backlit oak leaf

isn't nature cool?

little friend

found this guy hopping around the "studio" outside, so we paused to check him out.
glad we did.

St Peter's Square (Piazza di San Pietro),

This was Rome again. A rainy day in Italy, and we chose to make our way to The Vatican - and to St. Peter's. No matter how many times you hear about, or see pictures of monumental things like this (think grand canyon...) they are never done justice until you are there. This is one of them. This is the collonade around the outside, and it was pouring rain, and then it would stop for a minute, shine some light, and then pour again. So, it was pretty fun watching all the people run under the collumns ~ including us!

Afternoon Stroll at Villa Borghese

On our last day in Rome, we finally made our way to the Villa Borghese. There is a very large peaceful park that winds around the outskirts of one of the old Roman walls. It was a great end to an art filled trip cause there was supposed to be a great collection of Caravaggio paintings there. The paintings were there, but we turned out to be even more ecstatic when 2 of the rooms we entered turned out to be the home for 2 of our all time favorite sculptures - by Bernini. ~ anyways, We followed these two ladies down the path to the villa, and I couldn't help taking their snap shot.

Let Them Eat Cake

Practicing some commercial style shots to see how they look... Just wondering if anyone gets a sweet tooth after seeing this. Also, I am making lemonade out of lemons - gaining stock photos from situations around me. I think I have a hankering for some.... coffee. mmmm...

Roma Traffic Circle Madness

Roman drivers are crazy! Got this shot of a traffic circle
one night during our city walks. Actually, pretty much
walked everywhere while there, which definately enabled
us to see a large array of the city and it's life...
It was always lively and a blast trying to get shots like this. 

Very Good Espresso

As a few may have noticed, I have finally continued my blog after my hurricane called "Fall semester" - I am starting off with some shots of our trip to Paris and Rome. - So this one was in Rome, Gotta love the details... cause you can't have espresso, cookies, peanuts, & extraordnary service like this at home.
Not everyday do you have to pay 6 euros for a shot of caffeine -- Oops! Guess I was actually paying for the view-- Federico Fellini Square - right next to some Roman Ruins. Beautiful
 

Been There! Boulevard des Capucines

One of my first paintings that I fell in love with in art history class was a street scene by Monet...yes, Claude Monet - a street painting. Probably, the biggest reason for my interest in it, was that it was painted from an early photograph of a snowy street in Paris. The title is the same as this street in my picture...yes, I was there! The same street that Monet and so many others artists once walked down. I must include that we went to Montmartre of course...and who knows how many legions of artists have cruised those streets. Anyways, The Opera was beautiful, but just being on the street was worth a picture.