It's been a very busy week for me. It's the first week in Lent, so I am always very involved with church activities. On Monday I attended my Bible/book study and as usual, it was very interesting. As a group, we decided to forego refreshments when we meet for the next 6 weeks as part of our Lenten discipline. 
The next day was Shrove Tuesday and we attended a pancake supper which was sponsored by our church's Boy Scout Troop. The food was very good and the fellowship even better. During the meal we listened to a Dixieland Jazz trio for a little taste of what was happening in New Orleans. 
Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday", is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent, the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday .The entire three day period has now come to be known in many areas as Mardi Gras. Perhaps the cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; Venice, Italy; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
I had the privilege of being in Venice for Carnival one year and it was the experience of a lifetime. All of the local people are in costume the entire time. I was there with my Mentor in my photographic career, Lisl Dennis, and we were invited to many special events because of her connections there.
There is one thing that really stands out in my mind from that particular trip. We attended the Opera at La Fenice for an invitation only performance. La Fenice is reputedly the most beautiful Opera House in the world. After the performance, both Rudolf Nureyev,
who is regarded as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century, and Mikhail Baryshnikov danced for us. 
You may remember Baryshnikov from his role with Sara Jessica Parker in "Sex in the City" if you were a fan of that show like we were. Can't wait for the movie to come out!
I have always loved to watch him dance (and I might add that he's also very easy on the eye!)
Nuryev isn't all that bad looking either!!! I can't wait until we get to Russia this summer :-)
Anyway, Carnival in Venice was a wonderful celebration and I took some unbelieveable photographs on that trip. People in costume were posing everywhere and were just waiting to be noticed. 
The Piazza San Marco was a sea of humanity and I remember that those of us traveling together had to make a human chain to cross it in order to not get lost from each other. 
None of us spoke Italian, so it would have been difficult to find someone to help us if we had gotten separated. There's safety in numbers ... especially if they're American and speak the same language ;-)
It was very cold there that year. In fact it even snowed! Here I am on the Grand Canal wearing a heavy wool coat.
The next day was Shrove Tuesday and we attended a pancake supper which was sponsored by our church's Boy Scout Troop. The food was very good and the fellowship even better. During the meal we listened to a Dixieland Jazz trio for a little taste of what was happening in New Orleans. Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday", is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent, the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday .The entire three day period has now come to be known in many areas as Mardi Gras. Perhaps the cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; Venice, Italy; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I had the privilege of being in Venice for Carnival one year and it was the experience of a lifetime. All of the local people are in costume the entire time. I was there with my Mentor in my photographic career, Lisl Dennis, and we were invited to many special events because of her connections there.
There is one thing that really stands out in my mind from that particular trip. We attended the Opera at La Fenice for an invitation only performance. La Fenice is reputedly the most beautiful Opera House in the world. After the performance, both Rudolf Nureyev,
who is regarded as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century, and Mikhail Baryshnikov danced for us. You may remember Baryshnikov from his role with Sara Jessica Parker in "Sex in the City" if you were a fan of that show like we were. Can't wait for the movie to come out! I have always loved to watch him dance (and I might add that he's also very easy on the eye!) Nuryev isn't all that bad looking either!!! I can't wait until we get to Russia this summer :-)Unfortunately, shortly after I had been there, the Opera House burned to the ground for the second time. It was arson.
After various delays, reconstruction began in earnest in 2001. In 650 days, a team of two hundred plasterers, artists, woodworkers, and other craftsman succeeded in recreating the ambience of the old theatre at a cost of some €90 million.
La Fenice was rebuilt in 19th-century style on the basis of a design by architect Aldo Rossi and using still photographs from the opening scenes of Luchino Visconti's 1954 film Senso which was filmed in the house in order to obtain details of its design. It reopened on 14 December 2003. The first opera production was La Traviata in November, 2004. Critical response to the rebuilt La Fenice was mixed. The music critic of the rightwing paper Il Tempo, Enrico Cavalotti, was satisfied. He found the colours a bit bright but the sound good and compact. For his colleague Dino Villatico of the leftwing La Repubblica, however, the acoustics of the new hall lacked resonance and the colours were painfully bright. He found it "kitsch, a fake imitation of the past". He said that "the city should have had the nerve to build a completely new theater; Venice betrayed its innovative past by ignoring it". However, for many Venetians, a painful wound in the historical, much-admired cityscape has been healed.
