The picture above was from the most incredible hotel room I’ve ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. I never wanted to leave this room and its absolutely stunning ensuite bathroom.
Don’t forget to look up. In India, it’s a must!
These hands. This labor.
I’m a bit of a voyeur. I still wonder what these two were discussing. I wish I had her poise.
Yes, the Taj Mahal is stunning. But I honestly found the scenes involving laborers pretty stunning as well.
The picture above is for my dad. He made his living with equipment similar to that above. But I never once saw any of his farm machinery decorated with garlands or flowers. Darn, I missed a great chance when I was a child to decorate my dad’s stuff.
I recently watched the new HBO show about Rock Hudson and came across his 1961 film with Gina Lollobrigida, Come September. I enjoy rom/coms from the 60s and had never seen this one. It’s adorable.
Part of the charm for me is that it is set in beautiful Italia. I admit it, I’ve been missing Italy pretty badly lately, and am very eager to return.
Maybe you’ll get a kick out of this, as I did. Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee are in it, as well as a very young Joel Grey.
One of the things I like best about being active on Facebook are the “memories” that pop up often from my past posts. I like being reminded of my fortunate years in beautiful Italy.
From Facebook I am reminded that two years ago today I spent the day on the “Piero della Francesca trail.” My good friend, Larissa, and I spent the day driving through central Italy on the trail. It was a beautiful summer day and I enjoyed it immensely. The art was, as always, the highlight.
Madonna del Parto, by Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, is a fresco completed in only seven days. Piero used only the best pigments, including a lapis lazuli pigment imported by the Republic of Venice from Afghanistan. The fresco was originally completed in the Santa Maria di Momentana church in the town of Monterchi, Tuscany, but it was broken off in an earthquake in 1785. The fresco was relocated to its current location in 1992. In the 20th century, the painting has been a source of inspiration for books, poems, and even a feature film.
What you see in my Facebook memory is just a detail of the overall work.
The Madonna del Parto is one of the greatest works of Piero della Francesca. Standing in the middle of a canopy made of precious brocade, Our Lady, heavy with child, reveals herself to the faithful. Two angels hold the tent canopy open allowing the faithful to admire the Virgin, majestic and solemn yet humble at the same time. The fresco was made around the middle of the ffteenth century in the church of Santa Maria di Momentana which no longer exists. It has been in this museum since 1992, right in the middle of an educational trail introducing visitors to the life and works of Piero della Francesca.
Our unusually wet spring has brought a lushness to local gardens that is unprecedented in my 33 years living in Denver. I sometimes feel like I’m living back in Seattle, only without the ocean.
These flowers seem to be loving the wet and cloudy days.
get back, lauretta! 
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