just meeting him. It shone out of him like a beacon. His confidence in his mission and goal is very strong. He will win this battle; just watch him!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 11: Moncton & Homeward

2009-09-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Next, mom and I drove down to see our English Canadian relatives in Moncton. Mom took a photo of this floral arrangement in downtown because it is rare to see one that includes cattails. Nice, isn't it?

We went to another seafood restaurant for dinner and there was a view of the Bay of Fundy at sunset when we left. These are some photos I took of it. In the first one you can see two kids playing on a raft if you enlarge the photo.

One day, we drove to Magnetic Hill to buy to some maple sugar candy and fudge. I thougt that the display was rather artful and took this picture:

The fudge was delicious!And the maple cream my mom treated me to was awesomely tasty. I had never had it before. I think she's been holding out on the good stuff all these years.

For all the readers who are not familiar with maple sugar candy, here is a photo of it from the internet. It has a somewhat crystalline consistency outside, but the inside is maple creamy and delicious and melts in your mouth.
Here is a photo of maple cream. My mom waited until I was 53 to introduce me to this drug of choice! Is she mean or what? This great stuff is a hard block of sugary confection that breaks off into chunks of mapley delight that will melt in your mouth. This is what the locals savor, you know, the ones who know what they are doing. It is totally unlike fudge, that dilutes the joy of maple.

On our way out of Canada, we kept our eyes peeled for the small native blue berries and saw a stand. Mom bought a HUGE amount of berries [they freeze well]. But, the muffins I tastes a couple of weeks later were a delight! I hear she also made a pie, but I didn't get any!

We kept talking about getting photographs of moose signs as we were zipping by them in Canada. But we never did. So this one is off of the internet and is from Maine. The ones from Canada were larger and more impressive and asked motorists to report moose sightings in were in French.

We dropped Mom off in New London at the ferry and she took this shot of Vasco on the ferry as they steamed their way home to LI. We had a great time, but it is wonderful to get home after a long trip! Doesn't this puppy look happy to be going home?

- finis -

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 10: Bouctouche & the Birthplace of JC Irving

2009-09-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

Well now. How does one come down from the excitement of le grand tintamarre? I asked my cousin if he had gotten it all out of his system and could spend the oncoming year being contained and sensible without any outbursts of the sort I had witnessed the day before. He gave a wry chuckle and disagreed.

"No, I am charged up for the oncoming year," he exclaimed. "It filled me with the energy to go on in my life as an Acadian! That is how I feel. That is until the next tintamarre."

And so I bid my cousins sweet farewell until I could return... who knows when?

My mother and I hit the road bound for Moncton and our English cousins.

On our way we stopped for lunch at Bouctouche, New Brunswick. This marsh was behind the visitor center. If you enlarge it, you will see the heron in the middle.

The real reason we stopped there, though, was to see the Irving Memorial Chapel and the koi pond. This Scottish Kirk is constructed of stone with an open timber post and beam roof that is exteriorly covered by slates.

Here is the interior view:

Here is a photo of the window over the altar:

But here is my real draw; the koi pond! Here are two fellows working on it when we drove up. Fortunately, the younger one is in charge of keeping it! How lucky to come upon him!

Aren't the plantings divine? Look at the size of it! The fish must be huge! It is many times the size of my koi pond.

Finally I got his attention and we got to talking about koi, and he told me that the fish are only 3 years old. So, not so big yet. But he fed them and they are gorgeous!

You can see his hand throwing the food. He said that the fish hide from herons under the netted grill and that in the winter, there is a deep area under there where it doesn't freeze. So, they winter over right here in the pond.

These last two images are from my mom's iPhone.

Here I am contemplating how great it would be to have a job as a koi keeper here!

Blue Eyed Susan Passion Flower In Bloom!

2009-09-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

My brother gifted me with this blue eyed Susan passion flower at some time that eludes me right now. But, this morning I noticed that the bud I had been watching had cracked and I knew it would open today. So here it is a bit later in the morning as it had just unfurled. Isn't it pretty?

And here it is this afternoon in full bloom. The petals have actually folded back towards the stem.

