Bless You! ~ Wordless Wednesday

A Last Word, Before You Turn To Go

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Light Up The Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Viaggiatore and I would like to extend our best wishes to all of you for the holidays. For those in the states and our favorite ex-pats... I hope that your Thanksgiving is wonderful.


This is my favorite time of year. Family, friends, celebrations, peace and love just about everywhere one goes. Denver really gets into the season, and usually starts this weekend, but this year things are a little bit different.


Family is coming into town; I am very excited for this treat. There will be movies at the theatre, dinner tonight at a favorite restaurant, there will be fun (and good help) cooking together for the better part of the day tomorrow. A visit to The Nutcracker, a costume party with dear friends, cave spelunking as we explore the inside of the earth, and Christmas decorations to deck the halls with (about five minutes after the Thanksgiving dishes are put away)...

We always go to the Denver Zoo for Zoo Lights (aren't they lovely!). We wander through the night under a myriad of colored lights, get cocoa and kettle corn from the kiosks, visit Santa, ride the carousel and the train and listen to the holiday music that is played all over the grounds. But... the zoo isn't putting them up until the 12th (?!?!) this year.


We always go to the Denver Botanic Gardens to walk through the decorated and lit gardens... but this year they are digging up graves in their parking lot, so the light festivities have been moved (and postponed until the 3rd) to another locale; namely, Chattfield. This will be an exciting adventure when we get there, they haven't used this large park for Christmas lights before.














As long as I get to walk through a well and colorfully lit winter wonderland in the next few weeks, I will be happy.

There are things to be done, people to spend time with, and things to celebrate.
We'd better get busy, because...

You know who's coming down the lane soon!

A Little Good News

"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are suspending all foreclosure sales of occupied homes during the holidays."

And just when I was wondering where the Spirit of Christmas had gone to...

On Safari

We stopped at the Denver Zoo last Wednesday to marvel at their feeding schedules; let's see what else was there...

Wordless Wednesday

Seventy Times Seven

Suburbia has graced me with an award... and a meme. Probably best to do both at the same time.
Thank you Suburbia!

So. Sevens...

7 Things I plan to do before I die:

~Finish getting my pilots license (halfway now!)
~Speak Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese fluently
~Do photographic work in almost every country of the world
~Walk on the wall in China and ride the Orient Express
~Live in Europe for a while, then retire in Italy
~Perfect my tango
~Learn to play the violin


7 Things I do now:

~Photograph
~Travel
~Dance & Sing
~Explore & dream
~Paint
~Study
~Try new things, often


7 Things I can't do:

Can't is a 4 letter word that doesn't cross my lips.
I'll list 7 things I won't do.

~Discriminate
~Betray
~Invest directly in the stock market
~Lie, steal or cheat
~Use anyone; ever
~Give up when things are tough
~Live in the past


7 Things that attract me in the opposite sex:

~Thoughtfulness and kindness
~Passion
~Honesty, integrity and honor
~Humour and wit
~Intelligence
~Dedication
~Moral strength


7 Things I say most often:

~I love you
~Please and thank you
~Yay! Great! Fantastic! Beautiful! Wonderful!
~It's going to be alright
~Amen
~Good morning
~Hello and good-bye


7 Celebrities that I admire:

Let's just go with famous people, not necessarily celebs.

~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
~Sojourner Truth
~Princess Diana
~Leonardo da Vinci
~Mother Theresa
~King James I of Scotland
~Amelia Earhart


7 Favourite foods:

~Chocolate
~Pasta
~Fresh fruits & vegetables
~Bread
~Honey & peanut butter
~Mexalianesethai
~Good wine


7 Bloggers who need to do this:

Ok, here's the deal. If you do the meme, then you get the award. Let me know if you do it, because I'd love to come by and read all about you!

And, as I have been errant in delivering this one from Vanilla to it's rightful recipients:


We haven't met anyone in the blogosphere that we wouldn't consider to be a friend. If you come here to visit Viaggiatore and I, then please put this in your pocket when you leave, our gift to you, from our hearts.

