Cheers

Spritz to end this year. Cheers to you my dear friends and visitors...

Street Lamp

Bajo la penumbra de un farol
Se dormiran
Todas las cosas que quedaron por decir,
Se dormiran.
Junto a las manillas de un reloj
Esperaran.
Todas las horas que quedaron por vivir,
Esperaran.

Corte Sconta

One of my favorite concealed campi in Venice...

Foto Color

A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.
Ansel Adams

Crossing the bridge

“Let every man praise the bridge that carries him over”
English Proverb

Go on! Rub my belly!

Since Pierre seems to be resting, and knowing how impatient you all are for fresh photos (this one is only just over a year old), I thought I would see how many of you have noticed this when you have been walking around the Piazza. Can you see how the belly is polished? This is because there are two rows of columns in front of it, and it is considered bad luck to walk between the columns (like the ones in the Piazzetta). If you find you have inadvertently walked between the columns, you can cancel the bad luck by rubbing the belly on this carving.
It's not a good photo, I'm afraid. I don't like using flash, if I can avoid it.

Christmas Eve: Only a Pekingese was stirring

Merry Christmas

8 AM in Cannaregio

It's eight in the morning, Venice wakes up...

Water

One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.
Lao Tzu

Gondola ride

A gondola ride at dusk...

Waterfalls

A video installation on the windows of Palazzo Pestrin, over the Contini Art Gallery. A surprising work by Fabrizio Plessi.

Skyline

From the boat, leaving Burano to Venice...

Santa Maria della Salute

In the aftermath of a terrible bubonic plague epidemic, the Republic of Venice decided that a votive church would be built. Chosen to work on this project the young architect Baldassare Longhena (1598 - 1682) will dedicate fifty years of his life to this masterpiece, from 1631 to his death in 1682.

Waterborne greengrocer

A floating vegetable shop, somewhere in the lagoon...

In a fog

Yay! It was foggy again today! I love fog. Probably because my brain relates to it so well. I'd probably make a great candidate for a Seattleite.

Here are a few morning commuters making their way through the fog, taken from the Baptist Health Medical Center parking garage.

Made from ash

Just playing around, trying to learn about my camera settings. This was the no-flash feature...who needs a flash with all these lights?

It was a foggy day today with so many perfect photo opportunities. There were so many shades of gray. But it just didn't happen for me today. This ornament, made from the ash of Mount St. Helens will have to suffice. It's amazing how such vivid and beautiful colors come from gray ash! How do they do that?!

Native Arkansas

Something from the archives today. This shot was taken in May in the history pavilion at Riverfront Park. Like most (if not all) states in the U.S., Arkansas has a rich history of Native Americans. Visit the Encyclopedia of Arkansas to learn more.

Bravo!

Today I attended my son's piano recital at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in UALR's Fine Arts Building. The Community School of the Arts offers music lessons and a summer arts program for kids of all ages.

You can click here for upcoming performances.

Merry Merry!

Today I am supporting a favorite local artist (and new friend!) of mine, The Painted Boutique. The owner, Samantha, makes unique door and wall hangers out of burlap and adds a personal inscription. Wall decor is the perfect gift for a newborn baby, a sports fan, a college student, a mother-in-law, etc.  I may even request another for my kitchen (Hey Samantha, how about a birthday cupcake and a tea cup? ;)
 
You can "like" The Painted Boutique on facebook or shop at Etsy.

The Elf on the Shelf

The Elf on the Shelf is very popular this year. And busy, too. Every night, he travels to the North Pole to let Santa know how nice or naughty the kids are. Whata tattletale!

Snow & Reindeer

It snowed last night! Just enough to transform Little Rock into a winter wonderland this morning. By mid-day, most of it had melted.

I love where I live. It takes less than five minutes to leave suburbia and head out into the country! On our morning drive to Pinnacle Mountain, we saw deer & horses. Of course, it wouldn't be a typical day without stopping at Walmart (I'm seriously there way too much. My kids need a padlock on the pantry) where we saw a reindeer. Reindeer car, that is.

Barred Window

What's with me and windows lately? I had forgotten that my last post was a window, too! They're just such great metaphors, aren't they? One can look in and one can look out, separated by two seemingly different environments.

The heart shape on this wrought iron caught my eye as I drove down MLK Blvd past boarded up, dilapidated homes - an area that looks even worse on cold, cloudy, wet days such as today. An article I read some time ago came to mind, which talked about the division of Little Rock by the I630: a white Little Rock north of the freeway, and a black Little Rock to the south. Click here to read the article.

At first, I scoffed at such a comment, thinking surely that can't be true in this day & age. But it really hit home for me today. There is a lot of sadness around the Central High School district, on the south side of the freeway. I can only hope this heart is a reminder that love IS everywhere, no matter how small. And I hope, given the right conditions, it will grow.