Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Cani di Firenze

Periodically I spend a little time in Florence, Italy. It's a wonderful place in many, many ways. And each time I'm there, I miss it, immediately, upon leaving. One of the things that's wonderful about the city is the presence of dogs. The Florentines love their dogs and, since I leave my own dogs to go there, I love them for loving their dogs.

Here are some Florentine dogs. Shot with an iPhone.


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Via dei Bardi (My Old Stomping Ground)

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Via dei Bardi

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Via Santo Spirito


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, Mercato Centrale
These two made best friends with the butcher in the Mercato Centrale.

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Patti tries to captivate a city dog on Via dei Geppi, our temporary home.


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, Santa Croce
Please. Please. Christmas Market, Piazza di Santa Croce.


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, cat, kitten
Not a dog, but a cat, observing us as we try to open our apartamento door.


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, gelato, galateria
This dog lived in a gelateria near Santa Croce.

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, marathon
Watching the Florence Marathon, Piazza della Signoria


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, French Bulldog, Mercato Centrale
Mercato Centrale

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Tiny dog standoff, Via dei Calzaiuoli

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Via dei Calzaiuoli

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Ponte Santa Trinita, late afternoon.




Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, French Bulldog, Mercato Centrale
Mercato Centrale


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel



Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel



Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Piazza di Santa Croce


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Santa Croce Christmas Market


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel



Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel



Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, Santa Croce
Piazza di Santa Croce


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, Ponte Santa Trinita
Ponte Santa Trinita

Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, Santa Croce
Piazza di Santa Croce


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, walking
Via dei Serragli


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel
Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci


Piazza de' Frescobaldi (facing Ponte Santa Trinita)


Via dei Serragli


Dogs of Florence, dogs, Florence, Italy, canines, travel, Santa Croce
Staring down the chestnut vendor, Christmas Market, Piazza di Santa Croce



Friday, July 3, 2015

Great-Great Grandma's Flag

For July 4th: This flag, created in the tiny town of Snydertown, PA, was made to welcome home their returning Civil War veterans in 1865. My great-great-grandmother, Mary Arnold, as a 12 year old girl, sewed the stars in the field. After sewing the flag, they all retired to a community sauerkraut supper (which is how all good things end in Central Pennsylvania). My siblings and I helped my parents restore the flag a number of years ago. It resides at my parents' home in Selinsgrove, PA. It's a beautiful flag. On this 152nd anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, in which several of my forbears participated, Happy July 4th.

flag, american flag, civil war, gettysburg, battle of gettysburg, states rights, end slavery, anniversary, emancipation, civil war veterans, union, union soldiers, Pennsylvania

flag, american flag, civil war, gettysburg, battle of gettysburg, states rights, end slavery, anniversary, emancipation, civil war veterans, union, union soldiers, Pennsylvania

flag, american flag, civil war, gettysburg, battle of gettysburg, states rights, end slavery, anniversary, emancipation, civil war veterans, union, union soldiers, Pennsylvania

flag, american flag, civil war, gettysburg, battle of gettysburg, states rights, end slavery, anniversary, emancipation, civil war veterans, union, union soldiers, Pennsylvania

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Rosa Bonheur: My 19th Century Gal Pal

I haven't posted in a while. Busy, busy life. Would Rosa Bonheur forgive me? Probably not, and good for her! She was a supremely dedicated, talented, and singularly uncompromising artist, who made her way at a time and in a culture that, largely, didn't want to acknowledge an accomplished woman. She was unconventional in this large way. And in small ways. She smoked. She refused to ride side-saddle. She sought, and received, permission to dress "as a man" (particularly at the horse fair) in order to accomplish her work.

Her devotion to animals, and her passion for depicting them, was lifelong. Her most iconic piece, "The Horse Fair," now hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (1000 5th Ave.). Go see it. In the meantime, here, for your enjoyment, is my own tribute to this wonderful, but often overlooked, artist.

This piece is now on view at the Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration, also in New York City (128 East 63rd St.). The show is "Artists Illustrating Artists." and runs until August 15th, 2015. It's not that far from the Met. See both? "Artists Illustrating Artists" at the Society of Illustrators.


Rosa Bonheur, France, French painter, animals, oil paint, painter, Legion of Honor, The Horse Fair, horse fair


She was also the first woman to be awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (by Napoleon's Empress, EugĂ©nie, no less). You can learn more about Rosa Bonheur all over the interwebz, but you could stop here first: National Museum of Women in the Arts