In this photo you can see the entire plant which is on our porch out of the second story bathroom.

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 9: LE GRAND TINTAMARRE

2009-09-03T06:16:00.001-07:00

Now, we come to the big goal of my trip, Le grand tintamarre in Caraquet, NB. We had arrived early and the official parade was supposed to begin at 6 PM Atlantic time. So, with time to kill, I walked around and snapped some photos.

Here is a man from the Savoie family. According to his genealogy, he is descended from royalty. He looks it too. I could see him in a crown. But right now, I think he needs another hand.

I am glad I took a photo of these costumed people, because I never did see them again in the parade! Click to enlarge.

Here is a papillion; it looks a bit hot out for a dog today.

Oh, mom and I did take time for some Caraquet oysters. This handsome young man shucked them for us and they were DIVINE! Raw and firm with briney goodness! Slurp!

There were Acadians from Louisiana at the food court behind the church who were deported there during the horrible times of 1755. They offered very unspicy versions of shrimp etouffe and jambalaya. But, they were inexpensive and filling, so we ate them.

Then it was time and the parade began! OMG! It was so goshdarn noisy! A din for sure! I approached the street and couldn't tell where the parade began and the audience was. It was just a huge, noisy milling crowd of humanity. A crazy, Acadian riot! Out of control! I raised my camera to get a photo of all the commotion.

It was like this one day of the year, August 15, all of these typically reserved Canadian people just let loose and go nuts making noise with airhorns, clackers, maracas, clappers, tambourines, whistles, drums, and what have you.

Also, there was a costume and float contest to liven up the parade. Below, these two fellows figured that drag is always a good bet in costuming.

Here a fiddler adds his music to the din.

These fellows' add their muscles to the costume contest.

Landry and Arsenault are the two Acadian names here. Google them if you want to know more about them!

These two gals are dressed in old timey frocks, but wouldn't stand away far enough for me to capture the pretty hems of their dresses.

The family name here was Mourant, which means to be dying. In their float they featured a dying man who is being administered an IV of tequila! LOL!

This was so much fun! A hug Acadian flag that spanned half the street was passed over the parade and observers and parade marchers had to lift it over with their hands. It was so inclusive and bonding for everybody!

This was an impressive float because the actors were painted white and stayed in character and the boat was so spooky.

This was fun - a ship decorated like those we saw in the fleets!

The Acadians are a very inclusive people as shown by this African man. He and others like him, plus some Acadians played some Rastafarian drum rhythms.

These two ladies were selling maple leaves with Acadian family names on them.

Now, here is a way to get attention - get on top of a cherry picker!

Here I am at the parade [my mom shot this photo with her iPhone and all the rest]! I even joined it for a bit when my cousin invited me to. How could I turn him down? I am not Acadian, my mom's family is Quebecois, but on August 15th, everybody is Acadaian!

Isn't this a colorful shot?

I hope you enjoyed the photos, here is a video of the parade!

Video source: Capcadie, more videos there

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 8: New Brunswick Aquarim & Marine Center, Inkerman

2009-09-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

So from the fleet, mom and I drove into the Town of Shippagan and decided to see what the New Brunswick Aquarium had on display.

There was this very beautiful quilt that you need to enlarge to enjoy. It has many ocean creatures on each panel and is very imaginative and clever.

Basically, the aquarium displayed the fish that are native to the waters in the area, many of which we had been, um, eating! But these jellyfish were not the case.

And though we ate many lobsters, none were completely white!

Nor where any blue!

These seals were exactly the same as the ones we saw around Bonaventure Island. I was so excited, because I just love seals!

So I took a closeup of one...

This is what a seal does when it is not ready for it's closeup. It swims to the bottom and lies there with it's tummy up and plays dead.

But here's a chipper one ready for a closeup! See, he/she is even smiling! But I didn't have a fish to reward this lovely pose, so I walked away sad.

