HOLY SKY - ST. PETER'S BASILICA - ROME, ITALY

Attending Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on July 8, 2008 was one of the top ten most memorable moments in my life that I will always treasure. These photos were taken during our tour of the Vatican on July 7th. The tour went a bit longer than we expected. The next day was the scheduled tour of the Forum and the Colosseum. That also took almost the entire day. We only had time for a brief visit to the Pantheon. Prior to our trip I already commented to my husband that if I had to miss everything else, so be it, but I would not forgive myself if I did not attend Mass at St. Peter. I was so glad we did.

WHAT'S DAT?

I took the first photo while walking along the pathway leading up to the Church of San Giorgio. From where I stood, the back of a stone sculpture looked like the shape of a football. I planned to take photo of the front of "it" so I could see what this sculpture was about. By the time we were back down to the village square, I saw the other stone sculpture of the three figures (second photo) and forgot about "it". I don't know if we would ever have an opportunity to visit Promontorio di Portofino (Italy) again. So if any readers happened to travel there or someone from Portofino, would you please tell me "what's dat" stone sculpture in the shape of a football was about? Grazie :)

A FEW GOOD PHOTOS

I decided not to go out on Saturday. The book sale at the library and getting new pillows were not high on my to-do list when it is freezing outside. My husband cleaned the snow off my car and offered to get it warmed up. (Before anyone wishes to give CP "Husband of the Year" award, don't! CP only made the offer out of guilt since his precious T-bird, his work benches and all the tools Craftman ever made, took up the entire garage. There was no room for my car and it has to be out in the driveway.) I spent the day re-organized all the 100+ CDs, into separate categories of photos taken from our trips on Route 66, visits to New York, Vacations/Cruises, around St. Louis, Sports/Hockey/Football, and Mics.

It was a glorious trip and we had so much fun that I love looking at photos we took during the Mediterranean Cruise and 3 days in Rome, in 2008 for our 19th wedding anniversary celebration. We did throw the coins backward over our shoulders into the Fontana di Trevi to ensure that we would visit Rome again. I would love to be in Rome at least a whole month, just to walk around, spending a whole afternoon at a piazza, staring at the Colosseum for hours and soaking in the wonders of this accient city.

From our private balcony, we were able to take great photos, such as the above image when the ship approached the port of Valletta in Malta.

Below - A sign in Tunisia showing the words "A bientot" with the carrot top over the letter "O", similar to one of diacritical marks in the Vietnamese language.

BABY IT'S FREEZING COLD OUT THERE!

I got up around 8:30 a.m. with a plan to go out since we stayed inside all day yesterday. It was sunny but the thermometer in the patio got stucked at 20 degrees with the wind chill below 10. I wanted to go to the library to return the borrowed items and get a few more books on Route 66. Also, it has been a while since I had the pleasure of spending hours getting lost in the bookstore. By noon, it is still freezing cold. My husband suggested that I should stay in for another day. I thought posting this photo of the crowds of tourists, dipping their toes into the sunken Barcaccia (bad boat) at the base of the Scalinata di Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Steps) taken during our trip to Rome in Summer 2008 would make the winter days bearable!

SOCIETA DI LICODIA EUBEA - EST. 1929

Last April, during one of my walks around the neighborhood of Bensonhurst (or Bath Beach or Gravesend, whatever it was), I was pleasantly surprised to see the sign, "Societa di Licodia Eubea - Established 1929 - Donated by Chieto Family" on the building (above) tucked between a Chinese Super Box Buffet and Nails 86, probably a Vietnamese or Korean owned business. With "always in my bag" camera, I took a few photos because I did not wish to take a chance that the next time I visit this neighborhood again whether this "Licodiesi Brotherhood Society" would be around, or most likely would be taken over by another Asian or non-Italian business.

I understand that neighborhoods, particularly in New York or any big cities, are in constant changing as new immigrants are moving into the area. Walking along 86th Street, you will see various cultures such as Russian, Hispanic and most prominently Asians by looking at the storefronts, listening to the languages being spoken by the shoppers, you witness the living history of Bensonhurst being written, just like the Italians and the Jewish people when they settled in this community in early 1900s.

