Dubrovnik's Old Town

The entrance to Dubrovnik's very compact old town holds the keys to a charming sets of winding streets...polished to a high gloss from centuries of foot traffic. Lots of white buildings, meandering cobblestone streets, fabulous architecture, picturesque shops...

It was a hot one while we were in Croatia...so we did plenty of reclining at outdoor restaurants conveniently located in the shade of the buildings of the old town.

the red rooftops of Croatia

What a quaint and charming place....the white buildings and red rooftops of Dubrobnik are a striking contrast to the war that occurred there 20 years ago.

Penny for a Guy

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day...for those of you not in the know, a brief summary:

Fawkes and his revolutionary cohorts set about assassinating King James I and attepmpted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in a 1604 conspiracy known as the Gunpowder Plot. They amassed enough gunpowder in a basement near Westminster to essentially destroy that part of London as well as kill nearly the entire membership of the House of Lords, the senior bishops of the Church of England and the royal family. The plot failed, and Fawkes and his co-conspirators were put to death.

The character of Satan in Milton’s "Paradise Lost" is based on Fawkes, and today we have the word “guy” because of him — “burning the guy” in effigy is a part of how Bonfire Night, November 5th, is celebrated in the England. Each year in Britain, fireworks and bonfires are set alight. I can attest to the fireworks last evening as my neighborhood was riddled with them.

Another tradition apparently dropped by the wayside, but also connected to Guy Fawkes Day involved children building a Guy Fawkes effigy and waiting outside public places, asking passers-by for a "Penny for a Guy". I witnessed none of that yesterday however.

Still, I am all for any good reason for a fireworks display.

Finally, Croatia

Well, it just took a couple of months but I am finally getting around to posting the Dubrovnik vacation pictures. It was a whirlwind trip but a hot and relaxing one....and a location I could heartily recommend.

Most of our time was spent in the Old Town area, but we did get a couple of side trips in as well (posts to come). First stop, "walking the fortress wall"...

this is good...and that is good

Last week saw a musical dichotomy for me. (And yes, before anyone even comments, the work pace has lessened enough that I actually did some things for myself in the evenings).

Tuesday night found me singing Haydn's Te Deum....Wednesday night, I was watching ZZ Top.

Go figure.

Gracie 1993 - 2009

Our sweet Gracie left our family today...it was a hard decision but her little body just tuckered out.