Cosmo's summer research project

My son Cosmo is 9 going on 10 in a month- he is a Waldorf kid- enjoys his school and really believes in many of the principals of the Waldorf culture- all except the limits on computer games- specifically his favorite game (and only game) : Minecraft.
Cosmo loves Minecraft - it is a game of creation- of building his dreams. He basically builds his own environment out of blocks of various (computerized) materials. I have to say, it's pretty cool.

Florence Italy's famous red dome of their Duomo

Cosmo's dad is from Florence Italy, home of the jewel of Renaissance architecture, the Florence Cathedral also known as the duomo. Home of the Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge, with it's gold merchants and its elevated private corridor.
Cosmo loves building so much I thought I'd use it to encourage him to learn about his father's culture.
His summer project?  Cosmo has decided that he wants to build all of the famous cathedrals and buildings of Italy. He can do it on minecraft, his favorite game. It's a HUGE project, filled with history, engineering, architecture and Italian culture- a Huge project, and he's super excited about it.
Win win!

Cosmo wants to write about his Minecraft experience:
"Well I love minecraft and we got an idea.We said you can make a place, a castle, and why not Italy?"
We will be keeping a blog journal of this project, updating you about the completion of different landmarks. So far he has completed a version of the Ponte Vecchio (Florence) and is working on a copy of the Spanish steps and basilica (Rome) I will post pictures of them when I figure out how to get a jpg capture of his work.

Buon Viaggio! ciao- Maureen

If wishes were horses

Just found this pic while looking through an old notebook- This is a picture I took of my horse in Italy (Polish Warmblood mare, named "Schilla") I had her on half lease for the first year and a half that we were living there. I rode almost every day (in this setting).

 This pic was taken about 2 months before I had an almost fatal burst appendix.

 I ended up in the hospital, and then was in bed for about a month. During which time I made the concious decision to concentrate on my metalsmithing, and basically leave my love affair with horses for a while. It was a BIG change of direction, as it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to this sweet and beautiful mare.

That was 1998- she was 14 then, so I imagine that she is now in her big pasture in the sky now. I hope it is as beautiful as this image.
xo- OK, I'm going to go cry now- :-) sniff- M

these are some people in the neighborhood....

Here are a few images of people in the neighborhood where we live in Florence-
Classic Florentini- in a colorful setting- just off the tourist track- a few steps from Palazzo Pitti

This gentleman has been selling books at this shop for decades-always open!

if I want to chat, I go visit Gianni Morganti in Piazza Santo Spirito- a great place for specialty items for the kitchen

 

 

admission

Ok, after bitching about the graffiti I have an admission to make: I too am a terrible scofflaw.
It used to be that you could take photos (without flash) in most of the churches and museums here in Florence- but with the advance of digital cameras (where everyone can get reasonable images even with a $100 camera) many places have outlawed cameras, even without flash.
The theory among us common folk is that the museums and churches closed to photography once they saw their gift shop sales diminishing and realized that tourists wouldn't buy books if they were able to take somewhat reasonable pictures themselves. So, instead of "no flash" symbols there are now "no Camera" symbols.

but sometimes you just can't help but take a risk.........

:-) M

(Breakin the Law, Breakin the Law!)

Florence: choked with grafitti

My husband is from Florence and we have spent a lot of time here- living full time from 97-2000 and since then we return about once a year. We live in the central historic part of Florence- near Brunaleschi's  Santo Spirito and around the corner from Piazza del Carmine. It's a real florentine neighborhood- a bit off the big tourist track, and filled with colorful characters and dramas.

Around 2006 when I came for a visit I noticed something- the city was starting to be touched with graffiti- I took this image then because it was so unusual to see spray painted graffiti in the historic center...
How was I to know, it was the shape of things to come?

Since then, we've returned a few times, and each visit I see more and more tagging and disrespect for this city's cultural masterpieces. Two summers ago when we were here the big news was that they found some exchange student (not American, thankfully) who was spray painting the Duomo. Having been caught, he was sent back to his home country's justice system- I'm hoping he got his due.

