Pinky

She's just over a year old now and we've slowly started to let her explore the outdoors. Her favorite thing to do is to sit on the roof, and I have to admit that I can't blame her. There's a lot to see from up there. 

***

"The reason cats climb is so that they can look down on almost every other animal...it's also the reason they hate birds."

 ~ KC Buffington

Mediterranean Blue

Along the road - Sithonia, Halkidiki 

Summer is here and we're thoroughly enjoying the beauty of Greece. Here are a few shots from our recent adventures.  

Akti Koviou- Sithonia, Halkidiki

                                                                     

                                           

Poolside at Hotel Makednos

                                                      

Porto Koufo-  Sithonia, Halkidiki

Porto Koufo- Sithonia, Halkidiki

Sithonia, Halkidiki

Akti Koviou- Sithonia, Halkidiki

Black Kitten

 An adorable black kitten that lives with local fishermen. Cute! 

~ 

"A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere." 

~ Groucho Marx~ 

Mt. Olympus at Sunset

Now that the weather has started to improve, I'm taking more walks along the sea. For as long as I've been here I still can't get enough of the sunsets that we have in Greece. Now, my children are in love with sunsets too. If I'm busy and there's a gorgeous sunset, Izabella will make me stop what I'm doing and join her on the balcony to stand together in silence as we take photos and witness the magical colors as they disappear beyond Mt. Olympus. 

Curious Kittens

Our neighbor's cat recently had kittens and as you might imagine, the kids love to spend time with them. Here are a few cute shots of an evening with the kittens as they begin explore the world around them. 

~ 

                                                             

August Sunset

 

The winds have changed and the temperature is bearable which means that summer is coming to a close. Although, I refuse to admit that it's  almost over because I don't think I've had enough. It's never enough.  I hear friends and neighbors wishing one another "Καλό φθινόπωρο" (Good Autumn) and I refuse to accept that another beautiful summer is near its end. I took this photo just a  little over one week ago and it was comfortable to be sitting on the beach after the sun had set. As much as I love autumn, I'm hoping for another short heat wave. 

~

Old Building

Looking up when I spend time in the city is always intriguing. 

Almost Easter...

Easter is almost here and we've been very busy enjoying spring and preparing for the holiday.I'm posting a few photos to share some of what we've been doing with all of you. 

Alexandra picked wild flowers when we visited the archaeological site, Dion. 

You can see her "Martis" bracelet.  The bracelet is made of red and white thread symbolizing a white complexion with rosy cheeks. The superstition is that children wear these bracelets so that the sun of early spring doesn't burn their cheeks. 

Alexandra's wild flowers. 

Some Easter Candles(Lambathes) on display. 

 One of my oldest and dearest friends, Brian,  came to visit and was impressed by all of the lamb he saw in the Kapani Market downtown. 

 Alexandra enjoys a koulouri while shopping.

We always get koulouri when we go downtown. 

 A little Easter shopping downtown. 

Yia Yia visited and made stefania(wreaths)  out of spring wild flowers for the kids. It's traditional to hang them on the front door of your home. We have one on all three doors  of our right now- one for each child. 

Foti  coloring Easter eggs.  

My lilacs are ready to blossom. 

The white lilacs seem to be a little bit ahead of the purple ones. 

                                                                       Apple blossoms. 

The kithonia(quince) blossoms are just about ready to open. This is one of my favorite blossoms. 

My friend Connie made tsoureki and gave some to us. Very delicious! 

This is the ultimate tsoureki made by Thia Nitsa.  We look forward to this every year. 

We'll be hosting dinner at our house this year, I have a little more shopping to do and a lot of cooking ahead. 

I'd like to wish everyone celebrating this weekend a very Happy Easter ! 

Καλό Πάσχα!

In The Fog

Yesterday morning as I was getting the kids ready for school I noticed that there was a dull gray light seeping between the slats of the closed shutters- instead of the golden-pink glow that I've been enjoying for the last week or so. This could only mean one thing- and that's fog.  I love fog. Some people find it dreary and depressing but I find it tranquil and beautiful. After I dropped the kids off at school I had about a half hour to take some photos. I couldn't wait. Here are just a few photos that I took yesterday morning. 

On the way to school...

Near the sea...

Here's a barrel left by fishermen, the coals still smoldering from earlier in the morning. 

The red boat  of which I've taken so many photos, now I have a photo of it in the fog. 

At home...

A walk through our olive grove. 

The field- normally we have a view of Mt. Olympus & the sea. 

Tarzan looking out into a field of fog. 

And finally of my favorites from this shoot, a spiderweb made visible by the moisture in the air. I would love a macro lens for days like this, I can only imagine how beautiful this would be if the droplets were apparent. 

~

Happy New Year ~ Καλή Xρονιά

Happy New Year, Καλή χρονιά...

This holiday season has been extremely busy for me and I have so many photos I've taken of the things that the kids have enjoyed, I think I'll just start with yesterday...New Year's Eve. Our children don't wait for Santa Claus to arrive on Christmas eve, instead they anticipate the arrival of Agios Vassilis on New Year's eve. What's really great about where we live is that each year, a small town nearby, the town of  Nea Michaniona, holds an extra special  event for the local children. Agios Vassilis arrives on a boat bearing gifts for all of the children eagerly waiting. We've only attended this event once so far, in 2009, since last year we didn't know what time it started and arrived an hour late. This year, a friend of mine that lives there provided me with the correct time that Agios Vassilis was expected and we were early- which meant that we had plenty of time to indulge in the cotton candy that was being sold. 

Alexandra waits for her cotton candy, with her money in hand. Funny thing is that she walked off with the cotton candy without paying in the end. I didn't notice as I was working with Foti and his cotton candy, I think it's amazing how fast kids manage to get sticky. The vendor kindly pointed out that she owed him money, so I made sure that she paid him. 

The kids are always amazed when they watch the cotton candy being made. 

Foti takes his cotton candy seriously. 

They were so thrilled. Did you  notice that Alexandra's cotton candy is almost bigger than she is? 

(...and that this post is almost turning into one about cotton candy?) 

Just as they finished their fun with the cotton candy and washed their hands, Agios Vassilis could be seen off in the distance, waving red flares.  Definitely exciting. 

Young scouts row the boat the brings Agios Vassilis to the shore. 

The children are so excited to see him. 

A glimpse of Agios Vassilis handing out gifts. 

After our visit, we went home to bake White Chip Chocolate Cookies so that we had something  leave out for Agios Vassilis. Iza helped me bake this batch and was very proud to pose for a photo, since she  measured  the ingredients and rolled most of the dough into balls before they went in the oven.

So Agios Vassilis has come and gone, my children are quietly enjoying their new gifts while I sip on my coffee and put together this post.  I don't make resolutions, so I don't have one. What I do have is hope that 2011 will be a great one, a year to remember.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year!
Καλή Xρονιά!