According to Wikimapia, "Bensonhurst (also known as "Brooklyn's Little Italy") is a neighborhood located in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Bensonhurst runs from about 14th Avenue to 25th Avenue and from Gravesend Bay to 53rd Street, encompassing Bath Beach, New Utrecht, and part of Dyker Heights and bordered by the Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Gravesend, and Borough Park sections. For many generations of Jewish and Italian residents, Bensonhurst's geographic boundaries have been defined by the streets where the ethnic mix of Bensonhurst begins to fray. Interestingly, since about 1993, the rapid expansion of the population of Orthodox Jews in neighboring Borough Park, has encroached deeply into Bensonhurst, such that the ethnic geographic boundaries now begin from about 18th Avenue to 25th Avenue and from Gravesend Bay to 60th Street. This 1.4 square mile change represents an expansion of Borough Park and a shrinkage of Bensonhurst, as defined by traditional ethnic boundaries. It represents a historical parallel to the shrinkage of Manhattan's Little Italy as a result of the expansion and encroachment of neighboring Chinatown."

The first time we attended St. Mary, we realized that 9:30 a.m. Mass was entirely in Italian. Just like when we attended Mass at Our Lady of Paris - Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris (Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris) and last year at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, we loved the structure of the Roman Catholics Rite of Mass. No matter where we are and what language is being spoken, the universal sense of belonging, of being connected in our faith, we always know what to expect of the celebration. The traditional Mass begins with Introductory Rites, then Liturgy of the Word, next is Liturgy of the Eucharist, Holy Communion Rite and ending with Concluding Rite. The only time we might feel out of place would be if the presiding priest told something funny during his Homily and we would be the only people who did not even crack a smile or looking around wondering why other people are laughing! Also, we would be reciting The Lord's Prayer in English instead of French or Italian!

According to Wikipedia, "Today, the Italian American community numbers over 50,000, or more than one-third of the population. Despite increasing diversity, Bensonhurst is heavily Italian-American, as its Italian-speaking community remains over 20,000 strong, according to the census of 2000. However, the Italian-speaking community is becoming "increasingly elderly and isolated, with the small, tight-knit enclaves they built around the city slowly disappearing as they give way to demographic changes." [3]".

GOOD FRIDAY

"God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16
The Pieta Chapel - Rome, Italy - July 2008

MICHAEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT FACIEBAT - 1499

Being at the Pieta Chapel was one of the most memorable moments and moving experience of our visit to the Vatican.

SAN PIETRO - ROME, ITALY

San Pietro, Rome - Italy July 2008

SAN GIORGIO - PORTOFINO, ITALY

San Giorgio - Portofino, Italy - July 2008

The church overlooks spectacular view of the harbour and the cliffs cascading down into the sea below. According to the travel guide, sailors returning from the Crusades brought with them the supposed relics of St. George, enshrined here in the oft-reconstructed Chiesa di San Giorgio. The saint's feast day is celebrated on April 23rd with a ritualistic bonfire on the piazzetta.

ROAD & STREET SIGNS IN ROME

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY

(I finally found the receipt showing the name of the bakery. Here it is for your next trip to Rome. COMPAGNIA DEL PANE - Forno 29 SRL Via Fabio Massimo N. 87 / A-89 00192 ROMA - - Tel 06/3241605. Make sure you say that TOTA sent you so I would get my commission - haa haa)
We found this wonderful bakery near our hotel, the day before we left Rome. Our limited Italian did not stop us from ordering, pointing at the items and then putting up two fingers, again and again. Wish we had more time to enjoy all the delicious Italian sweet treats.

A STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

If Tears Could Build a Stairway

And Memories a Lane

I'd Walk Right up to Heaven

And Bring You Home Again.

