A Ray Of Sunshine

To my utter surprise and delight I have been awarded "A Sunshine Award" from Sandra at

http://acappuccinoaday.blogspot.com/

It is awarded to bloggers whose positiveness and creativity inspires others in the blog world. I am really touched by this sweet gesture and I thank Sandra for thinking of my blog for this honor.

The rules for accepting the award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.

2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.

3. Link to the nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Thankyou Sandra so much for this award, I am honored to be in such good company!

And my nominees are.............

1. Palmabella's Passions @ http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/palma/

2. Let Us Go Then You and I @ http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/andasamo/

3. Whistlestop Cafe @ http://whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com/

4. BeachKat@http://justabeachkat.blogspot.com/

5. A Journey of a Thousand Miles @ http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/sandrac/

6. Elzabelz @http://elzabelz.blogspot.com/

7. Back Porch Musings: http://www.backporchmusings.com/

8. Churches in Venice: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/annienc/

9. Synchronicity @http://pono12.blogspot.com/

10. Beyond the Fields We Know@http://kerrdelune.blogspot.com/

11. Postcards from the Trail@http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/marta/

12. Candi's Corner: Wanderlust and Passions@http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/candi/

When In Rome

Aria and Daniele took the train from Firenze to Rome last weekend for just a fun get away. She'll return to Rome with her students for four days today to tour all the big sites. Indeed, she's living the dream so many have.

"Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life."

- Anna Akhmatova

Hold On

"Doubt whom you will,

but never yourself."

March Madness

As many of you know I am a member of a group called Slowtravel. We are a community of souls who love all aspects of travelling from the planning and researching to recording the memories after the trip and to sharing tips on great places to see. Many of us have blogs. In 2008 the group started a challenge in which many of the bloggers vowed to try to post daily for the month of February. That was a time before I had my own blog but I really enjoyed reading theirs. Then in 2009 the challenge was posed again and this time I participated and continued to post a daily blog throughout the year of 2009.

This year we have decided to try to blog everyday in March 2010. You can always see my sidebar on the blogs that are participating. I hope you drop by to see what all these slowtrav bloggers are blogging about.. Here are the participants so far:

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With ... Too Much Luggage

As the Seasons Change
A Wine Lover's Wanderings
Candi's Corner, Wanderlust and Passions
Churches in Venice
Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
Let us go then, you and i
Palmabella's Passions

Old Shoes - New Trip
shave ice and gelato
Vagabond Artist
What I Really Think
Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

Lost

"For a man needs only to be turned around once with his eyes shut

in this world to be lost...

Not til we are lost...do we begin to find ourselves."

-Thoreau, Walden

There's Something On Your Face

"...it is not necessary to the child to awaken to the sense of the strange and humorous by giving a man a luminous nose...to the child it is sufficiently strange and humorous to have a nose at all."

G.K. Chesterton*

*Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, journalism and more.

Life's Endless Celebration

Aria's photo of Venice, Italy

"Love life

everything--

pale lights

markets medley

of green lettuce,

red cherries,

golden grapes, and

purple eggplants--

all so extraordinary!

Incredible!

you get excited, you talk to people

and people talk to you,

you touch

and they touch you.

All this is magical,

like some endless celebration."

-Eugene Ionesco