Thursday Doors 2017

While I didn’t quite squeak out a full year of doors, I was still lucky enough to be introduced to Norm’s Thursday Doors challenge by my magnificent friend (and Italy compadre) Manja. Many of the doors, not surprisingly, were ones I strolled by, entered, or just plain adored whilst in my Italy travels this past summer. It’s a challenge to keep my post brief, so I’ll have to dig not so deep to try to pick my ultimate favs.

Rome. Bananas!

The street art was incredible – though only a bit of it was on doors – this a fav.

Looking out to the small piazza from the Chiesa di San Donato, Civita di Bagnoregio

Civita di Bagnoregio. Here, you can see thru its sole ancient entryway.

I can’t imagine a better group of women to chill out with (literally, it was a hot 90+ degrees in Civita!) Oh, and our pal Fonzie too. Amazing day in our two lovely towns

Orvieto, the Duomo reflection.

Delightful Volterra. A fav for sure.

Cinque Terre: Vernazza

Trastevere, Rome

Gelato! Friends! What a day in Trastevere and all over Rome.

Perpsective! Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome. My bestie Manja snapped this photo!

At the Bargello in Florence, greeted by some lovely lions in crowns!

Closer to home – well, kind of! Seems these doors actually span coast to coast 🙂

Chinatown, San Francisco CA

MIT, Cambridge MA

Near the summer growers market, Sundays only.

Not short on color in my local travels…

Philadelphia, PA

Root cellar, Valley Forge National Park, PA

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Round and Round

For The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge, Rounded.

Vatican Round

Rittenhouse Round

Luna Round

Moon Round

Abandoned Silo Round

Washington DC Round

Lucca Round

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pedestrian

For The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge, Pedestrian. 

Roman Forum Via Sacra, some crazy old age of like 45 BC

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco CA

Wintry walk near home

Cowell Ranch Beach, Half Moon Bay CA

A beach, somewhere….

Civita di Bangoregio footbridge, Umbria, Italy.

My clan of youngsters on top of Devil’s Puplit, Mt. Diablo, CA

Gray Whale Cove, Montara CA

Volterra, Italy

Weekly Photo Challenge: Structure

This week’s photo challenge pretty much fell into my lap this morning, as I ventured out to my local fantastic gardens, nearby Longwood. The sprawling ~100 acre meadow garden is only a fraction of the entire gardens, but the most dynamic from having a very unique ecological design and most excellent connection with nature.

This morning was a butterfly kind of  morning. Granted, now’s the time when Monarch Butterflies make an astounding migration trek to Mexico for the winter. So, as I see them flutter by, I can wish them safe travels south!

For The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge, Structure.

 

The amazing detail of the Monarch Butterfly. Enjoy your warm winter in Mexico, pretty insect 🙂

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. This species of butterfly does not migrate – the adults die as the weather gets cold, but the pupae overwinter and emerge in the spring as butterflies!

The one-dimensional feel of a butterfly.

Mason bee hives. Not only eclectic artsy architecture, but home to bees for the winter months! Read the sign at the bottom: “Our mason bees are now dormant, and will remain in their hive until next spring. Please do not disturb them, as they are very vulnerable at this stage” Who knew?

The mason bee, where some are already dormant in the nearby gardens hive!

Another view of the pretty Monarch.

Painted Lady Butterfly.

Flora and fauna in harmony.

Eastern-tailed Blue Butterfly.

Sunlight and shadows show thru the gorgeous Monarch wingspan.

Monarch butterfly enjoying pretty purple thistle nectar.

Part of the meadow garden. I’ve decided I cannot fully capture its magnificence!

 

Thursday Doors August 31: Because yet again, we never ever tire of Italy!

Ok. I know, I know – my last few posts have been limited to Thursday’s Door challenge (though, a lovely challenge it is!). If only that pesky work thing didn’t burden my days!