Here are some images from Easter 2009- 

on the doorway of Santo Spirito

down a side street (OK, I admit, I actually kind of like this one...)

coca cola assasina

and this year, I'm noticing even more graffiti- (these images were taken tonight on via Maggio- a main street on the Pitti palace "Oltrarno" side of town-where a celebrated Medici mistress resided )

in fact, the streets that were being painted over 2 years ago have now stopped re-painting- it looks as though they've given up hope- I can only hope that the money that had been spent on re-painting is now being spent on youth programs that can help channel this creative/destructive energy into meaningful skills- I doubt it, but, I hope, nevertheless...

whoa! clip clop clip clop......
*getting down off my high horse*

Sorry, I just get so bothered by the inaction here- this city is so important culturally, but life here isn't all "Room with a View". I think this issue needs a bit of attention, or the world risks losing a real Italian Gem.
- from Florence-
M

luggage

oh yeah, after 33 hours in transit....it turns out that they lost Cosmo's suitcase.

So now he's re-wearing the same outfit that I hand wash nightly- that, and this goofy Italian sweatsuit that I bought him in our neighborhood children's clothing shop. I think he looks like an Italian gymnast- pretty cute! We are hoping to find his suitcase today, when we go wade through the "ocean of suitcases" we've been told is at the Florence airport. until then...Cosmo's working on his floor routine

Finalmente

Well, we made it to Florence- after a grueling 33 hours of travel! It usually takes at most 20 hours to get here from Tucson- but yesterday- or was it the day before?- we flew into Frankfurt right when they were getting hit with another snow/freezing rain storm.
Needless to say, the airport was in chaos- it had already shut down a few days before from another epic storm, and they were still scrambling to get passengers on planes since that shutdown...
In fact, we met one family of 4 that had flown in from San Francisco 3 days previous- and they were scheduled to return to Frankfurt in 2 days (after what should have been 5 days in Florence). It's a trip they will always remember- and hopefully they are able to have some good memories too.

Porta San Niccolo' from the banks of the Arno. December 2006

So- We are here now, in our funky Apartment in Florence- it's in a bit of chaos from now being lived in, so we've got some work to do- but I'm sure it'll be in better condition in a few weeks...Our tenant was a bit of a pack rat, so there's lots of stuff to sift through.
I've also discovered that my USB plug is on the fritz so I can't download any images today. I'm going to buy a new one hopefully tomorrow- and then I'll post some of the images I took on our walk tonight.
(Florence is all decorated with Christmas lights, and it is raining, so there are lots of beautiful reflections framed by Renaissance architecture)
OK- I'm off to go eat pasta-
arrivederci- Maureen

Nonna

Nonna means "grandmother" in Italian- This is a post about my Mother in Law who lives in a hillside village outside of Florence Italy.She is now 88 years old, and still living by herself (by her choice)

We have seen a decline in her mental state over the past few years, with a noteable decline within the last 6 months. So much so that Guido (my husband) had purchased a ticket to go to Italy in early November - with the plan to convince her that she needed to accept help in her living situation.

 This is a picture I took of Cosmo and his Nonna (grandmother) in December 2006.

Well, last Monday the world spun just a bit too fast and she took a bad step and broke her leg. Luckily, she was out walking in her village and she was brought to the hospital by ambulance. (we have been fearing a fall in her house- knowing that she wouldn't be "found" for a long time) She was operated on successfully on Wednesday, and is possibly getting out of the hospital today. 

The problem is- her mental state.She is quite confused about where she is- thinks that she is at home- and what is happening- she claims that I have been visiting her- While we know that some of this is due to the medication we have also begun accepting that she is experiencing some form of dementia.

It has become clear that we cannot bring her home again, for her own health and safety.