Then we drove on heading for Inkerman Parrish on our way home. All of these areas are inland wetlands consisting of marshes, swamps, bogs, ponds, etc.. As a matter of fact, New Brunswick is so wet that my female host told a really neat joke about it. Here it is:

A man from New Brunswick dies and goes up to Saint Peter's gate. Of those not admitted immediately, Satan is sorting through people who will go lower and those who will go to purgatory. But then there are a few set to the side who are just standing there waiting around. He sees that he will be sorted soon. When it is his turn he asks Satan "What are those people waiting for?" Satan answers "They are from New Brunswick and they are too wet to burn."

Ba dum bum! I'll be here all night, enjoy the veal...

Well, back to the trip. So, as we drive along, we see many osprey nests, so I got out and took a photograph of one. Click to enlarge and you will see that the bird is stretching his wings. See the tall trees in the distance? Would you believe that there is a huge church behind those?

This is Catholic Church of Saint Michel in Inkerman Ferry that was built in 1916. Inkerman Ferry is such a small town that there is not even a grocery store in it. It is stuck out in the middle of no place. If you enlarge this photo you can read the sign next to the building to see the church's name and the stone tablet underneath the rose window hast the date of the buildings completion.

Note the twin silver domes and brick with stone masonry which is typical of the Catholic religion's churches in this area. Also, the church is decorated for the upcoming festival.

Here it is from another view:

See! There is nothing near it at all. I wish I had the time to go miles away and photograph it... It is just standing there in the middle of nothing. A miracle!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 7: Saint-Léolin & Shippegan

2009-09-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so now we can discuss our camp in Saint-Léolin. First, let me define what is meant by the word 'camp'. It was a small white house with two bedrooms that was furnished with whatever was on hand, probably from a refuse center [ie: town dump] and the finishing, such as the floor and wall coverings were whatever was to hand, such as leftover floor covering or paneling. So, in all, the look of the place was mismatched as far as furniture and some furniture looked quite ratty. In some places the flooring was bright and shiny and in others not so much. It didn't help matters that in general the place wasn't very clean. At $20 per night, the price was right.

All of this is to be expected in a 'camp' and I was not surprised at all. This was all expected by me. But, my mother, does not CAMP. She walked in and said "What a dump!" She hauled out her iPhone camera and began to snap photos:

This was the dresser in our room. Of it mom said "Grandma was a whore." Of course we got the best room.

Okay, so the other problem was that it was a two bedroom house with one bathroom and their were 9 of us. Nine people cramped into that small camp!!! So we had to be imaginative about sleeping arrangements:

My cousin sleeps in the area between bedrooms and I sleep in a closet [at least it was a big one]. Cousins slept in the kitchen and livingroom too. We slept everywhere exept the bathroom, because that was the busiest room in the house!

But it all worked out just fine and we left the camp many times cleaner than we found it.

Most mornings, mom couldn't wait to get out of there, and this morning we drove to Shippagan and the fleet was in and all decked out the Festival! Click to enlarge.

Here is a three masted sailing yacht that I took a photo of for Sean. It is being single-handedly turned to be rafted to one of the fishing boats.

Here is a closeup of one decorated boat with another off it's bow.

Here is the reverse of that shot.

This shot my mother took with her iPhone. Isn't it beautiful?

We visit the aquarium next - so stay tuned!

Darling Laila

2009-08-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is Laila, my German Shepherd dog, who is just 10 years old. I have thrown a twig out in the water for her and swims out to fetch it.

My darling puppy went on a hunger strike while I was in Canada and lost all energy. Sean thought it was because she missed me. Poor thing. If only they understood that I would be back. But we offered canned food, and the hunger strike ended swiftly. Jenny, her partner in all canine crimes, was so anxious to get to the canned food, that she was literally jumping into the bowl before it was set down.

What a good girl! Here she is coming back with the twig! Oops. She bit it in half and has to go back for the pieces!

Here she comes again with a piece of the broken twig.

"It was here somewhere..."

Isn't she the prettiest doggie you've ever seen? I just taught her a new trick. It is called 'find mommy's pill'. She is brilliant at it when I drop one. Trust me.

Some endangered native vegetation at the watering hole.

