To Be Or Not To Be

Late Saturday night - check that, early Sunday morning's quote:

Comes to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come the edge, he said.
They came. He pushed them .. and they flew. – Guilluame Apollinaire


Taken lovingly from my cherished dear friend's daily word. I love this quote. So many 'things' in life prevent one from fulfilling her desires ... intimidation, fear of failing, time, money ... this quote is my mana....

Mea Culpa

I have changed my settings to allow comments. Can you tell I'm a newbie at this?

Could be Italy

but it's not. It's the North End of Boston. A place my grandparents emigrated to from Italy - Avellino to be exact.

My family, along with cousins, aunts and uncles would travel into this piece of Americana == back to their neighborhoods. It was a yearly ritual every Sunday in August to lean out the tenement windows on pillows and watch the processions of Momma Nonas shrouded in black and barefoot, praying the rosary behind the hoisted statue of the saint for the celebrated feastday. A few of my uncles were the bearers of the statues. And, apparently quite a few of us, the second and third Italian-Americans share these traditions. I overheard a father telling his young teen daughter an almost identical story as mine.

These photos were taken at the Fishermen's feast. The largest feast is, of course, St. Anthony's, on the last weekend of August.

My Hawaiian fiance is liking the fried dough, a staple of these festivals. My family called them 'johnny cakes'. I don't have an explanation of why they are called johnny cakes. Googled them and defined as made with cornmeal. Not so in this family - and I think that is pretty much a generic term for Boston - at least. If anyone knows the history of this, I would appreciate hearing it. Mahalo!

The 43 Meme - Captured

Deborah at Old Shoes-New Trip posted a list of 43 interesting city squares, plazas and piazzas from around the world. She is challenging her SlowTrav friends and travel blog readers to list the number of squares they have visited.

The rules:
Copy this list into your own blog and put an asterisk after each city square you've actually spent time in. (Riding past in a taxi or bus doesn't count.) Please include the link back to Old Shoes-New Trip in your own entry and then leave a comment on Deborah's post so she can find your blog and admire your count.

The Forty-Three MEME from Old Shoes, New Trip
1- Piazza Del Campo, Siena, Italy *
2- Piazza Della Signoria, Florence, Italy *
3- Staromestske Namesti, Prague, Czech Republic
4- Markt, Bremen, Germany
5- Grote Markt, Brussels, Belgium*
6- Piazza and Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, Italy*
7- Piazza Del Campidoglio, Rome, Italy *
8- Krasnaja Polscad, Moscow, Russia
9- Sultanahmet Meidani, Istanbul, Turkey
10- Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy *
11- St. Peter's Square, The Vatican *
12- Place Des Vosges, Paris, France
13- Place Vendome, Paris, France
14- Place Des Terreaux, Lyon, France
15- Place Stanislas, Nancy, France
16- Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain*
17- Schlossplatz, Stuttgart, Germany
18- Plaza De La Constitucion, Mexico City, Mexico
19- Praca do Comercio, Lisbon, Portugal
20- Trafalgar Square, London, UK
21- Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin, Germany
22- Konigsplatz, Munich, Germany
23- Winter Palace Square, St. Petersburg, Russia
24- Piccadilly Circus, London, UK
25- Piazza Duomo, Milan, Italy*
26- Piazza Dell'Unita D'Italia, Trieste, Italy
27- Theaterplatz, Dresden, Germany
28- Maria Theresien Platz, Vienna, Austria
29- Hosok Tere, Budapest, Hungary
30- Plaza De Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
31- Times Square, New York City, USA*
32- Tian'anmen Square, Beijing, China
33- Praca Dos Tres Poderes, Brasilia, Brazil
34- Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Canada*
35- City Hall Plaza, Boston, USA*
36- Plateau Beaubourg, Paris, France
37- Tsukuba Center Square, Tsukuba, Japan
38- Place Du Nobre D'Or, Montpellier, France
39- Placa Dels Paisos Catalans, Barcelona, Spain
40- Parliament Square, Canberra, Australia
41- California Plaza, Los Angeles, USA
42- Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
43- Potsbamer Platz, Berlin, Germany

Let's see. That would be 12 of a possible 43 on this list ... many more miles to travel ... I have to get out of Italy more often, I see!

Fun post!!

Thoughts for this Weekend

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3, 5-6

Boston, my home town

Beantown, the City of Champions, the home of the Cod .. whatever you call it, it's where I hang my hat ... these days .. Boston. Born and spent most of my life here with some brief hiatuses to my second home, Hawaii.

In the cool evenings of September in Boston, when the warmth of the day is becoming a memory, the feel of autumn begins to tug at your memory. On the East Coast we are fortunate that Nature repeatedly gives us a kaleidoscope of rich colors to view this Earth.

So, as not to forget that summer may be an Indian Summer, and not to rush the new colors of fall, here are some of my favorite photos of New England. Aloha!

Dontcha just love this?

Love is always bestowed as a gift --
freely, willingly, and without expectation....
We don't love to be loved; we love to love.
~ Leo Buscaglia