Each new day, a new breakfast surprise

Today the breakfast surprise in Siena, Italy, was coffee yogurt. What a wonderful idea. Lets us have coffee and eat healthy, too.
On our way to Napoli today. Dick is thinking of climbing Mount Vesuvius. I say climbing the mountain that is the city of Siena was sufficient. This town is uphill in all directions. Once we reached the top, the hotel receptionist asked why we didn't use the escalator that comes up from the train station!!!
I am not usually given to using three exclamation marks, but it beats killing myself or someone else. Sigh.

When not in Rome, post anyway

Hi again, all. Not much time left online but want to say Venice has met and exceeded our expectations! Rome was magnificent and Florence was lovely. My intrepid photographer climbed the Leaning Tower in Pisa and a wonderful time was had by all.
More soon, now packing to head for Milan by train. Flying home from Rome March 4 and hope to post a note before then.
Luv, K

Strange sailing for February

Hi blogging friends, fans, followers, etc., just a quick note to say the Carnival Destiny had calm seas from Miami, Florida, to the south coast of Spain. We're docked at Malaga, an hour and a half (by car) east of Gibraltar. No, we didn't see the Rock, because we passed it at 3am.
Barcelona next, then Florence (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia), and finally Venice.
We're both well and having a good holiday so far. I'm getting lots of rest and Dick is getting lots of exercise, just what the doctors ordered.
New news soon, probably from Venice next week.
Cheers!
K

Cinquain for Marian at Real Toads

Here I am, in a rush, up to my eyeballs in suitcases, backpacks, clothes for different climates (surely, however, there will be lifejackets in our cabin?) but wanting to contribute to one last Real Toads challenge before we head off tomorrow.

Marian Kent photos

This might be our most exciting adventure yet, crossing the Atlantic by ship in February, although a nice young lady named Gloria at Carnival Cruise Lines said the weather should be good this time of year.

Marian has selected the cinquain for the first Sunday mini-challenge of February and has given us many examples from her own oeuvre. She has also given us some photos from The Big Apple, in case we “abhor syllable counting” and prefer a photo prompt.

Ah, but, Marian, the photos spoke to me in a cinquain sort of way, although ignoring the traditional nature image the cinquain inherits from haiku and tanka.

And so, as I may be contributing nothing to the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads for the rest of the month, here is my cinquain. It adheres, you see, to the five lines (by the very nature of cinq) and syllable count of 2-4-6-8-2. It also has a strong title. Imagery, not much, and Mother Nature, not at all.

BIG CITY HEART

I heart

New York, I heart

its t-shirt shops and all

its many postal boxes, too,

I do

Kay L. Davies, February, 2012

Weekend Reflections: passing Passau

Cruising on the Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers in November was a wonderful opportunity for us to photograph reflections. This shot was taken from the river cruise ship Viking Danube in Passau, Germany.

Posted for Weekend Reflections
hosted by James, wherever he may be. Thanks, James!

Camera Critters and Pet Pride: dog cousins

These are Lindy's dog-cousins: Jasper and Roxy. They live with Lindy's people-cousins a few miles away from each other on the coast of British Columbia, so Lindy hasn't met them yet. Jasper is the senior dog cousin in the family, and Roxy is the junior one. When Roxy visits him, Jasper protects her, so she really looks up to him. We are hoping to visit them both, late this spring, or maybe early in the summer.

Posted for

Pet Pride hosted by Lindy's friend Bozo and

his family at their Pets Forever blog in Mumbai, India,

and also for
Camera Critters hosted by Misty Dawn

Skywatch Friday: golden dome

As the sun was setting over the Pacific to the west, this patch of gold appeared in the eastern sky, illuminating the trees and casting warmth across the South Surrey suburb of Ocean Park when I was visiting last month.
It was so beautiful, I took one photo, and my sister-in-law Caroline used my camera to take another. I don't know which of us took this one. I know Caroline saw that the sun was setting, and told me about it. She is an observant person who loves the natural world around her, and teaches young children about it several times a week.

Posted for
Skywatch Friday

A word with Laurie, for Real Toads

they say it’s a movie, a game, or a show...

whether they’re right, though, I’ll never know

phantasms scare me, frighten me sick—

like nightmares that feature that devil Old Nick

everything’s moving

flickering

shimmering

pushing and shoving

dickering

glimmering

while, in a cauldron,

something is simmering

phantasmagoric phantasmagoria

surely the opposite thing to euphoria

fantastic phantoms

oozing and gory

...ah...

aarrgghh

...ugh...

  

somebody wake me up!

wake me up now!

I can’t think

I can’t breathe

I can’t help myself

ow!

 

who’s there?

who is that?

mom, is that you?

mom, it is you,

and daddy, too,

I’m so glad...

a bad dream...

but I’m okay now

Laurie's word this week
at the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads is phantasmagoric.
Of course, Laurie always offers words we use every day.

Not. Definitely not, but she did provide the definition and,

after that, she left us to deal with our own nightmares.