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 6: Grande-Anse & Anse Bleue

2009-08-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

We drove to a camp we planned on sharing with our cousins [more on that later] that was close to Caraquet and then explored the area of Grande-Anse to see the local coves and beaches.

We found a private drive, and the sign said "Welcome friends," in French, so we felt we could go in since we are friendly people. No one was at home. But look at their view!

Have you ever seen anything like this?

Look how clear the water is! Of course they had two kayaks ready to go. I was ready to take one myself for a little paddle.

Talk about a private swimming area!

Mom got this shot of me day dreaming of swimming in this pristine water! Look how clear it is!

Then we got back into the car and drove looking for beaches. This one is a pay beach. For $5 you get public showers and this tiny patch of sand, complete with disgusting muddy area [near the split rail fence].

Here is the free beach. Gorgeous isn't it? It was really hot out, so I don't know why nobody was swimming. It was a work day though.

Vasco sprints across the beach, as if he has waited the entire trip to do so!

And then, Vasco takes a plunge into the water. Just what I would love to do!

Here are some driftwood heads that somebody put up.

This is a sculpture that seems to have some sexual themes.

Here is a normal Acadian residence that is decorated for the Festival.

Compare the house at top to this little house in Anse-Bleue. We drove there looking for someplace to eat dinner and I photographed this house because their decorations for the Festival acadien are really over the top!

Click to enlarge the photo above and you can see his little head watching us in the wooden swing! Another view is below.

We did find a bar, aptly called, 'The Bar', but they had stopped serving dinner. What they did have, however, was a free plate of hot steamed mussels for every customer! Mom and I were all over that! One of our cousins joined us in slamming a plate of these native tasties down. They were wonderful, tender, fresh and delicious! They were the best mussels I ever had! I am sure that the buckaroo in the photo below is probably smiling because he just finished a plate, and not because of the pretty girls at his table.

More Canada is on the way!!!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 5: Mi’kmaq First Nation Peoples

2009-08-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

On our way back, we passed through Pointe-à-la-Croix, the town that is home to the Mi’kmaq. We went to a shop called Woodpile Handicrafts.

Once I laid eyes on these moccasins, I had to have a pair, even though they are not Mi’kmaq. Actually, we bought 3 pairs, one for me, one for my mom, and a pair for my twin.

Here is a closeup of the beading on the toe:

Then I espied this lovely beaded belt that was made by a Mi’kmaq woman and I bought it!

Here are some photographs of the shop's displays. That is a goat skin and deer skin next to the snow shoes. I really wanted the deer skin, but it was out of my price range. It cost money! Then I thought about what my dogs would do to it! Yikes!

Look at this gorgeous display! I would so buy myself lace up moccasin boots! I see me prancing around in them everywhere! They are so fantastically adorable! Don't you think? Wouldn't I make a cute Pocahontas in those?

They also had the neatest leather jackets. They were each a piece of art and one-of-a-kind with embossing, metal and leather appliques and small carved stone fetish animals applied to the back, lapels, sleeves, pockets or breasts. One jacket had a bear motif and was perfect for Sean. Alas, it was $800. Oh well.

Here is their address and phone no.:

Woodpile Handicrafts

32, route 132
Listuguj, Québec G0C 2R0

Phone: (418) 788-5876

Fax: (418) 788-5458

Stay tuned; much more Canada awaits!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 4: Percé Rock, Quebec

2009-08-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

Finally we had made it to Percé Rock on the tip of a peninsula of the Gaspé. As we walked around the town and came upon this school, we headed over the hill and were able to see the dock and a tour boat that was much like our own. Click photos to enlarge.

Unfortunately, it was quite foggy! But I guess you'll rarely see photographs of Percé Rock in the fog!

Here is the infamous rock as we saw it the day before from 'Surprise' lookout point. Note how there was little fog the day before.

And here it is the day we took a tour boat out to see it! Where is the top of it??? Note the other large tour boat that is in front of it nearing the hole.

Here is a closeup of the hole which is 15 meters high (50 feet).

This was a hole, but broke through some time ago.

This is the far side of the hole.

This photo was taken looking back at the rock as we steamed towards Bonaventure Island.

