Last weekend in Palo Verdes Estates, California

Wedding venue at The Neighborhood Church.

A lovely building.

However, the bottom photo is of the view out the window...

How could you keep folk's attention while preaching with a view like that?

Looking north toward Redondo and Hermosa beaches.

Castelvecchio From the Ponte Vecchio, Verona

     One of the major sites one needs to visit in Verona, Italy is the Castelvecchio which is part of the Ponte Vecchio. Good art gallery and museum, interesting walk and some beautiful views. Castel is, of course, Castle.  "Vecchio" is "old" in Italian. Ponte is bridge. So this is the old castle and the old bridge. We spent a few days in Verona after touring Rome, Florence and Venice. Verona is a welcome change of pace. It also has many things the other cities have (except the canals of Venice). We recommend it as a place from which to see Milan and the Lakes. Verona is also an important location for some of Shakespeare's plays. Please forget visiting Juliette's house/balcony. She was fictional and the balcony was set up about 40 years ago as an attraction. Sure you can rub the breast of her statue, but so have way too many others. 

Church in the Valley, Switzerland

I often use a photo-shop-like program to get rid of unwanted elements in

my photos.  I did not use such a program to get rid of the street light in this

photo of Switzerland. But, the light was there. Oh well. Great view on a rainy day.

Note small buildings in background.

Lake Como, Italy

Some people love Lake Como.

You can see why.

This photo was taken by Marietta McLellan from atop the hill of Bellagio.

Village on the Seine

Traveling down the Seine in France by boat, this is what you can see.

Honfleur France, By day and by night

 The Port of Honfleur has a Ferris Wheel 

and this picture shows it with emphasis on a sky turning dark

At night the Ferris Wheel comes alive with light.

This night it just happened for be Fete Nationale (Bastille Day).

Central California

     We drive Interstate Highway 5 (I 5) from the Center of California to Oregon many times a year.  Nearly every time I drive it, the surroundings look different. The change of season, the amount of water, the way the light falls - each changes the look of the valley.  This is the most productive valley in the world.  The photo above was taken last week as we drove north. The almond trees are in bloom. In bloom too are the red-bud and thousands of daffodils planted along the freeway. With a little more sun, the California poppies will be out. Then, with the heat, the grasses along the road will go from green to gold. Photo with my cell phone in a car doing 70 mph.

Florence, Italy -Leather goods workshop

      At one of the cathedrals in Florence, there is a workshop and training area for leather workers. The goods are for sale and money goes to the apprentices and craftsmen. It is a surprise visit and an interesting one in  city known for its leather. The photo above is taken from a breezeway between the cathedral and the shop. It is a pretty courtyard, like many in Florence. But, you can see that it gets warm for the leather workers. Note the air conditioners placed in the old wall. I thought about buying a wallet, but they were expensive and real Florentine. Wallets marked "Florence" at the street vendors, which may in fact be crafted in India or China, are much cheaper.

St. Martin in the Fields, London

     We nearly always go to church on our trips. It is not only a way to worship, it allows us to meet other people with which we have something in common. One place to which we have returned is St. Martin in the Fields on Trafalgar Square in the London. Great people and good music and a place for lunch in the crypt  downstairs.

La Mancha, Spain

A favorite photo. La Mancha in the fall. 

Clonmacnoise: Remembering Ireland

Clonmacnoise is an ancient monastic site near Shannonbridge, County Offaly.

Our visit was part of driving along the Shannon River toward Trim from Galway. 

This is ancient Ireland at its best. If you come for beer stay in Dublin.

Cahir Castle: Remembering Ireland

     Cahir Castle is one of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles and a surprise, at least for me, as I had only read a little about it.  South of the Rock of Cashel on the way to Lismore it is a great visit. Maybe due to the lack of publicity, it is not crowded and gives visitors room to roam in and outside. This may be one of my favorite "ahas" in Ireland.

Almost St. Patrick's Day: View from the Rock of Cashel

There are plenty of new buildings in Ireland, but for many of us from the United States

where our history is only two hundred years, the old buildings and ancient

ruins are most fascinating.  This is the view looking from the Rock of Cashel.

Almost St. Patrick's Day: DIngle Ireland

Marietta McLellan rides sculpture of Fungie, Dingle's own dolphin. 

Favorite Places, Mont Saint Michel, France

Looking up at  the Abbey of Mont St. Michel, France - as seen from the rampart.

