Week 22: Industrial

Unabashedly lifted from the Web: “According to legend, Dionysus (aka Bacchus) was the God who brought pleasure to mankind, and wine to Sicily. Legend aside, it is certain that wine has been made in Sicily for millennia. There is evidence that Mycenaean traders cultivated grapes in the Aeolian Islands as early at 1,500 BC and when the Greeks began to settle in Sicily in the 8th century BC, they too were unable forgo their favourite libation, “oinos”, and introduced several varieties of vines.”

We visited the Barone Nicolò La Lumia Estate in southwestern Sicily, where the baron’s family has been growing grapes and making wine since the 18th century on a farm they settled in the 14th century. The baron led us on a tour of the production facilities before our tasting in his historic manor.

Week 21: Christmastime

I guess you could say that the boats along University Parkway across the Sarasota’s UTC mall are now a tradition. They represent the nearby Nathan Benderson Park World Class Rowing Center. We who live in the area know that Christmas is around the corner when the little fleet of lighted boats appears on the pond and distract us from all the road construction going on around us at I-75 Exit 213. Merry Christmas to all! (Click to enlarge to notice that each boat has an anhinga hanging out on it!)

Week 20: Mealtime

It was mealtime on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and we ducked into a busy restaurant for lunch. The open-flame oven across the room and into the kitchen got my attention and I zoomed in to capture the colors.

Week 19: Faces In Everyday Places (Pareidolia)

On a walking tour of Palermo, Sicily, we cam face-to-face with this whimsical urban art. While it is an art installation rather than a naturally-occurring image, it is too funny to pass up for this particular challenge.