Bonaventure Island shelters many seals which I found challenging to photograph!

But, Bonaventure Island is most important for housing the largest colony of Northern gannets in the world with over 100,000 birds. See all of the white dots on the cliffs? Those are gannets!

Our boat even powered close up to one of their nesting rocks, and of course, this blogger was in exactly the right place on the boat to get a photo! I could have reached out and touched a bird! I was in the prow leaning on the railing while the Captain had the front of the boat almost touch the rock! I was afraid to move and scare the birds away! Isn't this a great shot!

I was disappointed though because I wanted to see an Atlantic Puffin [to add to my life list] and we didn't see a one!

Below is our capable and bilingual tour guide, Guillaume.

It was also too foggy to see whales. Well, that was what happened the last time I was on a whale watch too. I must be jinxed!

Stay tuned - there is so much more Canada!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 3: Paspébiac & Bonaventure, Quebec

2009-08-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

The next day, we headed off with our cousin hosts for the town of Percé in Quebec by crossing over the J.C. Van Horne Bridge. Along our drive there is much forested land with views of the Bay of Chaleur and some very small towns. The most prominent architectural feature of these towns are the churches; most notably the Catholic ones as the Protestant ones are made of wood and painted white, just like the houses. Sometimes, the only differentiation is the spire and windows. Churches like these can be seen all over New England, but are smaller than those.

Below is a photo of the Roman Catholic Church in Bonaventure. Note the silver metal roof and stone siding. These are typical architectural features of Catholic churches in Canada. Some have brick masonry instead of stone. As can be seen in the next photo. Click to enlarge.

This photo was taken in the town of Paspébiac in Quebec.

This was a wharf and fish processing area that is now not used. The building above has been retrofitted into a restaurant. As you can see, there is nothing else in the area at all but trees! But, one fishing boat was at the dock, so I photographed it mostly because it had the town's name on the stern.

Flowers are amazing in this area of Canada! They don't suffer the extreme heat and have a very short growing season. Just look at the glory of these purple petunias! Have you ever seen anything like it?

And how about these nasturtiums and rainbow chard! Wonderful, eh?

Here I am purchasing a souvenier for Sean. This artisan, Hector Legrisley, has been crafting sailing boats in wood for 45 years. You see them everywhere! I bought the one he is holding for only $35 Canadian! Priced to sell, eh? My mom bought a smaller one like those on the second shelf from the bottom for only $15! He could be charging so much more for these! They are just gorgeous and he sells them from his driveway! Incredible!

Stay tuned... We are getting closer to Perce!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 2: Campbellton, New Brunswick

2009-08-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

On our second day of driving, we reached Campbellton, New Brunswick, my mom's birthplace. This small town is built along the Restigouche River where rich people come to fish for Atlantic salmon as signified by this statue. Our goal, was to eat as much of the fresh fish as we could while in the area. We had already had had two 1.25 lb lobsters each in Maine, and as they had just shed their shells, they were tender, yielding and tasty! Sigh.

Lest we forget, we had come to see our relatives though. So, we did and on our first night there, surrounded by fourteen of our beautiful cousins, we were served fresh grilled red river trout and Atlantic salmon! It was wonderfully prepared and excellent!

This is Alys_in_Underland, one of my younger cousins. She is a really sweet woman and I am glad to have met her.

And this is her back tattoo:

She has 26 hours into this work and 12 hours to go. Her goal is to have 90% of her body tattooed. Her inspiration was that in life, things are not always what they seem. Boy is that ever true! I sure hope I get to see her again - maybe in NYC.

I walked quite a bit in Campbellton and this is down the waterfront looking out onto the wharf. On the left is Quebec, and on the right is New Brunswick.

Here is a closeup of a lamp. Note the art deco design.

Here is looking back at Campbellton. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the church with a statue of the Madonna on top.

I continued to scan the town with my camera and took this photo in which you can see Sugar Loaf Mountain, the local ski area. The large building at right is the new sports center with hockey rink.

Then I took photos across the river towards Quebec. As you can see, there is not much over there but it is very pretty.

