somepinkflowers

tourist tuesday and santa maria della salute

Did you think I would take you so far away--to another country, to another side of the world--and then leave you hanging out on the church steps with the children?

Did you give a thought to the treasures contained within Our Lady of Health? I wonder, were you curious?

Did you think maybe some day I would get around to sharing the wonders inside?

Well, this is that day...

In Venice on the Grand Canal where the waterway spills gracefully into the lagoon there sits this Baroque Lady. She holds court.

Built in the mid-1600s by the grateful survivors of a dreadful plague to honor the Virgin Mary, this church has been waiting for you for the longest time.

So do come inside.

La Salute Church is free and open everyday. A small fee will get you into the sacristy where you can enjoy ceiling paintings by this one.

Possessing her own vaporetta stop you can pop in--coming and going down the canal--whenever you have the time.

If your boat is too crowded, jump off and rest here.

The light shines differently through the dome windows as the sun travels across the sky. 

I know, I know.  That happens everywhere around the world but here it seems stronger. You will want to compare the value of morning light to late afternoon light. Go more than once if you are in Venice.

Mostly I want you to try and visit at least one time.

Some will ask, "Don't all Italian churches look the same?"

I am here to tell you, "No."

Yes, there is that amazing architecture with the grand sculptures  and huge painting by The Masters but it is something more. Each has its own personality.

I cannot put my finger on it exactly.

Every where, every where artists have put their best talent forward in faith.

Layers upon layers of the highest quality surround those in prayer.

Only the best for The Best.

In the coolness and quiet of a holy place the years add another nuance not found in museums. 

As the earnest prayers float up and out they must truly leave a bit of shining hope behind.

This is the only thing I can figure.

Light makes its way both in and out.

Never can you forget the reason for this place.

Side~chapel paintings by this one one honor Mary.

The Assumption overlooks those with faith enough to light a candle.

I never quite understand how Venice floats above the sea. Everyone says she is sinking but is the truth that the sea is becoming broader with global warming? Is the Adriatic spreading wider onto her land?

How does Venice stay afloat? Wooden pilings driven into the muddy ocean bottom. Strong tree timbers. I imagine sunken tree tops supporting her to be Christmas trees planted deep within the silt holding Venice like a star on top.

And if this is true, then one of the stars shining near the very tippy~top might be this Holy Place.

If you think Christmas trees could not support all this fine but heavy marble let me tell you a secret:  Some of the marble is actually brick covered in a fancy dress of marble dust.

There...I have said it.

Not all is as it appears to be...

You know me. How I never want to  miss a thing. Well, I must confess that I am a sucker for a cool retreat away from the maddening crowds on a hot day. When traveling I seek out such places and am never disappointed when I duck into a nearby church.

A simple chair can make all the difference to the balancing of a day when away from a comfy hotel room.

Maddening crowds hardly ever linger long in such quiet corners.

Sometimes I get caught up in the smallest of details.

The pattern carved into the wooden kneeling bench, the colors of the tiled floor. Textures and materials. Different but complimentary.

If I sit still and do not hurry I can imagine this place filled with workers crafting such a wondrous building. I can imagine the artists bringing in their work to hang in perfection.

All the things that had to happen in the world, all the stars that had to line up in the heavens, before I arrived at this moment I am so privileged to share now with you.

Here.

Take this moment. It is yours ...

If the average tourist spends only 3 days in Venice I wonder how much of that time is spent in La Salute Church?

I do not know the answer but if you visit and sit a while on one of those chairs, if you look around and appreciate, then maybe you will want to hesitate a bit at the door.

You will want to turn and have one more look...

But isn't that the charm of Venice? How you can ever get enough of anything in Venice?

The entire city just draws you in and in and you know the world will not let her sink.  

If compassionate Mary can save Venice from a bitter and deadly plague how can She not hold back the rising tide?

do you know this stylish lady?