(Portofino, Italy - July 2008)

THE DILEMMA OF BEING WIRE-LESS

It was no fun being wire-less. For about eight days I did not have wireless network connection on my laptop. I had to bring the laptop down to the basement and connected directly to the router. In the summer with typical St. Louis heat, it was nice to be in the basement where it was cool. Not in the winter because I was freezing as well as uncomfortable without my docking station connecting to the regular keyboard. To make matter worse, my husband came down with a cold thus unable to assist me. Later between my husband and my brother, we spent over an hour without positive results. We kept getting messages such as "no such IP address or network unavailable". My brother suggested a Compact Wireless-G USB Adapter. I purchased the adapter and attempted to perform the installation by myself. I followed all the steps in the instruction leaflet. First I inserted the Setup Wizard CD-ROM, then connected the Adapter into a USB port when prompted by the Setup Wizard. After putting in the WEP key needed for connection, then the passphrase, I got a message, "Congratulations! Setup is complete". Well, it was not really completed. I still received a message telling me that there was no wireless connection available. I decided to shut down the laptop as it was getting late. The next day to my surprise, I had wireless network connection on the laptop. I wish I knew what happened so I could share with others or at least know what to do the next time. It was not a joke after all, if your computer does not work, just close Windows or shut it down, walk away and it will work when you turn it back on.

Without internet connection, I decided to organize the CDs and photos from our recent Mediterranean vacation. Photos above and below were from Tunis, Tunisia (Africa). Those columns could be communication towers and the stand below would serve as a nice stand for laptop usage. There was enough room for a cup of coffee and a biscotti.

I don't see any wires for cable connection here. Photos above and below were the broken fragments of sculpted marble and stone at the Forum in Rome. While others were busy taking photos of remains of palaces, Arco di Tito (the triumphal arch erected in AD 81), Tempio di Vesta (the original temple dedicated to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth), the tour guide noticed and asked why I kept pointing my camera to the ground. "What kind of photos are you taking?" he asked. I told him I looked for remnants that would be different from everyone else photos. I am no professional photographer, but look through the guidebooks or books about ancient Rome and you might see these same photos. I specially like the photo below with the pretty purple flowers growing next to what once was an elegant grandeur of Roman architecture.

ANNUAL BRAG LETTER

I finally finished mailing all the Christmas cards. This year I cut the list down in half by not sending to those that I have not heard from the last two years. Next year I might even learn to send Christmas eCards.

In keeping with the tradition, here is my "braggin' letter" included with the cards.

"We hope 2008 was a peaceful year for you and your family. We wish you a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with good health, love and happiness.

CP and I celebrated our 19th Wedding Anniversary with a Western Mediterranean cruise. We visited Portofino, Italy; Nice and Cannes, France; Valencia, Spain, then cruised the Mediterranean Sea to Malta, then onto Tunisia, Africa and an extra 3-day in Rome after the cruise. You might wonder why celebrate 19th Anniversary. We say why not 19th, why wait for 20th or any other year. Isn’t every year worth celebrating?

Our other highlight was attending Game 1 of the Stanley Cup to cheer for our Beloved Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings won their 4th Stanley Cup Championships within the last 10 years.

We keep in touch with our families in New York, Michigan, South Carolina, Colorado, Texas, and Wisconsin thru phone calls, email, blogs and Facebooks. I finally have my very own Facebooks but I rarely checked the page or do anything with it. Currently we are both employed, not sure how long in this uncertain economy. Our investment is very conservative so the setback was not too bad and with a few dollars in savings, we hope to weather the storm.

We do keep our servicemen and women in our prayers and appreciate their sacrifices keeping America safe and providing freedom and liberty to the world.

May peace, love and happiness fill your heart and your home. We hope you will keep in touch and look forward to hearing from you."

