Roman Holiday: The Pantheon

I'm joining for the first time The Tablescaper in her terrific new blog party, “Oh, The Places I've Been!”  The wonderful memories of our trip to Italy in 2008 keep coming back to me, so I thought I'd share this excursion to one of the most remarkable buildings in Rome - The Pantheon.

Located at the Piazza della Rotonda, originally built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt circa 125 A.D. during Hadrian's reign.

Fontana del Pantheon, designed by Giacomo della Porta and built by Leonardo Sormani, located in front of the Pantheon.  I was so fascinated by all the architecture that I took copious notes during the trip.  I was such a geek!  For this post, I dug out my little travel notebook to refresh my memory and it was like going back again.

Robert, my husband's brother, and Barb, my sister-in-law, traveling companions extraordinaires.

Entrance to the Pantheon.

Pope Urban VII (1623-1644) ordered the bronze ceiling of the Pantheon's portico melted down.  Most of the bronze was used to make bombards, an early form of cannon that fired stone balls.

The oculus, the Great Eye, is the opening at the top of the Pantheon's coffered, concrete dome, and is the only source of natural light in this building.  The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 142 feet.

Pope Boniface IV converted the Pantheon into a Christian church and consecrated it to Santa Maria ad Martyres.

The tomb of Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian, Raffaello), one of the great masters of the Italian High Renaissance.  The  inscription on the tomb was written by Pietro Bembo, a brilliant intellectual of the period:  “Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature feared to be overcome while he was living, and while he was dying, [feared] herself to die.”

And as we came back outside, awed by all we'd seen, we found this stand selling the same book of Rome in, oh, at least 30 languages!  A little modern capitalism to counter all those centuries of history.  From the sublime to the ridiculous!

Lee's 60th birthday!

Here's the birthday guy with four of his six siblings . . . 

Left to right:  Laurie, Rina, Mary Ann, Robert and Lee . . .

Left to right:  Moi, my younger brother, Al, and my half-sister, Carely.  I think this is the only picture that I know of, in which the three of us are together . . .

My sister-in-law, Mary Ann, reminding Lee that humor is the best anti-aging weapon . . .

Happy birthday, darling!

Vacation in Texas

We visited Texas in early July and I'm just getting around to posting some pictures.  It's amazing how quickly time gets away from us!

We stayed with my in-laws, Robert and Barb, and were shown a most generous hospitality.  So many little touches that were added just to make us feel welcome.  My sister-in-law ran out and bought a new hair dryer, just so I wouldn't have to bring mine and add to the weight of our luggage.  There were delightful soaps in the bathroom, as well as an assortment of other goodies, in case we forgot to bring something . . . We had access to a ton of pillows . . . Coffee -  and this is an important one for me - was readied the night before, so when I woke up early there was a cup waiting for me.  I think this is part of their normal routine, but it still made me feel pampered . . .

Barb is like a sister to me.  She is the kindest, most thoughtful person I've ever met.  Every single wish on my bucket list was granted, including hearing her sing again . . . that was such a treat!  She has a deep alto voice that mellows any mood . . .

Oh, and the other hunk of love, is my brother-in-law, Robert.  The guy who dragged out a big clunky fan to keep the mosquitoes away from us, so we could enjoy the fireworks on the 4th along the lake . . . The guy who rode around the block one more time to find a closer parking spot . . .
Excellent listeners . . . flexible . . . fun . . .  Who'd want to "Mess with Texas" if it has made room for residents like this . . . ?

Mrs. K's Koffee Shop

Of all the things I imagined doing during our trip to Philadelphia, this one never occurred to me:  Breakfast in an old-fashioned diner - Mrs. K's Koffee Shop is located on Chestnut Street - some very decent scrambled eggs are served here with a side helping of nostalgia . . .

Here are Doug, Angela, Robert and Barb, siblings-by-marriage and fun traveling companions.  Calling them in-laws doesn't seem to do justice to these wonderful people who mean so much to me.

Dianna's Graduation . . . continued . . .

The first three photos were taken at the Sunday brunch before graduation. Loved the dendrobium orchid centerpiece! This was one of three different arrangements displayed on the tables. Another one, with calla lilies, can be seen on the background. I still preferred the orchids . . .

We do love our pictures . . .

My husband says that in our family, nobody ever draws a gun - we just draw our cameras!

Sometimes, we break out in song . . .

The graduate with Aunt Barb and Uncle Bob . . . We have no idea where the trolls she's holding came from . . .

And here's one with Aunt Mary Ann, Uncle Bill, Andy and Joy . . .

And then, on our last night together . . .

I love Angela's new haircut!

Smile for the camera, Joy-Joy!

And here are her parents . . .

I'll end with this one of Lee and me . . .

That's all folks!

Robert and Barb

Robert is my husband's younger brother, and Barb is his wife. Boy, that sentence doesn't begin to remotely cover what these two people mean to us. Robert is one of the most loving and generous men I know. He is also extremely intelligent. Occassionally he displays a certain stubbornness when it comes to politics (because of course, it's him that is stubborn, not me), but he magnanimously overlooks what I'm sure he sees as my lack of political acumen and still comes to visit and nurtures a relationship with us, and with our children.
 

Now Barb . . . how do I describe Barb . . . O.K. Imagine the moment before the universe began, then Bang! Stars are formed and begin traveling through space, carrying with them the energy to create new worlds . . . Barb carries that energy within her. She seems unstoppable.

 

Barb sings, plays the piano, paints, creates jewelry. She looks at life with an artistic eye. But more importantly, she cultivates that other God-like quality, kindness. Barb opens her home to anyone who might need warmth or shelter and keeps in touch with a myriad relatives.

 

Her indomitable strength carries her through her own difficulties and imbues others with the courage to conquer their own challenges.

 

We are very lucky to have Robert and Barb in our lives.