A Boy Made of Wood

Last year, I was in Italy and ran into Pinocchio in Sienna and Florence.....

Waiting for someone to play with....

An empty wine glass in Italy?..I don't think so.......

Here P is sporting the latest fashion trend...a striped tee!

Back to Arithmetic 101.....

On a horsey surrounded by marbles....

Pears and Chianti for lunch with Signore Bear.....

Big Brother, Medium Brother, Little Brother, Tiny Brother....

Salute!

And don't forget what happens if you don't tell the truth!!

Have a good weekend Oakland Breakfasters!

Welcome Spring!

Sunday was the official first day of Spring.  Although it rained off and on all day, there are plenty of blooms out there to let us know that the season is changing. Here's what I found around town...

Wouldn't you love this for your favorite outdoor spot??  I would!

Piedmont Avenue

This beauty was found at Fenton's Ice Creamery....

Berkeley Farmer's Market had buckets full of color....

From a neighborhood garden....

This birdie has his Spring Coat on!

A swoosh of cherry blossoms in Geyersville....

And this hummingbird hitched a ride on AC Transit Bus..

smart thinking!

But don't put away your rain slicker quiet yet...

Hope your Spring is off to a good start!

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling....

I always look forward to St. Patrick's Day.....I love corned beef and cabbage, Irish jigs and fondly remember my Irish teachers at St. Anthony's in Oakland - Sister Mary Eugenia,  Sister Agnes Marie, Sister Mary Jonathan, et al.

In honor of the day here are my photos that I took in Ireland a few years ago....

My ancestral home...just kidding!

Misty morning in County Kerry....

My grandmother's cottage...hehehe....

In Cork, I did manage to kiss the Blarney Stone

but can't remember why you are suppose to kiss it upside down...

My cousin Jose!

Cliffs of Moher..this is for real....

Uncle Juanito and his herd of cows...wait, I  mean his flock of sheep...

Trinity College in Dublin

On the way to the Ring of Kerry and Moll's Gap..you know the place?

Erin go Braugh/Ireland Forever!

A most beautiful castle in Killarney...

An Irish Toast:

May neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you

and heaven respect you....

Isn't the whole world Irish on St. Paddy's Day??

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Malmo, Sweden

My last post was about my recent trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. I did manage a one day visit to Malmo, Sweden as it is just a 45 minute train ride from Copenhagen...

Malmo Train Station

Welcome to Sweden.....

Sculpture across from the train station...

First things first....a very filing lunch of....

Swedish Meatballs!

Artsy shoes at the Design Forum..do NOT wear these on

Swedish cobblestone streets!

Even the kiddie high chairs are Swedish stylish...

The sun was out but it was even colder in Malmo than in Copenhagen...

All the rivers were frozen including this one in front of

Malmohus Castle.

The 70's (still) rule in Malmo!

 Cafe Latino serves vegetarian enchiladas...

I didn't try them but the photo did look appetizing...

I didn't eat at this restaurant either but the sign was interesting..!

Malmo was founded in 1275...it is a lovely mix of old and new

and I was very happy to have made the visit!

Bye Malmo!

Kopenhavn

I recently took a "quick" trip to Denmark...Copenhagen to be exact.  The weather was quite cold and the skies were generally gray but I had a great time!  The folks were warm ("jolly" per the Danes) and very helpful....and I loved, loved, loved the food.  So, here's what I saw....

Day 1 and I thought...yikes!

But the hotel fireplace was going full blast so that was good...

 Legos were created in a Danish carpentry workshop around 1916..

This is Stroget...the world's longest pedestrian street..

store after store, after shop, after boutique, after cafe, etc.

Statue at the fountain at the Ny Carlsberg Glypotek Museum....

Holy Moly...that's alot of kids!

and Roman statues galore....

It seemed like everyone rides a bicycle in Denmark...and the citizens are very "green" conscious..

Managed a stop at the Danish Design Center where this cool

Stingray Chair was on exhibit....

Over at Rosenborg Palace, the Crown Jewels were on display...

with guards keeping an an eye on EVERYBODY..they were awesome..the jewels that is....

Denmark is very proud of their native son

Hans Christian Anderson -  the author of

Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling and of course...

......"The Little Mermaid" too..

For a snack, I found chocolate dipped waffles.

Not only do they sell beautiful porcelain at the Royal Copenhagen Store

 (by appointment to Her Royal Highness of course..)

But I also saw lots of beautiful bouquets of colorful flowers as well....

...getting ready for Spring, I am sure...

The sun was out on the day it was time to come home.....

and I left with good vibes of my time in Copenhagen!

That's our tour for today....Have a great weekend OaklandBreakfasters!

Is it Spring Yet?

These half sunny/half dreary days are getting old.  Even though Spring doesn't officially start until March 20th, I say let's start Spring now.....are you with me???