Out of Business: after-effects of a Hurricane
April 18, 2023
First, a couple of sunsets from Cape Coral, FL, one of the areas hard-hit by Hurricane Ian last year.
Hurricane Ian hit Florida in September 2022 as a Category 5 storm. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida since 1935 and the 3rd costliest weather event on record.
Cape Coral is a smallish city on the west coast of Florida and was in the direct path of the storm. Even now, in April 2023, storm damage is very evident throughout the city as rebuilding continues.
A home's storm Damage at sunset
https://www.imagesbybill.us/Out-of-Business/Sunset-Storm-Damage-Hurricane-Ian/
April 14-15, 2023
Villa d'Este, Tivoli, Italy
February 26, 2023
A 16th- century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and its profusion of fountains. Construction began in 1560 for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este. Wikipedia has a nice article on the Villa's convoluted history.
Inside the villa
Frescoes, statues and paintings
The Gardens and Fountains
The Fountain of the Organ (‘’Fontana dell’Organo’’)
is one of the most famous features of the garden; it was described and imitated throughout Europe. Work on the masonry structure began in 1566. The fountain itself was made by the French fountain engineer Luc Leclerc and his nephew Claude Venard. After the death of Leclerc, Venard invented the ingenious mechanism of the water organ, which was installed in 1571.
The fountain was the first of its kind, and astonished everyone who heard it; when Pope Gregory XIII visited the villa in 1572, accompanied by his court of cardinals and princes, he insisted on inspecting the interior of the fountain, to learn if someone wasn't concealed inside making the music.
A massive masonry arch behind the fountain, the ‘’castellum aquae’’ or water castle, conceals the water reservoir and the hydraulic machinery of the fountain. The original design featured a grotto in the niche of the arch, with a view of the twenty-two pipes of the organ. A statue of ‘’Mother Nature’’ or the ‘’Ephesian Diana’’ was placed in front of the arch in 1569; it now has its own fountain in the lower garden.
The water creating the music arrived first at the top of the ‘’Castellum aquae’. It went first through a series of whirlpools, which mixed air with the water; then it dropped down a pipe into the ‘’camera aeolia’’, or wind chamber, where the air and water were separated; the water turned a wheel, rotating a cylinder which opened the valves of the twenty-two pipes, so the air could pass through the pipes and make the music. (thank you, Wikipedia)
Three masks of The Hundred Fountains. When built they were white marble but time has worn them.
The boat with an obelisk mast, symbolizing the Tiburtina island in the Tiber, below the statue of Rome Triumphant
The full-sized images are a much better look. Click here!
Amazing villa. We only had time for a couple of hours there. I didn't capture a lot of this amazing place.
Crank up the Wayback machine...
February 11, 2023
From 2009 hiking the Grand Canyon with Jodi and Mike
using new Radiant imaging software
Full sized images are much better: click here
April, 2009
All around Rome - 2022
February 05, 2023
A day traveling around Rome.
Famous Fountain Di Trevi
Street scene
The Colosseum
Click here to go to all my Rome images
December 5, 2022
A Drive around Rome: Part 1- The Vatican
January 02, 2023
The first stop on our drive around Rome was the Vatican.
Almost an overwhelming number of people, but our driver took us to a less-used entrance to St. Peter's Square. We were told the line into St. Peter's Basilica was so long that almost half the people in line might not make it in before everything closed that night.
12/05/22
At sea in oil
December 31, 2022
Final Sunset at sea
December 24, 2022
The Night before disembarking.
And, since the sun was shining through our balcony window as it set, images of us!!
Merry Christmas!!!!!
Traditional Sunset at sea
December 22, 2022
Images of the Season
December 22, 2022
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Rome
Tivoli
Provence, France
Barcelona, Spain
Canary Islands, Spain
December, 2022
The Dominican Republic
December 21, 2022
What do you do...
December 21, 2022
when you're quarantined in your ship stateroom due to COVID and everyone else is ashore having fun?
You watch the crew watching the crew do a drill deploying one of the giant rafts.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
12/20/21
Night...
December 20, 2022
Did you ever wonder...
December 18, 2022
Tenerife sunset
December 15, 2022
And the weather clears...
December 12, 2022
After a windy, rainy, all-around terrible weather day (see previous post), the weather cleared just as we sailed away, leaving us a beautiful parting view of the Rock of Gibraltar.
12/11/22
A Rock reveals itself...
December 11, 2022
Arrived at the British territory of Gibraltar last night.
Our first view of the famous Rock of Gibraltar was...
underwhelming.
The weather and accompanying visibility very gradually improved...
Finally, in the afternoon just before we sailed away, we got a full view of the Rock of Gibraltar
12/11/22
Rome and Tivoli were amazing...
December 07, 2022
Rome and Tivoli were amazing...
now its off to sail the ocean blue
(lots more images, these are an appetizer).
Ruth... and Wilson... throwing a coin into the famous Fontana di Trevi (the actual coin is just above her right hand)
December 5-6, 2022
Spain: Day 8, June 11: The Last Two Wineries
November 26, 2022
The Last Two Wineries...
In Basque country, an amazing underground winery,
seven levels, six underground
Views from the above-ground entrance,
Bodegas Casa Primicia
Views of Laquardia township from the vineyards
Lunch in the vineyard
See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/
For all our trip stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html
June 11, 2022
Spain: Day 7, June 10: Wine and Cider
October 23, 2022
Wine!
Cider!
See full size images at my gallery site: https://billterry1.smugmug.com/Places/Western-Europe-Wine-Quest-2022/
For all our trip stories, go here: https://www.billterry1.com/2022/07/western-europe-wine-quest.html
June 10, 2022