A Life, Lived

Travel Tuesdays - the Bottle Houses

Over 25 000 recycled bottles ingeniously cemented together to create the Bottle Houses, a must-see tourist attraction situated in Cap-Egmont, Prince Edward Island, Canada. They were built by Édouard T. Arsenault. He gave birth to these houses after having received a postcard of a glass castle from his daughter in 1979, an attraction she had visited on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

That same summer, he started collecting bottles from his community, mostly from a local restaurant, community dance halls, friends, relatives and neighbours.

He spent the winter in the basement of his home, cleaning bottles, removing labels and dreaming of his project. In the spring of 1980, at the age of 66, he began his construction, a mere hobby yet.

As his six-gabled structure was taking form, visitors started coming in. Impressed by his work, they encouraged him to continue and to advertise it as a tourist attraction. And so, in 1981, the first Bottle House was open to the public.

From 1980 to the spring of 1984, he cleverly cemented over 25,000 bottles of various shapes, sizes and colours, into three fantasy-like buildings.

The site offers a multitude of angles for the photographer to capture the wonder of what an individual built out of recycled bottles. It is also truly an inspirational spot for anyone who cares for the environment.

Fitted Sheets

The struggle is real . . .

Let Me Tell You a Story . . .

This will be all of us . . .

and 2021 and 2022 . . .

Travel Tuesdays - Basilica of Santissimi Apostoli, Rome

The Basilica of Santissimi Apostoli, the Holy Apostles, is a large church that hosts the bodies of the disciples of Jesus, Philip and James the Less. It was built in the 4th century by Pope Julius I, it was the only Roman church not to be built on the site of a previous ancient building, although building materials came from the Constantine Baths., the original plan was that of the Apostoleion in Constantinople. During the Byzantine era, under Pope Pelagius I and the rule of Narses, it was reconstructed with a greek-cross plan. Adrian I writes to Charlemagne praising this building for its width and its amazing mosaics. In 1348 it was destroyed by an earthquake and only the two sculpted gate lions survive from that building. 

The two Renaissance cloisters contain a bas-relief of the Nativity by the school of A.di Cambio.

The interior, divided into three wide naves by big pilasters and matching Corinthian pilaster strips, with three chapels per side, each one roofed by a dome, ends up being splendid for the decorations and frescoes. This was the tomb of Clemente XIV by Canova.

There were stairs heading downwards on either side of the altar. They weren't blocked and since I was already wandering the church when it was supposed to be closed I headed down. There I found a crypt which isn't as old as it appears. Designed to look like an ancient a catacomb even though catacombs were never allowed within the city walls. During this construction in 1879 the remains of the apostles Philip and James were found in an ancient crypt underneath the church. They had rested there for 1200 years.

Things You Never Say

Humour in art . . .

Keep this in mind as the holiday entertaining season approaches . . .

Travel Tuesdays - Torcello

Today someone I follow on Instagram posted some pics of their visit to Torcello yesterday. It got me thinking of our own visit to the island in the Venetian lagoon.

After wandering Burano for a few hours we took a short vaporetto ride to Torcello - a ghost town many people call the original Venice. Torcello is one of the most popular islands to visit in the Venice lagoon yet it is still extremely peaceful. The main reason for visiting the island is to see the spectacular Byzantine mosaics in the seventh century Cathedral of Santa Maria Dell'Assunta. Much of the island is a nature reserve, accessible only on the walking paths.

Travel Tuesdays - Ravenna

On the weekend I had signed up for a virtual tour of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Emilia-Romagna is a region in northern Italy, extending from the Apennine Mountains to the Po River in the north. It's known for its medieval cities, rich gastronomy and seaside resorts. The capital, Bologna, is a vibrant city with an 11th-century university and arched porticos lining the streets and squares of its medieval core. Ravenna, near the Adriatic coast, is famed for its brightly colored Byzantine mosaics. 

When our guide introduced herself she said that she lived in Ravenna.

Of course that got me thinking about those gorgeous mosaics that I have been lucky enough to see twice.

For this edition of Travel Tuesdays I am going back to Ravenna to look at these fabulous mosaics again.

The Hill We Climb

Yesterday was an emotional roller coaster.

First up was the euphoria of watching Trump leave Washington. Heck, even Jake got into the action and followed the chopper as it flew away from the White House.

The ceremony itself was intense. Not the least because of the undercurrent of uncertainty after the January 6th insurrection.

There were lots of inspiring moments - the first black, SE Asian woman sworn in as Vice-President and Biden's address were both impressive. Lady Gaga singing the national anthem. All impressive.

Nothing blew me aware more than a self-assured 22 year old who took the podium to recite the poem she had written as the youngest Inaugural Poet Laurette.

There have been many well-known Poet Laurettes but none are as likely to be remembered as Gorman will certainly be.

None of her predecessors faced the challenge that Gorman did. She set out to write a poem that would inspire hope and foster a sense of collective purpose, at a moment when Americans are reeling from a deadly pandemic, political violence and partisan division.

As she recited “The Hill We Climb,” in front of the Capitol in the bright sunlight, her voice animated and full of emotion, Gorman described her background as a “skinny Black girl, descended from slaves and raised by a single mother,” who can dream of being president one day, “only to find herself reciting for one.” She spoke about the weight of loss that the country has endured, in verses that reflected the fragile state of the country.

The poem and its delivery was a stunning success given the reaction it received. So many on social media were talking about the way it made them feel. I can't help but reflect upon the importance of Arts education in schools.

Hope

I was out for a walk today and someone had gone a bit wild with their knitting. The tree in front of their house was decorated colourfully with symbols of hope.