Celebrating 30 Years

Celebrating 30 Years

It is with deep gratitude that I look back today on my 30 years in business. I have had, and do have the pleasure of working with wonderful people, and they make all the difference in my days. Great clients, associates, family and friends and been supportive through the years, whether I’ve been near or far. Thank you.

Bye Bye Berlusconi

Bye Bye Berlusconi

At long last, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is going bye bye. The whole world has been incredulous and outraged for years, watching his shenanigans.

After dominating Italian politics for 17 years, Berlusconi resigned on Saturday, November 12, 2011. Crowds jeered and cheered and played Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” as they celebrated the end of a long, tedious and detrimental era.

Italy is at the crux-point of economic and political crisis. The world, again… still, watches and waits as the country shuffles to create new, leading political structure.

Wish her luck.
Tanti auguri, Italia!

During elections in May 2011, Berlusconi was promoting Letizia Moratti, from his party, “The People of Liberty”, “for the good of Milano”. 

Playing on xenophobia and Italy’s immigration problems, Berlusconi’s party claimed that if the other party were elected, Milano would become “a gypsy city with nomad camps and the biggest mosque in Europe”.

11:11 on 11/11/11

11:11 on 11/11/11

A singular minute in our lives. We’ll have to wait another hundred years to have such a congruence of numbers in time and date. Next year, we will have 12:12 on 12/12/12, but that is a combination of two numerals, not one. I suppose that, more accurately, the year 11 would have been the true 11/11/11, but I doubt that they were blogging about the numeric congruence back then.

So what were you doing at 11:11 today? Where were you?

As I have been doing for a number of years now, I spent today, 11/11, at Evergreen Washelli Cemetery in north Seattle attending the annual Veterans Day Memorial Celebration. For me, this day, and this celebration, are times of homecoming and gratitude. There are many veterans in my life, those that have served – or are serving – in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other places and times I’m unaware of. I admire, respect and am grateful for their commitment and their service.

Knowing it was Veterans Day, and knowing that 11:11 on 11/11/11 was momentous, I specifically chose this time and place for my photo op of the minute. I watched the clock, as the rain just began to fall, and shot the following three images at 11:11.

The Memorial Chimes Tower stands in the distance, beyond the graves of fallen warriors.

I greeted, with hugs and handshakes, the old friends I’ve seen twice a year for years now at the cemetery, on both Veterans Day and  Memorial Day.

Walt Gallagher, in the American Legion, is a longtime friend of my friend Joe. He gave me a flag to carry home.

The “Parade of Colors” was just getting underway at 11:11. Note the narrow, white posts around the headstone beneath the large flag on the right; these posts mark the grave of Medal of Honor recipient, Lewis Albanese.

There are a few faces that no longer greet me at the cemetery on Veterans Day, and I’m saddened by their passing or their infirmities. One man in particular is WWII Vet, Joe Feldman, (a story in himself!) He passed away in 2009, at the age of 92 while I was away in Italy. As a tribute to him, I present this photo, one of many that captures his spirit, pride, dignity and honor.

Every Memorial Day (this shot in 2007), Joe would stand front-and-center, and salute as wreaths were laid at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. Because he was blind, I escorted and steadied him as he saluted. No one else knew his trembling, or his tears, as he had the honor of saluting.

I had not anticipated that this worldwide 11/11/11 event would, for me, become about those veterans in my life, and so much a time to reminisce about good, ole Joe. I miss taking him to coffee, walking him to the podium, and seeing his thrill at the sound of the marching band.

Thank you, veteran friends, for your service.

 

Homage to the Cinque Terre

Homage to the Cinque Terre

Five colored gems – the Cinque Terre – are strung like pearls along the arching neckline of the Ligurian Sea, Italy’s northern “riviera” (See map).With color palettes that include melon, kiwi, citron, honeydew, persimmon and apricot, the five towns are visual jewels and favorites of travelers from all over the world. Four of the towns are tight, steep clusters of colorful cubes rising up from the sea; Corniglia, in the center, sits atop a high, waterside knoll.

Monterosso al Mare harbor.

Vernazza harbor.

Corniglia on the hill.

Manarola at sunset.

Riomaggiore waterside.

Monterosso al Mare (the northernmost of the five), Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore (at the south) are remote, linked by the regional train, and by the Via dell’ Amore, the “Way of Love”, walking path. You can hop on the train, spend just a couple minutes riding to the next town, hop off, explore, hop back on the train, then get off again at the “next pearl on the string”. Or, you can spend the day walking the long path – parts of it paved, parts of it rougher terrain – stopping to explore the towns as you’re passing through.

Via dell’Amore pathway sign.

Via dell’Amore, leaving Riomaggiore heading north toward Manarola in the late afternoon.

Cliffside train route between the five towns, this spot on the way into Manarola.

It was getting late and time to get off the trail! Caught the train below Corniglia and headed back to Monterosso.

The Five Lands, Cinque Terre (CHING-kway TARE-ray, not “TARE-uh“), have been enchanting visitors for years. I visited the area in 2008, arriving in Riomaggiore on my first ever, full day in Italy. I couldn’t get enough of simply opening my eyes and seeing. Plus, eating the grilled seafood in the fishing village of Riomaggiore… musing over the town elders in their heavy discussions… attempting to lure the many un-lure-able cats… winding my way up, around and through the passages and stairways… sampling the signature sciacchetrá… attempting to order breakfast in my then-modest Italian… How could I not be enchanted?

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Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso boat beach.