This is the J.C. Van Horne Bridge which crosses over to Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec where the Mi’kmaq First Nations people live. We were to go there tomorrow as the next step on our journey to explore the Gaspé Penninsula all the way to Percé Rock.

I hope that you can see our planned route on the map below:

So, stay tuned!

Mon Voyage À L'Acadie: Part 1 - Lewiston, Maine

2009-08-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

I took an exciting trip with my mother to discover Acadia in Canada's province of New Brunswick and some of Quebec as well, and to revisit my relatives, whom I last saw some 30 years ago. I also learned of the history of the persecuted Acadians and celebrated in one of their more important festivals with my relatives of Acadian descent. Of course we also took in some sight seeing along our way and visited other cultures in the Gasp é region, such as the Québécois and Mi’kmaq.

Our first stop was in Lewiston, Maine to rest for the night. We arrived in the afternoon and took in the Saints Peter and Paul Basilica. The lower church was completed in 1906 and the upper church in 1908.

The granite was mined in Jay, Maine. The towers are 168 feet (51 meters) tall and contain 5 bells and a carillion.

Looking towards the back of the church and the rose window. Note the baptismal font, the bowl of which is carved from one piece of Italian marble. It stands on four Solomonic columns with Corinthian capitals that match the altar. Note also the majestic Casavant organ and the oak woodwork that surrounds it.

The altar was designed prior to the baptismal piece, so it is of Italian marble and the columns are as were previously described.

The side windows are called the "Rosary" windows and some depict the stations of the cross.

In this photo, you can see the depth of the altar.

As we continued on our journey the next day, we passed Mount Katahdin, and I took this photo from a scenic overlook. Click to enlarge.

Tomorrow we reach Canada!

The Columbus Zoo

2009-07-09T05:01:00.000-07:00

Sean and I took the July 4th weekend and drove to Columbus to visit Sean's relatives. The one exotic thing to do in Columbus is go to the Zoo! And so we did.

The Columbus Zoo claims to be number 1 in the country. I think not. Sorry Columbus. But San Diego, The National Zoo in Washington, The Bronx Zoo and maybe even the Philadelphia Zoo have you beat. Anyhow, Columbus is a damn nice zoo. Here are my photos, and another post will include Sean's photos.

The centerpiece of the zoo is a carousel that was built in 1914. It has 52 hand carved wooden horses and one chariot. Here are two horses that caught my eye.

Without further ado, the animals:

A white-naped crane

Didn't someone say let sleeping tigers lie?

A sun bear plays with his food.

A 24 foot (7.3 meter) long reticulated python.

A palas cat takes a bath.

A zebra shark in the big aquarium.

A large Pacific blue tang.

An orange shoulder tang zips on by.

Holly the manatee.

These Humbolt penguins were very shy and that may have been because they were molting or because they had just had chicks in February. Compare them to the ones I photographed cavorting in their pool in Barcelona.

A Temminick's pheasant in the Pheasant's enclosure.

This Himalayan Impeyan Pheasant is shy and doesn't want to show off his colors.

While the golden pheasant struts his stuff all around the enclosure.

It was day, so the flying foxes are sleeping.

But this little fellow opened his eyes to check us out.

The obligatory flamingos shot. These were all the zoo had and they were cramped in a tiny pond.

The zoo also had a red panda and lions, but they were too far away for me to get photos, so Sean took pictures with his zoom. The zoo also had large primates, but I don't like seeing those.

Basically, I was not impressed, but then again, our visit time was limited. We didn't get to see the polar bears and I had forgotten about them by the time we left! But I love to look at animals at a zoo, large or small. So, I had fun and took photos.

Sean's View of Barcelona

2009-06-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

NB: I have changed the comment format so that anyone can make comments. So, please do! :)

A lot of photography is about having patience. Which I have none of and Sean has bucket loads of. The Barcelona Zoo tried my patience and the birds won. Damn birds.

Here I am feeding a Pere David's Deer.

The Bactrian camels were as uncooperative for Sean as they were for me. We chose to move on.

