Rome, baby!

Taken with my iPhone just hours ago.  Landed in Rome after 24 hour journey: car to train to bus to plane to bus to plane to train to taxi to hotel. 

Walked across the Castel Sant' Angelo bridge, with its Bernini angels.

Admired more Bernini sculpture at Piazza Navona.  Had first of daily gelatos -- cocco e melone. 

Visited every church that was open.  Not only is each one spectacularly beautiful and ornate, but they are cool and you can sit there as long as you like!  Rome is hot and short on benches...Have had spaghetti carbonara twice, and lots and lots of water, con gas.

Tomorrow the workshop group gathers in Orvieto and we begin our Umbrian adventure!

Homage to Jackson Pollack

More spring color studies:  in color...

Same image, in black/white.

Capturing a Full Moon

Full moon from my back yard

A couple of Saturdays ago, we had an unusually gigundous full moon.  Like many others, I took my camera out to record it.  The moon was exceptionally bright -- so bright that, as a highlight, it was completely blown out - no detail.  Fortunately, we had an interesting cloud cover moving in and out.  I used that to bring the moon light darker as in the image below, but, as you can see, the moon was just too powerful for a Nikon.  Not too surprising -- the moon reflection is actually sunlight.  This was taken in my back yard in Wappingers Falls NY -- the house is my neighbor's house, which is almost identical to mine.  I live in a row of attached houses - 2 houses abutted together -  built around 1890 for executives of the Bleachery, a quarter of a mile away along the banks of Wappingers Creek.  TMI?

This is my dark and stormy night moon shot.

Lunch at Taco Juan's

Great plates at Taco Juan's in Woodstock NY

I highly recommend the tostado with everything on it.

Inexpensive, too!

Plan Something Joyful This Summer

Olive trees, Umbria, Italy

When I was in school, summers were special -- months of free time to hang out with friends, get reacquainted with the sun, swim, and just generally slow down and enjoy life.  Once I got a real job, summers passed without much notice -- the only big change in routine was putting the woolens and sweaters away and bringing out the cotton and linen clothes.  Without a definite plan, summer just doesn't seem to happen by itself any more.  So this summer I'm planning something fun.

Don't you owe yourself a memorable summer this year? If not now, when? tempis fugit, ya' know.

For me, I'm going back to Italy this summer, teaming up with painter Linda Richichi for our Intuitive Italy Painting/Photography Workshop,

for a very special week in Italy, June 29 – July 7, 2012,  to be held in a villa near Todi.  Our goal for this  all inclusive dream trip is to add magic and depth to your work and joy to your life. Always wanted to learn to paint? To develop your unique artistic voice in your photographs? An upscale villa awaits your arrival in Todi for an extraordinary week at a special artist rate. Enhance your vision and techniques. Enjoy the sunflower fields. Spend time with 100-year old olive trees. Swim in the infinity pool.  Slow down, savor life.  Learn new stuff, make new friends and have fun. Visit the beautiful towns of Orvieto, Assisi, DeRuta, Spoleto and more.  Novice to advanced artists are welcome in either/both disciplines.   For more information, check out my website, www.maryannglass.com or contact me at shotglassphoto@aol.com.  

 

Image of the Day: Spring Color, continued

Another photo from the same day as the last post, about 50 yards down the road.  I love the graceful dance of the tree trunks in this shot.

Image of the Day: Spring Color

I took this along Marlboro Ridge, across the Hudson River -- it's an area I go to when I'm looking for spring color, particularly the red buds of the maples.