Volterra. I struggle with saying it was my favorite hill town in Italy. Because those who’ve been know – it’s near impossible to have one favorite spot in Italy.  That said, I adored this splendid town, and have pics to view that would put us all to sleep. In a good way, to sleep. Its fairy tail “pinch me” charm goes unsurmounted…

For Joey’s (Norm’s on vacation!) Thursday Doors Challenge!

Great arch entrance into Volterra

L’estrice, or, “the Hedgehog”, is a wonderful art shop, based on a Florentine technique of etchings that are engraved entirely by hand on zinc. Volterra was one town where I spent a good bit of my shopping budget, and L’estrice etchings are now gracing the walls of my home 🙂

One of the L’estrice etching prints, now framed and hanging on my wall at home – lovely!

Volterra, Italy

Fabula Etrusca was another shop which I discovered, of Etrustan styled jewelry (who can pass THAT up?). The jewelry is made here, in part of the actual shop (which was lovely), by craftsmen who studied to become gold and silversmiths right here in Volterra. Somehow, I ended up with more goodies than I intended to purchase. Oops! 🙂

My very special treat from Fabula Etrusca.

Church of San Pietro

ahhhh, Tuscany…

At night….

Yours truly, readying to leave Volterra. Until next time! Oh wait, that would be “arrivederci”!

 

 

Thursday Doors August 24: Roma Sampler

As it goes with the 2300+ photos I shot whilst in Italy, I sort thru, and sort thru again, and again…. well, you get my point. I have enough to post on my blog for months perhaps, but wouldn’t want to overdo it on Italy (is there ever such a thing, I wonder??) 🙂

For today’s doors, a few from Rome. While I focused on Trastevere, a rione (district) of Rome, in a previous post, I’ve not visited my overall Roma collection of doors. Here, a diverse mix.

Castel Sant’Angelo

Castel Sant’Angelo

Castel Sant’Angelo

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Castel Sant’Angelo

Fun street art

Arch of Septimius Severus, Roman forum

Swiss guard, heading to work, Vatican museum

Colosseum. Lots and lots of doorways!

For Norm’s Thursday Doors Challenge.

Thursday Doors August 3: Magnificent Doors & Doorways

For this week’s doors challenge.

Rotunda, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

“Haunted” cave doorway at Sutro Bath Ruins, San Francisco CA. My nephew and son heading in to who knows what!

Reading Room, Library of Congress, Washington DC

Perpsective! Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome. My bestie Manja snapped this photo!

Maclaurin Building 10, MIT, Cambridge Massachusetts.

Through the looking glass, Italian style

Windows, windows – I hadn’t realized how many I had photographed in Italy. It’s high time to share!

These run the full spectrum of Rome, Volterra, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Florence, Orvieto, and the uber-charmant Civita di Bagnoregio.

Catching fish in Roma.

Classic Italy.

Charming Civita di Bagnoregio.

Trastevere, Rome.

Volterra kitty.

Rome. Where street art abounds.

Uffizi, Florence.

St. Peter’s Basilica dome.

The Bargello, Florence.

Vernazza, Cinque Terre.

Orvieto duomo – no photos allowed, though I didn’t know that at the time that I was standing outside, the doors ajar early in the morning.

Civita di Bagnoregio; I don’t think there was a single window without a flower box!

Chiesa di San Donato, Civita di Bagnoregio

Chiesa di San Donato, Civita di Bagnoregio

Orvieto.

Vernazza, Cinque Terre.

Roma.

Florence, tower view (our hotel was once a castle!)

Florence, breakfast view.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Triple-take Trastevere

So given the small world that it is, it only makes sense that both The Daily Post ‘s own Michelle and The Mexi Movie ‘s Manja both share in this weeks collage challenge – like, exactly share! Seems this spot in Trastevere had a way to lure in three lovely photographers 🙂

A popular WPC Collage!

Before the shot – lots to look at (photo by Manja Mexi Movie)

Another eclectic mix…

A collage of two. And a personal fav of mine.

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: Collage