merry, merry

Ho, ho ho!
Love and joy and happiness to you all.

Christmas came so suddenly this year.  For us this time of year is about slowing down and enjoying each other.  This morning we talked to the kids about the meaning of this season, how it is about joy and love and celebrating a great being who graced the world with teachings about our true nature, our true divine nature.  And he showed us how to behave, with compassion and non-judgement towards all people. They listened with no interruptions! Sky got a pretty bracelet, Annabel got a new bass and Shawn got an electric guitar. Who knew Santa was so rock 'n roll?

We cleaned the house to get ready for Sky's two friends who are coming from California.  Two newly turned eighteen-year-old young ladies.  It shall be fun!

Now Gary is playing piano, the kids are making banana bread from our most recent harvest, and soon we shall prepare our Christmas feast.

Simple family time.

Best ever.

the end of a day in burano

We returned to the mainland (Venice) and rested in our hotel until it was time for dinner. We walked out from the hotel lobby into a sea of people. It's hard to have a bad meal in Italy. Yet we didn't have any idea where to eat. A man who was a restaurant host approached us as we walked by. He seemed friendly, he said he would make us the best fish we had ever eaten. We decided to take him up on his offer. He was right, the food was fabulous. But the best part of the night was the complimentary desert, which the kids got such a kick out of, insisting that even though we were in Italy, they had in fact brought us flan.

more burano

We spent a day in quiet Burano strolling down the picturesque streets, poking our heads in shops selling all sorts of extravagant lace clothing, eating lunch, taking photos, and goofing around. Holidays are great for that.  I almost bought a small original painting, an image of a canal with the brightly colored homes.  An old woman was selling it in her shop.  The artist was her husband and she was so proud of him.  I thought it would be hard to fit in my suitcase, I thought I could paint my own original from a photograph.  But now, I wish I had bought it.

burano

We finally made it to Burano after some fun filled boat travel.  Burano was a small town with lots of canals and bridges, much less crowded than Venice, which I loved. The houses were all connected and painted in various bright colors, no two colors were the same.  I wonder about the origin of this town.  Who started the idea to create this whimsical picturesque place to stroll though?  I imagine some little Italian men gathered in a small stone room with low ceilings, huddled around a single lightbulb used for a lamp.  Secretly they all wanted to join the circus, but they couldn't because it would bring shame to their upper class families.  They were artists who ended up as accountants and merchants.  The multi-colored buildings, Burano's signature charm? Their idea.  Their doing.        

murano

In order to get to Burano, one must first stop off in Murano.  So that is what we did. We took a boat to Murano and since we had all day, we decided to walk around Murano first before heading to our destination.  We had been to Murano years ago, where we visited the glass blowing factory.  So this time we just strolled the streets, taking in the sights.   

how the day ended in venice

After we toured St. Marco's Square we walked back to our hotel.  Since it was our first full day and we were not accustomed to the walking routes, we got lost. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel to rest and regroup.  That night we took the kids to dinner at a restaurant we had been to years before, a place that served great spaghetti on the Grand Canal.

piazza san marco, part two

Piazza San Marco is a magnificent place of artistic wonder.  We stood there, in the center of the square, taking it all in.  All of the brilliance and beauty and color of a day in June in Venice.  Sky and I took photos. My new lens made a difference in my photography experience, as I remembered the last time I was there.  Now I had closeups.  Annabel watched the musicians.  Shawn's favorite part was the pigeons.