Churches in Venice

A few works of art depicting Torcello. This lovely drawing is by John Ruskin~

And another Ruskin drawing, this one comparing the capitals of Torcello's Santa Maria Assunta with those of San Marco~

Continue reading "Torcello in art " »

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Average."

An average, ordinary, very common wildflower. Nothing wrong with being average!

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Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who got a little choked up this morning watching the coverage of the pandas' departure for China. I watched Tai Shan grow up on the National Zoo webcam and went to visit him in Fall of 2006 when he was one-and-a-half years old. What a charismatic little bear! I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

He was supposed to go to China when he was two, but the zoo was allowed to keep him for a couple of extra years. We were lucky for the extra time but still, it's sad to see him go. The annual panda pregnancy watch is on, so maybe there will be another baby panda born in DC this year. Godspeed Tai!

Photos and videos of the cute one departing on the FedEx Panda Express are on the National Zoo's Flickr pages.

Torcello’s famous five-star inn, the Locanda Cipriani, has a great “Our Memories” web page which chronicles all the many famous people who have visited. It's an impressive list of royalty, artists, writers, and movie stars, and it's hilarious to read because it’s decidedly NOT chronological, and all other visitors seem to be designated as either “Before Hemingway” or “After Hemingway.”

And yes, Hemingway is at the top of the list, maybe because he not only visited Torcello many times but when he did, he tended to stay for extended periods rather than just popping in for lunch as many of the other celebrities did. In the fall of 1948, Hemingway spent a month on Torcello where wrote his Venice novel, Across the River and Into the Trees.

Confession: I tried to read this novel and I just couldn’t do it. I ended up skimming most of it and only reading the descriptions of Venice. Torcello gets a few brief mentions, but there is one nice part when the “hero” visits the Rialto Market.

Continue reading "Torcello: famous visitors" »

Congratulations and best wishes to Kathy (Trek Capri) who has just adopted her first cat, a beautiful orange tabby named Elizabeth! I am so excited for Kathy and happy for this sweet two-year-old cat who really needed a new home.

Kathy, I hope that she brings you just as much joy and laughter as my girls have brought to me.

LuLu and Maria send best wishes to their new cousin too!

Here's my advice for a new cat owner. Cats LOVE enclosed spaces like closets and cupboards, and they are very quick. They can jump right in without you even knowing it, so be careful. Maria used to try to jump in the fridge and the freezer! One time I went to work and LuLu was stuck in a closet; I felt so bad when I got home and found her there. So now, before I leave the house, the very last thing I do is check to make sure the cats are out and about and okay. Keep an eye on the washer and dryer too; I never start either one up without making sure no one is inside.

Continue reading "♥ Welcome Elizabeth! ♥" »

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Spotted."

A spotted cat that I spotted in the wood pile~

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Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.

I'm determined to finish my Torcello series sooner rather than later...so here's the second cat story. This one isn't quite as dramatic as the cat who got on my lap in the cathedral, but still, It was such a strangely feline day, especially since after I left Torcello and went to Burano, I ran into another colony of cats that included a little orange kitten who tried to climb my leg.

Anyway, I stopped to pet and photograph all the many cats lounging along the canal leading down to the Piazza where the churches are. Because it was such a gray day and it wasn't raining at the time, I decided to walk around the island for a while before I went into the churches. So I was moseying along and all of a sudden, I glanced over and realized I had a companion. One of the Torcello cats had left his/her compatriots and decided to join me on my walk.

I was happy for the company and we walked together for about 20 minutes or so. Every once in a while, I'd stop and get the camera out, and the cat would stop and pose.

Continue reading "The other Torcello cat story" »

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Balanced."

A sculpture of a family with the little kids balanced on the big people's arms and heads.

This sculpture is in a park next to the Farmer's Market where I shop on Saturdays, and I've taken a bunch of photos of it. Here's another view on a cold winter day.

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Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.

I've realized that blogging is like exercising or healthy eating or any other good habit; when your routine falls by the wayside, it's not that easy to get back on track. Excuses, excuses, I know, but honestly I've been so busy lately and all of my free time has been going to other things (mainly the cat sanctuary). I do hope to resume regular blogging soon!

So for now, a couple of recent photos of the Dynamic Duo. They weathered the recent bizarro cold weather just fine (even though they are indoor cats, it does get a little chilly in my old house and a few times, I found LuLu laying right on the heating vent!). Cats are heat lovers, and I know they are happy that we've returned to more normal winter weather now. LuLu continues to be the quintessential lapcat, and Maria is still the Class Clown (almost everyday, she does something that makes me laugh!).

Like many people, my heart has been in Haiti this past week. I was happy to read this morning that a number of organizations have joined together to form ARCH (Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti). I remember when there were similar efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and a number of Katrina cats and dogs were rescued and brought to NC to be adopted by people here. I plan to make donations for both the people and the animals of that devasted country.

Several years ago, my cousin went to Haiti and brought me a beaded Haitian prayer flag. I'd seen these in folk art galleries and really liked them a lot. Mine is hanging in my hallway and I've been looking at it every day for years now, so I feel connected to that country and its art. It's hard to get my head around the level of suffering happening there now.

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Bulky."

A statue of Hercules in the NC Museum of Art. He looks like a bulky guy. :)

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Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Lick."

The first PhotoHunt of 2010 - best wishes for a Happy New Year to everyone!

These fine fellows both live at the cat sanctuary where I volunteer (this sanctuary is home to 300 cats). You can't make a cat pose for a "lick" photo so I was lucky to get these right before this theme came up!

And I'd like to ask all my blog friends to support your local no-kill animal shelters. Even if you can't adopt a furry friend, please think about donating time or money. There are way too many homeless animals out there.

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This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Twelve."

The twelve signs of the Zodiac on the clock face in Piazza San Marco in Venice~

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Thanks for visiting. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday, and best new year (and decade) wishes to all!