I love this shot that Sean got of an upset Macaw taking wing (as you may recall, construction was going on near their enclosure).

I was totally fed up and left the bird building by the time Sean got this photo.

These were a beautiful type of pigeon with a rose marking on their chests making them look like they had been shot fatally.

These are the crested Asian pigeons, who tried our patience so sorely.

Sean took this hyena shot blind in one exposure; he held his camera above his head on top of a brick wall and clicked the shot without looking. Good thing we use digital now, he was able to see how the shot came out.

Storks. Who do you think they are bringing a baby to?

A grand close-up of the tiger.

The king of beasts snoozes.

A black tailed prairie dog is too cute!

These steps were on our way up to Park Güell. I had to run up them to see what was on top. It was just more street.

But, a close up shows that I celebrated the win of the Barcelona team of Europe's Soccer Cup just the day before by purchasing an official team jersey. Click to enlarge.

A window detail.

Here is a metal sidewalk cover.

A photo of the aqueducts that are on the summit of the park and the steps leading up to them.

I am sitting in one of the stone nooks created by the stonework that you can see in the foreground. More stonework rises above my head. I'm sure it won't fall and crush the life out of me. (?)

Here is one of the sun details from the underside of the support for the serpentine bench.

Here is the underside of the serpentine bench with the colonnade. The ceiling is dimpled like a golf ball.

The tour bus went zipping by the Casa Batlló designed by Gaudi.

The following photographs are mine.

This is the Columbus Monument, that stands 60 m tall. It is said to be in the place where Columbus returned from his first trip to the new world.

This is a marina on the Barcelona oceanfront. I was kind of imagining what it would be like to live here.

The tour bus went zipping by this monastery so fast, it was only when I got home I realized that this is the Pedrables Monastery that dates back to the 14th century. Too bad, it would have been worth a visit.

As part of my imagining living on the ocean in Barcelona, this could be my front door. What do you think?

I hope we get to go back to Spain soon! We weren't there long enough to see anything!!!

Sean's View of Madrid

2009-06-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Of the two of us, Sean is the real photographer. His assignment on this trip was to photograph me (LOL!) and make me look like a traveling starlet (LMAO) in the gorgeous city of Madrid!

Here, Cristiano and I enjoy some Spanish coffee before we go to the Prado Museum. As I recall, the service at this particular cafe was abominably slow. Unlike the Zurich Cafe that Sean and I went to in Barcelona. When we arrived there, no tables were in the shade. So, we moved one. Little did I know that we had left Spain and were in Switzerland. The angered waiter came over and shouted "MOVE!" We had to move to another table in shade that had just opened up. I asked for a croissant with jam and he misunderstood and thought I meant a filled one. He replied "NO!" Apparently they were out of them. He reminded me of the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. But, we were served extremely promptly, unlike this cafe, where I was sure the wait staff forgot about us, only to learn that we were in between shifts. Oh well, it gave Cristiano and I time to catch up.

"Yada, yada, yada..." "Where's our refill?"

It was cold and drizzly waiting for the Prado tickets. But I was well prepared for any weather with my Tilley hat and wind breaker.

The Prado has merged old and new, adding a new wing that encompasses an old church.

Here is a close up of the mating of the buildings. Discuss.

Here are some lovely buildings that we passed on our way to the Prado.

A close up of the Institute of Cervantes.

More really neat buildings.

Great art deco details on this building. Look closely at the glass enclosed balcony and the awning over the door.

The street signs in the old part of the city were made of tiles and were very charming. However, they were not conducive to being read from a car. Maybe there is a message there.

This lovely old building was across the street from our hotel. It was at one point being used as a movie theater. Now it seems to be abandoned.

Now this is an entrance.

Here we are back with beautiful doors. There were quite a few in both Madrid and Barcelona.

Even the newspaper kiosks were pretty. This one is a work of art.

Here I am north of the Gran Via, posing in front of some baroque decorative stairs dating from the 18th century. The stairs are still in use and a fountain runs at the bottom. Click to enlarge.

Here is a shot I took of the Casa de la Panderia in the Plaza Mayor. It was built in 1509 and the fresco was completed in 1922.