Me neither but isn't she wonderfully?

I passed her whilst crossing a bridge and she stole my imagination plum away.

Can you see how her pearl earrings match the buttons on her coat? How her cuffs are turned up just so? Notice the woven olive pattern on her purse? The bit of pink brightness on her plaid skirt peaking out with each step?

Plus, I am such a sucker for shades of green framing a pink flower.

As she descended into the crowd at the after Sunday services antique tag~sale, my eyes followed her on.

I wanted to have her for my auntie. I wanted to be invited to her home for afternoon tea and Italian sweets. I wanted to peak into her closet and play in her jewelry box.

But I knew I would never see her again.

I am such a sucker for shades of green framing a pink flower.

And these pink flowers above I send out today to a Way Much Younger stylish lady. Do you know this one who finds the best things to share with one hand while whipping up wearable art with the other?

Well, today is her birthday so do pop in when you can. Leave her a message as she is much like an Italian sweet herself.  Now she may be traveling but leave a note anyway.

Oh happy day, missy.

tourist tuesday and the steps of the chiesa di santa maria della salute

"Watch Nana make the rain stop, " she promised her young grandson.

We were all three  sitting on the covered front porch watching the rain sprinkle down from a partly cloudy sky. From where I sat I could still see the clear blue sky over the neighbor's house across the street.

In Florida it can rain hard in your front yard, beating down the bushes, and then be all sun-shiny in the back. It happens all the time.

Only five minutes earlier Brayden and I had escaped the house to have a nature walk in the sunshine.

This rain had come from nowhere. Completely uninvited it had plopped down fat drops to spoil the plan. To rain on our parade.

We headed for shelter on the front porch to count the lizards. His Nana had come out the front door to check on things.

Just 2 months shy of 4 years old, Brayden was not always certain about the power of an adult.

Somethings were pretend and some things were true. And can't a daddy and a mommy do most anything at all? Catch a fish. Make a cake. Anything at all.

Could his Nana stop the rain?

Emotions danced across his round face.

Is this pretend? Is this true? Could his Nana stop the rain?

Brayden looked to me for confirmation. An auntie should know about these things. An auntie could be trusted.

"Let's see how it is done." I answered his questioning glance.

"Let's just wait and see." I shrugged my shoulders.

Carefully his Nana took down a hanging baskets tucked under the front porch eave. A lantana, I think it was. Bone dry and in need of a good soaking.

She placed the plant gently on the ground in the soft grass peppered with pine straw.

The rain splashed on everything evenly. It was an equal opportunity rainfall, giving refreshment even to the sidewalk.

Brayden's eyes watched his Nana. He watched the plant enjoying a bit of wet relief as the leaves turned a darker shade of green.

And still the rain fell softly down.

I moved back and forth a bit more in my white rocker, smelling the rain and enjoying the view.

I could hear the rain frogs croaking their thanks to the sky.

Small and bright lime-green sometimes the rain frogs hide under the rocker cushions. The frogs hunker down in the cool shade of the cotton pillows. They snuggle under a button-tufted dark space, sit still and try to turn flat.

You need to lift up your rocker cushion and look each time before you sit down. Or else.

After all this is The South where rain frogs and green lizards make themselves right at home wherever they want.

You just have to train yourself to look.

Brayden's eyes followed his Nana as she took down another plant and placed it next to the first one sitting there in the rain.

Then she took down another one and so on until all the plants were getting a free bath.

Then Nana went back inside, having moved all the plants to a new and improved location. 

Brayden and I rocked and rocked those rockers to beat the band. And the rain came down a bit slower.

We rocked and laughed and giggled. We watched the plants  and waited for the rain to stop.

And, well, you know it did.

We watched the sun shine move back to our side of the street.

The rain stopped dripping off the trees. The gutters stopped shooting out  little rivers into the flower beds. Things got quiet.

"My Nana stopped the rain," explained Brayden, climbing down off his rocker to get a better look at the sky.