Monterosso has many walls that are painted with faux details.

A hazy, humid morning in Monterosso.

Pizzeria la Smorfia in Monterosso, was highly recommended.

This grocer in Monterosso was selling typical products of the Cinque Terre.

The inn in Monterosso had a rooftop terrace, surrounded by lemon trees. This is where breakfast was cooked and served-to-order.

Monterosso al Mare: “Beachtown U.S.A.” No wonder the tourists love it!

Another wall in Monterosso with the faux, painted details (and black skivvies).

 Vernazza

Dear Vernazza, my visual favorite of the five with its embracing harbor, lively color palette, signage and architectural details. Time passes too quickly with a camera-in-hand in Vernazza.

Vernazza’s harbor beach.

The Blue Marlin Cafe in Vernazza. Ernest Hemmingway ate here?

These decorative Vernazza curtains are a perfect foil to the flaking stucco and scrolled ironwork.

Cats are everywhere in Vernazza and they are NOT inspired by tourists trying to pet them!

Vernazza’s main plaza at the harbor has many colorful cafe umbrellas (in addition to the requisite laundry.)

Weaving through Vernazza’s narrow passages, I looked UP and saw this comforter airing against the wall.

A view into Vernazza’s harbor and main piazza.

                                  Menu in Vernazza: anchovies, salad, pizzas, focaccia bread, sandwiches,                                  breads with chopped topping (bru-SKE-tuh not bru-SHEH-tuh), vegetable torte. 

This detail in the train station at Vernazza is a thrilling composition.

 Manarola

Manarola at sunset.

Juice press and a stone wall in Manarola.

Colors, sunset light and Little Princess laundry in Manarola.

This way to the train and a glass of wine along the Via dell’Amore in Manarola.

Evening light is waning at the waterside cafe in Manarola.

 Riomaggiore

This small town is the fishing village of the five, less touristic than Monterosso at the north. It’s “tight in”, clutching its narrow water access and ensuring fitness with its high and narrow stairways and passages.

Fishing boats and floats are essential to Riomaggiore’s livelihood.

You’d better have “packed light” when you come to Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre!

Riomaggiore is a working fishing village.

 

Homes are built on the upended, striated rocks of Riomaggiore’s little harbor.

THE business to be in is that of “green paint and shutter seller” in the Cinque Terre!

This small piazza in Riomaggiore is one of the play areas for local children.

This woman rests near the door of the meat market in Riomaggiore. Note the beaded door curtain, which, for the most part, prevents the flies from entering, yet allows fresh air and customers to come in.

Up, up, up. In a community like Riomaggiore, stacked so tightly on a steep slope, staircases like this wind throughout the town.

A favorite menu in Riomaggiore.

Not quite stairs, not quite simply a slope, this stepped ramp in Riomaggiore is reminiscent of the “Cordonata” stepped ramp, designed by Michelangelo c. 1537 in Rome at the Piazza del Campidoglio.

How can one not be enchanted by this vision of Riomaggiore on a hot summer day? But I think those colors would also be delicious as they blaze through fog and rain, too!

Mud and Beauty in the Cinque Terre

Mud and Beauty in the Cinque Terre

It was like a punch in the gut a week ago, (October 25, 2011) when I heard that the Cinque Terre had been devastated by flood waters and mud. I had been in those five towns in 2008. I photographed them with an intensity and passion that yielded a sort of intimate affection for the area. Take a look. The colorful beauty, the resourcefulness, the geometric, playful stacking… and the few people that I was able to talk to at the time, (due to my own language limitations) made me easily love the Cinque Terre.

In last week’s flooding, the towns of Vernazza – one of my favorites – and Monterosso were especially hard hit. An Italian friend wrote to me and said “Cinque Terre is destroyed. So sad.” I was speechless. As I looked at photos and videos online, I saw buildings I had photographed, places I had stood, things I knew. This made Vernazza’s flooding more personal.

In 2008, I stood in front of this meat and cheese shop and enjoyed the blue curtains against the russet-colored wall in Vernazza.

Watching newscasts of the flooding last week, the “Salumi e Formaggi” awning jumped out at me. The entire first floor throughout the town of Vernazza was filled with water and debris, and now remains filled with mud.

In 2008, I was tickled by the “faux painting” around the town of Monterosso, such as this painted brick pattern.

This image on news sites tugged at me: the building I had photographed, now deep in mud and debris. (Picture by Miriam Rossignoli (http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=523038047)

Vernazza’s harbor, shot in 2008, features the local church, central piazza, places to eat, play, swim and sun.

Though this site is in Italian, the pictures tell the whole story. Move the central cursor line back and forth to see before-and-after images.

This video shows the rush of water and mud flowing through the center of Vernazza:

Watch as cars tumble through the streets and out to sea in Vernazza:

Cinque Terre’s regional blog has many videos and photos showing the destruction caused by the flood.   http://www.cinqueterre.com/blog/ 

This video shows the torrent rushing through the town of Monterosso:

More news reports:

Mudslides and Flooding Ravage Areas of Scenic Beauty in Italy” (NYT)

“Storms claim six lives in Italy. ‘Everything is flooded. Monterosso is gone’ says mayor” (ANSA.it)

This blogger, Nicole, gives an overview of the cleanup efforts:  http://culturalcomments.blogspot.com/2011/10/disaster-strikes-vernazza.html

Reports are many, and astounding. Do an internet search on “Vernazza flood” and you can read for hours. Personally, I remain stunned.