Saturday Photohunt: Seasonal

It's been a long while since I've posted an entry...but I was meandering around my yard the other day taking pictures in the rain and thought I would share a glimpse of what the season looks like in Nova Scotia right now...what a blessing to be surrounded by such beauty!

Check out Sandi's Photohunt page to enjoy more seasonal offerings!

Saturday Photohunt: Oooooo

I say "Oooooo" when I stumble upon quirky corners of the world...like this street in Citta' della Pieve, Umbria:

Vicolo Baciadonne, which is Italian for (I believe) Kiss the Woman Street. I have heard a couple explanations for this name:

• It is so narrow a person can lean out a window on one side and kiss a woman in the window on the opposite side.
• It is so narrow two people have to kiss in order to squeeze past each other.

Either way, it was fun wandering through, if a shade disconcerting because you cannot see the other end when you start, and the street is longer than you'd think! Plus when you turn the corner, it seems to get reaaaaaaally narrow and you wonder if you are going to fit! Sadly, I did not meet George Clooney coming through from the other side...

Check out more "Oooooo"-y posts at Sandi's Saturday Photohunt !!

Saturday Photohunt: Zany

Sandy on the Photohunt page posted a pic of a zany display outside a shop in Montepulciano...I can't resist posting my own photo of that very shop! Mine is from last summer, when their theme was yellow shoe planters...



But my own zany choice is a photo of a big painted egg Mom and I stumbled across while wandering around Ferrara. The egg was displayed in the courtyard of the Centro Cinema E Audiovisivi building on via Gaetano Previata. The place was closed that day so we were not able to find out what the egg display was all about, but we found it fascinating and...ZANY!

Here is the egg from a couple of different angles...

Here is a close up of one of the scenes...the detail was amazing!

Saturday Photohunt: Ripples

For this week's theme RIPPLE, I decided to share a couple of photos of the Exploits River in Newfoundland. I took these a couple years ago when we visited our friends in Newfoundland. Valerie's house is right on the river bank...a real slice of heaven on earth. I was so amazed at the size of the Exploits...I think it is bigger than all the rivers in Nova Scotia put together! Some days the water was rough and churned up, but others it was so calm and peaceful...with barely a ripple on its surface. The first pic is from Norris Arm, a bit upriver from Val's...the second pic was taken standing on the bank right in front of her house. I can't wait to go back again one of these summers...what a wonderful time we all had together!

Thanks to Sandi for hosting the weekly Saturday Photohunt...check it out here!

Saturday Photohunt: Clean

This week's photohunt theme is CLEAN...but I have missed the past month, so will do a catch up post to get back on track! :)

Magical

There is something very magical about fire...I am enthralled and enchanted by it. My daughter jokes that I am a pyromaniac! But I don't love destructive fires, I just love watching the flames in our firepit at the camper. It provides hours of entertainment...doesn't take much to amuse me!

 

Creative

 One of my favourite bands is The Message, who create the most gorgeous contemporary Christian music. Here they are sharing one of their songs during worship time at the United Church of Canada Maritime Conference's annual general meeting last weekend. Love, love them!!

Taste

When in Cetona (Southern Tuscany)...do stop by Cantina La Frasca for a taste of the many delicious products from their farm. Wine, cheese, cured meats, bread, honey, other condiments. Sample to your heart's content and then buy whatever suits your fancy! The shop is just up the hill from Piazza Garibaldi.

Clean

Does anything beat the fresh clean scent of the air just after it rains? This was our view every day when we spent two weeks in Cetona. And every day was a wonderful new surprise. We didn't get much rain, but this one day it rained briefly and I loved the smell of the air, and the look of the wet stone and the misty landscape beyond...sheer bliss!!

As a bonus photo for this week's theme...the streets of Cetona were so clean!! I loved it there! I want to be there right now! Did I mention I loved it there?!? lol







Check out Sandi's Saturday Photohunt page for more good CLEAN fun!!

Saturday Photohunt: Scoop

You know those folding camp chairs? We have some fun Canada flag patterned ones at the camper. (That's my tiny Boler on the left, Val's big "glamper" on the right!)

On a really windy day, these lightweight chairs will blow over and land on the nearest obstacle...such as the fire pit. If a cell phone happens to be in the cup holder when this happens...it is apt to jump out of the holder and into the fire...

If you are quick, you can grab a couple poking sticks and SCOOP it out...alas, it only takes a few seconds for it to melt past the possibility of salvation...

And that is why my friend Valerie now has a new cell phone! lol

Get the scoop on more fun posts over on the Saturday Photohunt site!

Saturday Photohunt: Zap!

This photo came instantly to mind when I saw this week's photohunt theme - zap.

I took this in Sarteano (in Siena province of Tuscany, Italy). Sarteano is a wonderful hill town near Cetona, where mom and I spent two weeks last summer. We were heading up the hill to explore the castle at the top, when I looked up and saw this incredible display of light and shadow. The clouds look like a zap of lightening across the sky.

Zip on over to Saturday Photohunt and see what else might zap your senses!

Saturday Photohunt: Texture

Oops, I almost missed this week's photohunt! On a "better late than never" note...

I loved the texture of these plants...

As always, there are lots of interesting posts on Saturday Photohunt - enjoy!!

Saturday Photohunt: Reflect

Try as I might, I could not limit myself to one photo for this week's theme! So here are six of my favourite reflections...

The lakeshore at the campground

Early morning (as in 4:58 am!) sun over the Gulf of St. Lawrence...as seen from the ferry to Newfoundland.

Clouds and blue sky reflected in River Philip in Northern Nova Scotia.

This one probably needs no description, but just in case...the iconic Ponte Vecchio in Florence, reflected in the Arno.

The moat of Castello Estense in Ferrara.

Reflection in the window above the main doors of the Anglican Cathedral of All Saints in Halifax.

You will find many more reflections on Sandy's Saturday Photohunt this week!!

Saturday Photohunt: Sturdy

Hmm...sturdy. What to do with this theme, I wonder? How about something that is roughly 4,500 years old? To be still standing after four millenia, methinks Stonehenge qualifies as sturdy! There are older phases dating back to ca 3000 BCE, but the stones that remain standing today are from ca 2500 BCE. (Or so says wikipedia!) My daughters, my father and I were privileged to visit Stonehenge in 2007, on a Stone Circle Access tour through the English Heritage Trust Society. (Which means that we got to walk among the stones, instead of simply walking around the perimeter as is normally the case nowadays. Very cool - highly recommend this tour if you can book it.)

I cannot explain in words, but Stonehenge felt like a place of power...standing alone in the centre was amazing. As everyone else began drifting back to the parking lot, I realized I was all alone, so lingered for a moment to soak in this powerful experience.

Check out more sturdy posts on Saturday Photohunt!

Saturday Photohunt: Awesome!

Is there anything more AWESOME than a RAINBOW?

Here are a few  of the rainbows I've been blessed to witness...

You'll find lots more AWESOME photos on Sandi's Saturday Photohunt page!

Saturday Photohunt: Fresh

Fresh fruit...and what can become of it!

...Fresh grapes are fermented to become a refreshing beverage.

   ...Fresh olives can be cured in salt to become tasty snacks while sipping a refreshing spritz

...Fresh citrus fruit  can become an ultra refreshing flavour of gelato!!

And what could be tastier than fresh tiny tomatoes and bufalo mozzarella baked on a thin crust of pizza dough...yummy!!!

Follow the trail to Saturday Photohunt and see what fresh new things pique your interest this week!