Willamette River, Portland, Oregon USA

     This is a view from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry located on the east side of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Taken yesterday (3-11-17), the water is very high. It is overcast as it has been raining. The submarine is part of the display and people can tour it.  We were at OMSI to see the exhibition of Lego sculptures as well as check out the rest of the museum. Very crowded on a Saturday. Yet, our granddaughter said that the exhibit was worth the wait. (That is the I5 Bridge at the upper right.)

Multnomah Falls, Oregon - On the Columbia River near Portland

Taking photos of great art

I have been yelled at for taking photos in museums,

but not in Paris. They let you do it... at least in the ones I was in.

Graffitti Worldwide

     Graffiti is all over in multiple meanings of that description. You find it nearly everywhere you go. Some ancient graffiti can be seen in the Colosseum in Rome.  Some of it is actually great art that is just in the wrong place. Talent is shown in the boxcar work in the United States although it is also vandalism.
     I have posted a couple of photos I took in Paris. I think they are both clever and well done, but then it is not my sign or wall.

The Grotto Near Portland, Oregon

The view from the upper level -  looking North.

Looking down on the chapel from the upper level.

     The grotto is worth a visit when in the Portland area. It is a retreat center as well as a center for the arts. At Christmas it is great music and thousands of colored lights. They have a religious book store. The upper level, reached by elevator, goes to a lovely chapel with  view of the Columbia Valley along with trails winding between sculpture and places to stop and meditate or rest. We take friends and relatives there as well as meeting interesting folks also visiting from out of town. It is a nice stop on the way to Multnomah Falls.

Arizona, USA - Art

     We have traveled all over the United States and it was not until recently that we made it down to Sedona and Phoenix. The surprise for me was the number of artists, art galleries and dealers in fine arts there. It certainly is a place to find great work and do great work.

The Dolomites, Italy

      When I was going back over some photos from Northern Italy I came upon one of a large outcropping in the Dolomites between La Villa and Cortina. I did not think much of it until I zoomed in. AHA! There was something I had not seen before: a house looking out over the valley. What a view they must have!

Irish Pubs

     A great thing about foreign travel is discovering new customs that you can bring home. As a kid in Mid-America I knew about the tavern culture that was an important anchor for a neighborhood, especially in the winter. In Ireland, the pub  serves the same function. It is a gathering spot, cafe, bar and entertainment. It is much the same in Scotland and England.  In Spain the tapas bar serves a similar function in the mid-afternoon. People stop what they are doing for a time of regrouping. Even the kids get into the swim of it. In the United States it seems like lunch is an interruption.  I currently work at a California hospital where we have a half hour lunch break and most of us resent having to stop for any more time than to eat. We need to bring back the pub attitude. There is something very healthy about it - and it is not the alcohol and the food (although that is not bad either).

A port in a storm in Liechtenstein

          We had driven across Austria from Innsbruck and ran into some foul weather along about Liechtenstein. I must admit that I try to visit all the small countries, but had done little homework about this nation. I knew that the capital was Vaduz and a few more facts, but I got lost because I did not realize that there is more than one city. After roaming around in the rain and wondering where we were, I pulled into a parking space near a lovely church. The church was not far from the main government buildings. We went into the church as much to get in out of the storm as to see it. It was worth the visit. As a member of the clergy I like seeing churches anyway. Look at the grand door and the pretty nave of this church. I'm not sure what the name of the place is, but it obviously was a sanctuary for us.

Paris is like Disneyland ... or is it?

     Here are a couple of random photos of Paris. One is of the carnival area just outside the Louvre grounds and the other is inside the Louvre. 

     I have been to Disneyland a good many times and I do not need to go back soon. The rides are fine and the experiences that copy real life adventures are interesting. I like to people watch, but I do not like long lines and cranky people in large numbers.

     If I have to put up with the liabilities, I would rather be in Paris or London or Venice. There are crowds and gawking and people discovering new things, but what they are encountering is real. Certainly not everyone is there to learn something rather than to be entertained, but most have to come away with a deeper understanding of history. 

     Sure, there are Ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds - none bigger than the London Eye - but there are also first class museums and cafes. 

     Disneyland has its place and its fans. Yet, the most exciting rides I have been on are a gondola tram in the Alps and a boat down the Seine.

...The Places You Will Go...

On Dr. Seuss's Birthday here is, besides my home, one of the favorite places I have been.

The Dolomites, Sud Tyrol, Northern Italy

Cathedral in Madrid

Two photos of the cathedral by the palace in Madrid: top is outside (actually taken from the palace) and bottom is the ceiling of the nave.