We went to Atocha station to catch the Renfre high velocity train to Barcelona. I was very impressed the tropical garden in the center atrium space. Look at the size of it!

I couldn't wait to see if there were fish in that healthy looking pond. But no, it was infested with turtles. The water was brownish with turtle offal. Yuck! No wonder the plants are so green.

The high velocity trains were quiet, comfortable, and clean. Here is what the world looks like at 300 KMPH:

Next: Sean's View of Barcelona!

New Fedora

2009-06-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of my new fedora that I bought in Madrid and wore to the wedding with my Fendi suit.

FYI - I have posted all of the photos that I took in Spain and am waiting for Sean to send me his.

Barcelona Zoo

2009-06-04T05:51:00.001-07:00

Where ever I go, I love to visit the zoos! Barcelona was no different. The zoo was within walking distance from our hotel and so we went. Also, I am interested in subjects for me to paint.

These are bactrian camels. They were gorgeous in person. But they weren't cooperative as far as posing.

These are Asiatic crested pigeons. Gosh, they flitted around so quickly between hubs and I we must have tens of photos of them. But this shot is a winner, I think. Even though the crest on the bottom bird is not in focus, I can fix that from another photo and it will make a great painting.

The poor parrots! Loud construction was going on right next to their cages and they were really upset. I only got this one photo. Does anyone know what this bird is?

These birds are from Asia too. Most fish to eat. This tiny pond had little feeder fish in it. The birds are very pretty.

This is a South American Cavy.

Isn't this a clever display? These are plush toys pushed into a basket so that only their eyes show. Too cute, I had to take a photo of it.

All zoos have an obligatory flamingo pond.

This grizzly bear was mislabeled as a brown bear.

OMG! I love penguins! And these Humboldts were having a blast playing in their pond!

RATS! Nick thinks he has a problem! Does anyone know what the S. American rodents are?

The king of beasts.

I love meerkats!

Peacocks strolled freely.

A Pere David's deer from China.

A couple of tapirs. I think we ate these in Ecuadorian Equinox.

TIGERS!!!

A young wapiti.

Park Güell by Gaudi

2009-06-04T05:17:00.001-07:00

We took the very first tour bus from the location by our hotel, intending to see Antoni Gaudi's greatest work, Sagrada Familia. The bus poked along and got us there by 10:30 in the morning and the line around the church was so long, that it reminded me of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. There was no way we could see it unless we got there first thing in the morning.

So we decided to see Park Güell, which was on two stops away. It too was mobbed, but because it is an open space, we just walked right in.

The caretaker's cottage.

The church.

The church as viewed from the serpentine seating with a city view in the background.

A detail from the ceiling of the structure that holds up the serpentine bench.

A tile detail from the steps leading up to the serpentine seating.

A detail of the exterior of the serpentine seating showing a lion's head waterspout to help drain rain runoff. The caretaker's cottage is in the background.

A city view from the aqueduct at the summit of the park.

The other side of the view showing the Mapfre Towers.

Entrance to the park was free.

More Wedding Photos

2009-06-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Beaches

2009-06-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

I walked down the beaches that line the Barcelona coast. This is what I saw. A small troop of segways steams ahead.

A play structure.

The Mapre Towers are a landmark.

The young man with the water bottle was quite attractive.

Graffiti near the beach.

A man with his German Shepherd Dog sits at a beach front cafe.

This young lady's dog is named Zeus.

Windsurfers walk the board home after a great day out. Barcelona is terrific for windsurfing and sailing.

A lovely young mother and her twin daughters allowed me to take her photograph.

This young man had lost his father when he was 12 years old and got these tattoos to memorialize him. Note the cute friend in the background.

Some small fish that I might paint at a later date.

A proud fisherman and his catch.

Another proud fisherman and his catch.

This attractive young rollerblader posed for me with his dog Mica.

The catch of the day. Maybe the subject of a painting?

This beautiful Andalusian young man is totally Spanish and illustrates the Norwegian influence in genetic make up. His piercing blue eyes did not show up in the photo as I would have liked.