"Yes, she did." I replied.

"Look," said Brayden, "A squirrel is crossing the road!"

And he was right.

A brown fluffy-tailed squirrel was making its way across the steaming asphalt road. He took a jag around a rain-puddle and hopped into our yard.

"Why is he coming over here, Auntie somepinkflowers?" Brayden asked.

"Well, maybe his Nana lives over here. " I answered because I was his auntie and I can say such things.

"Yes," Brayden said, "Maybe his Nana lives over here  with my Nana."

And I said, "Yes. That is what I was thinking."

"I wonder," said Brayden, " if his Nana can stop the rain?"

while the dreams play on

I do not know if his name is Leo or Leon but it does not matter in this instance.

He knew his place was to stand guard over the pale and resting princess while she slept. While the dreams played on.

Not an usual job really if you stop to think about it.  He was not the sort of lion to whimpily accompany a pale and confused princess down a garden path. That was not his style for this guard lion was Truly Magnificent and Brave.

Magnificent and Brave beasts all around the world stand guard over beautiful ladies. They tend to inspire. They often provide companionship and encourage creativity.

That type of thing...

Her story is a common one. Nothing magical about it really.

This pale and weary princess had been standing on her feet all day posing in the garden. Now the heat was so unbearable she could not accept to be draped in even the thinnest of cloth.

And haven't we all had days like that? I know I have.

"I will just curl up against this cool stone and snooze for a bit,"  the pale and exhausted princess thought to herself. "With my winged lion standing guard I will be fine. Even bad dreams will not reach me. When I awake we can both go out for  pizza."

And snooze on she did. While her lion stood ever vigilant. You know how they do.

Thank goodness she was wearing sunscreen, is all I can say. It must have been 95 spf for she did not turn red or even one shade of pink.

The pale and sleepy princess did however have the most amazing dreams...

She dreamed not of a handsome prince who would kiss her tenderly but she dreamed instead of owning a valid passport, one that would be accepted in every country around the globe.

She dreamed of owning 1,000,000,000,000 never~expiring American Express Reward Points suitable for redemption on the airlines of her choice.

She dreamed of owning the lightest of all carry~on that could manage all her shoes with ease and still fit comfortably in most over~head bins.

When she dreamed of owning Time Unlimited she stirred a bit, restless in her sleep, ready to be moving on, eager to hit the trail...

"Oh, the places I will go!" she muttered in her sleep. "The things I will see!"

She was a pale and Venetian princess, after all, and longed for more exotic venues.

"Oh, dear," the guard lion whispered, heaving his wings in familiar resolution. Clearly he had heard it all before. Maybe a couple of times. Or more.

"Here we go again!" he went on, "If she mentions this place one more time I might hurl."

"Ssshhhhhh," I say to the somewhat impatient guard lion as he soldiers on.

"Hush!" I continue, "Please do not wake the pale and travel~hungry princess. Just look at the smile on her sweet face. Such contentment we should all possess."

Instead, to you, my dear readers, there with a smile of understanding on your own dreamy face,  I say this ----->Do leave here suggestions of an exotic city , a country town, a mountain retreat  where the pale and curious princess might enjoy a visit.

Lean in close and whisper lightly into her pale and receptive ear. Breath names of locations full of roundy vowels and heaping with possibilities. No place is too far away, no place is too nondescript.

Like so many of us these days, this pale and hopeful princess does not want to miss a thing. Even while the dreams play on...

simply not true at all

I know what you're thinking.

I can see your brain working all the way over here ...

"That somepinkflowers never does a lick of work...

She is always dropping in other places or off to the beach or off to the beach in some other place."

But, really, we work very diligently over here trying not to miss a thing.

It isn't as easy as I make it look sometimes...

If you think I am a lady of leisure, well, that is simply not true at all...

I am just pacing myself... Trying to take it easy...

In my own fashion.