After various delays, reconstruction began in earnest in 2001. In 650 days, a team of two hundred plasterers, artists, woodworkers, and other craftsman succeeded in recreating the ambience of the old theatre at a cost of some €90 million.
La Fenice was rebuilt in 19th-century style on the basis of a design by architect Aldo Rossi and using still photographs from the opening scenes of Luchino Visconti's 1954 film Senso which was filmed in the house in order to obtain details of its design. It reopened on 14 December 2003. The first opera production was La Traviata in November, 2004. Critical response to the rebuilt La Fenice was mixed. The music critic of the rightwing paper Il Tempo, Enrico Cavalotti, was satisfied. He found the colours a bit bright but the sound good and compact. For his colleague Dino Villatico of the leftwing La Repubblica, however, the acoustics of the new hall lacked resonance and the colours were painfully bright. He found it "kitsch, a fake imitation of the past". He said that "the city should have had the nerve to build a completely new theater; Venice betrayed its innovative past by ignoring it". However, for many Venetians, a painful wound in the historical, much-admired cityscape has been healed.
We occupied one of the boxes for the performance. This is a photograph of the new Opera House. You can see how elegant it is with it's wonderful Old World charm.
Anyway, Carnival in Venice was a wonderful celebration and I took some unbelieveable photographs on that trip. People in costume were posing everywhere and were just waiting to be noticed. It was a photographers dream! Here is a painting that I did from a photograph I took on that wonderful and most memorable trip.
The Piazza San Marco was a sea of humanity and I remember that those of us traveling together had to make a human chain to cross it in order to not get lost from each other. None of us spoke Italian, so it would have been difficult to find someone to help us if we had gotten separated. There's safety in numbers ... especially if they're American and speak the same language ;-) It was very cold there that year. In fact it even snowed! Here I am on the Grand Canal wearing a heavy wool coat.
That was a difficult trip to pack for since from there we went to Egypt where it was very warm. I also had all of my photographic equipment to schlep from place to place, so it was quite a challenge. More about that later!
Frank and I served at St. Alban's at the early service (6:30 a.m.) on Ash Wednesday and that night we went to Dallas and had dinner with our friends, the Cooks, at Le Rondevouz which is a favorite of ours. We used to frequent the place when it was on McKinney Avenue. It has now moved and is in North Dallas. We had a wonderful meal and enjoyed their company very much as we always do.
I had lunch with a dear artist friend on Thursday at a local tearoom and yesterday we went to Fort Worth and had lunch with friends from Fort Worth at Charleston's which is on Restaurant Row. We had a delightful lunch and they bought this painting that I did from my China trip. 
Frank and I served at St. Alban's at the early service (6:30 a.m.) on Ash Wednesday and that night we went to Dallas and had dinner with our friends, the Cooks, at Le Rondevouz which is a favorite of ours. We used to frequent the place when it was on McKinney Avenue. It has now moved and is in North Dallas. We had a wonderful meal and enjoyed their company very much as we always do.
I had lunch with a dear artist friend on Thursday at a local tearoom and yesterday we went to Fort Worth and had lunch with friends from Fort Worth at Charleston's which is on Restaurant Row. We had a delightful lunch and they bought this painting that I did from my China trip. I have entered this particular painting in an art competition and it was featured on the cover of their on-line magazine. Should it win, they will be the proud owners of an award winning painting. Keep your fingers crossed!I always feel as though my paintings are like my children and if they are no longer going to be with me, I want them to have a good home. I know that this one will have the best.
We're going to take it easy today. It's been a busy week and it looks as though next week will be the same.
We're going to take it easy today. It's been a busy week and it looks as though next week will be the same.
Now that I'm no longer painting with the group on a routine basis, I have a lot more free time to do the other things that I really love ... mainly with family and friends. Our lives seem to get very complicated at times and I really needed a break. After all, I can always paint!
We have several social engagements next week and as things evolve, I will keep you posted. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend and a Holy Lent.
XOXOX, Pcasso
We have several social engagements next week and as things evolve, I will keep you posted. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend and a Holy Lent.
XOXOX, Pcasso
2 comments:
Thank you, Pat, for another very interesting blog. I love the pictures you include. Your painting is wonderful and I hope it wins a prize. One thing I really enjoy are the photos of "you" when you were a little girl, a young woman, and all the time in between. Thank you for sharing.
Love,
Margie
It is truly like a travelog every time I read your blog! You have so many wonderful trips and photos to draw from. Congrats on selling the painting. bg
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