We Have A Winner

HOPE

CHANGE

REBIRTH

VISION

UNITY

PROMISE

FAITH

FUTURE

DIVERSITY

EXCITEMENT

DREAMS

Congratulations, President Barack Obama!

God Bless America


Photos from Time and Chicago Tribune

Art Isn't Easy

This short video features some fantastic artwork by one of my favorite artists, Carmen. Her work is innovative, fresh and intriguing. She is well worth the time indulged in her world. The music is, of course, Barbara Streisand, which is indicative of Carmen's excellent taste. Look for CarmenArtStudio at these upcoming group art shows: 1) November 15-16 Multicultural Artists Partnership member show – www.realgallery.com 2) November 22-23 EAST Studio Tour with Bootstrap Art - http://www.eastaustinstudiotour.com/ 3) December 22-24 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar in Bootstrap Art booth - http://www.armadillobazaar.com/ (For information on Bootstrap Austin art subgroup, see: http://www.bootstrapaustin.org/wiki/index.php/Art_Subgroup) Enjoy!

A Guest At The Door

My friends and I dressed in our Halloween costumes and I photographed the lot of us before we headed out for the evening.

I'd also volunteered for door duty with much enthusiasm; every time the bell rang I'd go open the lovely glass door and oooh and ahhh at the childrens costumes and produce a copious amount of sugary sweets for them. Then I'd go back in and call out to the others to tell them who had been at the door and bubble over about how cute or cool they all were. I was having a grand time!

I could see the little ones as they trooped up the stairs from my vantage point in the foyer, where I was shooting pictures of our group. Just about the time we were almost ready to leave, there was a loud knock at the door and I turned to see this standing there, waiting:


(Thank youFreakyJohnfor the picture)

"Somebody else come get the door!" I hollared, "It's the Grim Reaper and I'm not going to answer it!"

Thankfully, all he wanted this time was candy!

Steampunk Fever

Happy Halloween!

If you came by today, then here's your treat:



Tuck it in your bag and savor it back at your page.

Some friends of mine decided to go out in a group tonight for Halloween, and they asked me to come along.

"There is a contingency." They said. "We are all going in Steampunk, you have to come like that, too."

What's Steampunk? I wondered. They sent some photos so that I could get the idea, and then directed me to the internet for research .


Per Wikipedia:

Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.

I LOVE the Victorian Era. The revelation of this subgenre appeals to the romantic adventurous side of me in a huge way.

This image is very close to the costume I am sporting right now, waiting for the party to start!

"The steampunk look reflects the Victorian and early Edwardian eras (roughly 1801-1910 — check out examples on The Frick Collection Web site). Corsets, gowns, frock coats and top hats are accompanied by goggles, ancillary wings, compasses and DIY accessories. Much like the extraordinary world of literature, steampunkers accept that everyday items can perform unconventional tasks. For example, a pocket watch would double as a time machine, or a compass could navigate you through the stars. ...The widely acknowledged founding fathers of steampunk, late-19th-century authors Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, took then-modern technology and set it in the steam age. Airships, submarines, typing tools and others objects were reimagined as mechanical devices that were powered by, you guessed it, steam."
~ Andrew Ross Rowe

Steampunk Music:


Steampunk Books:


Steampunk Movies:


Steampunk Anime:


More on Steampunk details...

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Make A Wish At The Peasant Woman Statue

Phoctober 26th... and the photos keep coming. Thank you for hosting that, Moon Topples!

The Peasant Woman statue lives in the Denver Botanic Gardens.
She is hidden on a secret path, just beyond the bamboo tunnel.

I've put a penny in her bowl for you... go ahead, make a wish!

Autumn In Denver

Phoctobering with Moon Topples!
Back to the Denver Botanic Gardens... I would live there, if they'd let me.

Viaggiatore and I have decided on a bit of excess for this post.

Let's go for a scroll...