….thanks to Norm 2.0 for hosting Thursday Doors
The first photo is the entrance to an ancient Roman bath in Fiesole, just outside the city of Florence, Italy. The second photo is the entrance to the museum in Fiesole and the third photo was taken in Assisi, by the basilica of Saint Francis.
….can always tell when August rolls in
The nights get cooler in late August but it tends to warm up during day. On this last trip to the cottage the winds picked up and we had huge waves. I’ve never known the waves to come up the beach as high as they did. On our little section of beach the waves came up over a wall of sand and created an new lake in the middle of the beach. When I took these pictures the wind and the waves had already died down somewhat but the little lake remained.
Luckily we had gone swimming the day before and the water is still quite warm.
Hopefully when I go back tomorrow the winds will stay away for awhile. When the waves are too high the barge won’t run and that means we would be stranded on the island. Not a terrible thing but my daughter has already lost one day of work because we couldn’t get off the island.
…..thanks for bringing back the The Which Way Photo Challenge
A few random photos from Italy. #1 View from the town of Assisi
#2 Looking down onto a street in Rome
#3 Walkway in Vatican City
….seems like I need complete solitude to paint
I’ve found in the past that I get my best work done late at night when everyone is in bed. At the cottage it is more difficult to do because the light isn’t good after the sun goes down. Today I found myself all alone at the cottage. My neighbours had left for a few days and I didn’t have a lot of things to pack before I left for home.
I got out my paints and set up my brushes. I had a large canvas that already had the background done. In fact the background had been done for two years and I just wasn’t sure how to finish it. Then I remember hearing these wise words….” it’s only paint”. In other words don’t worry about messing it up, just go for it.
I knew that I wanted to paint pears and I had a vision in my head how I thought it might look. I lightly sketched two pears and then started adding colour. I like to work quickly and I use brushes, rags and my hands. Two hours later I finished my piece and am quite happy with it.
…..I’ve passed this tree dozens of times on my way up to the cottage
This week I finally decided to stop and take a closer look and of course take photos of this odd phenomena.
….from my daughter’s impressive garden in Hamilton
….another flower from my neighbour’s garden up at Christian Island
Can you see the little visitor, partially hidden by the stamen?
….this week the challenge for the WPC is to find a photo that depicts something that is rare
It didn’t take me long to remember the photo I had taken of the world’s largest truffle that I found in the market in Florence, Italy. Check out the price of this rarity.
…..the most famous being the gondola
There are about 10 different types of watercraft in Venice but the most commonly seen are the gondola, the vaporetto and the top0. The vaporetto is a water bus that transports people from one end of the island to the other and is way more economical than hiring a gondola. The topo is a barge that transports goods to the businesses and residences of Venice.
There are also specialty boats for garbage collection, construction barges, police and ambulance boats, fire boats and car ferries.
Although beautiful and romantic, the gondola is strictly for rich tourists. At 200 euros for a 45 minute trip I consider it a luxury expense.
Service Boats and Personal Watercrafts
Ciao!