GETTING READY FOR WINTER

I finally put away all of the summer clothes and gathered the sweaters, sweatshirts, pants and thick winter socks, ready for the cold months ahead. I developed a rotating system that has worked pretty good for this purpose, putting away and bringing out seasonal clothing. First I piled all the summer clothes, mostly t-shirts, shorts, sleeveless shirts from all the drawers on one bed, then transfered winter clothes from storage bins and dresser from the guest room onto the bed. I would apply the same rotating system when it is time to switch from winter to summer. I usually handled the tasks on Sunday afternoon while watching football games to make the work less boredom. As I sorted thru the items, I tried to set aside pieces that could be donated. This time I dropped off two bags of clothes into the collection box at Goodwill. I often thought of the time when my family and I first came to America, our clothings came from donations at the refugee office. We could not believe that people would discard items in almost perfect condition. I wrote about how exciting it was for my sister and I the first time we went shopping. It was great to take the price tags off as a symbol of "making it in America", no longer wearing donated clothes. Now just my husband and I, we filled up a walk-in closet complete with an organized system in the master bedroom and just my clothes alone took up two other full size closets. I mentioned many times that I hate shopping, especially for clothes and spend no more than a few times a year at the malls nearby, yet how did I accumulate all the items in the house? I even stopped buying souvenirs. Who cares if I was wearing t-shirts from Rome, Paris or Malta! I must find a way to purge more, perhaps once a month instead of only when bringing out seasonal clothing. Someone suggested that when purchasing a new item, donate 2 or more from current inventory, would help cutting down on the cluster. How about not buying new items at all and giving at least a carton of stuff every week?

This week I stocked up on canned soups. I hope some marketing person from Campbell's Soup will send me a coupon for posting the above photo, giving the company free advertisement. These are two of our favorite flavors. I loaded up the shopping cart with all 20 cans when I saw the sale price at $1.44 each. I just paid $2.00 at another store for the same items! Another reason we buy Campbell's soups as we collect the labels for the school thru "Labels for Education" program. Sister Rosario reported that a laptop was obtained from the points accumulated.

Here is our brand new kitchen window which should be energy efficient and easy to clean. The new window has better insulation keeping the heat in when it is cold in the winter or when the air condition is on in the summer. We could easily slide the screen over to get some fresh air into the house if it is not too hot. By the way, evident that the housing market is terrible when we saw a bird took a peak inside the birdhouse and left without an attempt to even get inside! We replaced the wooden mailbox with a new free standing heavy duty mailbox with a slot for mail to be safely kept inside a container when we go away for a few days. My husband converted the wooden mailbox into the birdhouse but so far it has stood empty.

Farmer Jack sure got enough wood there!

KNOCK, KNOCK WHO IS THERE?

I developed a new found interest during our recent vacation with taking photos of door knobs. Prior to our trip, I read in the travel guide about decorated doors and windows in Tunisia, specially about Tunisians using the color of blue as symbol of the Mediterrenean sea. As I started taking photos of doors, entrance archways, and windows, I also noticed the door knobs. Included in this entry are a few interesting door knobs from Tunisia, Malta and Rome. We were walking along an alleyway, near Spanish Steps, going in and out of various shops when I saw the doors (photo above) of a private home, tucked between a clock and a souvenir shops. I called out to my husband to tell him about the handle in the shape of a hand. In my excitement, I picked up and then let go of the handle to show CP how it worked. Luckily no one came to the doors as I was sure it was not the first time strangers accidentally knocking without the intention of knocking! Notice the open slot for mail, what happened if the postal person was short and could not slide the mail in the slot? When I was about 10 years old living in Viet Nam, I almost caused my neighbor a heart attack when I knocked on her door, yelling, "Please open the door". That evening my mother told me to take an empty tray that was cleaned, back to the neighbor and to thank her for giving us some bakeries the previous week. I knocked on the door, waited and waited but no one came to the door. I decided to knock harder and yelled real loud. I did not know that the neighbor was conducting illegal gambling and when she heard me she thought it was a raid from the police. How she did not recognize the voice that of a 10 years old girl was a mystery to this day? Suddenly people started running out the back door, then the alleyway, all because of my yelling. I apologized to the neighbor in front of my parents when she came over later to air her unpleasant experience.

I took photos of the door knob above and the next two below from the homes I saw on the way from the hotel to Metro station or around Rome.

The two door knobs (one above and one immediate below) were from Valletta, Malta. I like the one above because it was in the shape of a fish as I thought it was a clever design. The one below looked like it was made specifically for one of the Knights in the St. John's Order. The last (bottom of the entry) door knob was from Tunisia from a house near a market place. You could tell the design was influenced by Arabic culture.