Guido is currently with her in Italy- he cashed in his vacation time and is staying for a month (if not more) his mission is to find her a safe and reliable living situation. We don't know what her reaction will be to not returning to her home, but because of it's layout it may not be possible for her to be there. SO- we have no choice but to put her in a nursing home in Italy- 

It's tearing us apart- we really wanted to bring her here -to the US- to be near us so we could oversee her care- BUT-----she isn't a US citizen, speaks very little English, and wouldn't have medical insurance. I guess sometimes circumstances make our choices for us, but this is a bitter pill to swallow.

I am hoping by writing this here that one of my brilliant readers could have information about how we could bring her here..I know it's a longshot, but we are just distraught about having to leave her somewhere without our supervision. Moving back to Italy is a very last resort possibility- it would mean that we both would lose our jobs (and I would lose my business that I have been intensely creating over the past few years) and our son would be uprooted from his school (though some time learning Italian would do him good)

thanks for reading this- If you have any suggestions I would like to hear them- until she is in a good situation we will be a divided family. I can handle it- but for our son, it stinks. I guess I should feel thankful that I at least know that My husband isn't at war- and that I don't have to worry about his safety on top of it all.

thanks once again- 

ciao ciao- Maureen

gift horse

Here's an artifact from my past
and the time I spent in Italy-
a horse tooth. I found this horse tooth in the pasture where my polish warmblood mare Schilla spent her summers.

I've always cherished this find and look back on that time in my life with mixed emotions. Bittersweet - as it was the last period of time when I was able to spend hours at the stable every day.

My daily riding came to an end 
In 1998, after a dramatic bout with a burst appendix (and a close touch by my mortality)
With a week long stay in an Italian hospital (one where Da Vinci did his anatomy explorations) and many weeks of recovery at home I had time to take a constructive look at my life. I had to decide which direction I wanted to take it. I had to make a decision between art and horses.

After much drama, (including a shouting match with a fascist farmer).. I chose art.

I drove away from the barn that day with all of my tack and horse gear. I still remember in vivid detail the day when I settled my saddles on the saddle rack in our storage area -in a loft storage space at our Florence home...  they remain still- waiting for me to come back and re-claim their use. Last month, my husband came back from a short trip in Italy (for business) and he brought back one of my bridles. It hangs in my studio today. I didn't clean it before I packed it up all those years ago- so if I look real hard, I can still see some remainders of my sweet mare on the leather.

this is a picture I took of Schilla one warm summer day,

lolling around in the pasture of olive trees and wildflowers

I look forward to the day when I will be able to welcome horses back into my life and find the balance between my two passions. I think it is going to be soon.
ciao- MBZ

Annual Telescope Trek

Last Saturday we went to visit the telescope that my husband works on- it is located in Safford Arizona, on the top of Mt. Graham.

The Large Binocular telescope (or LBT as it is commonly known) is just beginning to gain acclaim in the astronomy world and beyond, It was one of the featured telescopes in a recent National Geographic magazine (click here). Guido has been working on this project on and off since 1990- both for the Italian team in Florence Italy (where he grew up and went to university) and also at the University of Arizona (Tucson) where we live today.

The Annual friends and family gathering is usually held in October- just after the scorching southern Arizona oven is turned down for the fall. The drive there from Tucson is a couple of hours of desert, followed by an hour and a half of mountain road. Our son Cosmo is learning how to deal with car sickness on that road.....now, thankfully, he knows to request a short stop - so we pull over and get out of the car until his tummy stops swirling and we get a good breath of mountain air.

We reach the summit through an iron gate flanked by yellowing fall aspens- and from there it's a short drive, past the Vatican telescope, and the German SMT (Sub Millimetric Telescope) to the tippy top, where the imposing 200ft tall LBT telescope is seated.

Inside the building we go to the control room and kitchen, where everyone (and their goodies) are gathering- We then commence to pig out on all the treats that the scope folks bring. The control room is open for viewing, with a scientist there to explain each computer screen and image- Soon people start to go up to the scope chamber-
right at sunset the show begins!

sunset w pope scope
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

We have a chance to walk around, go to different levels (even on the top observation deck, where I took this picture) then, once we all are
inside and ready for a show, they begin...

The walls of the telescope chamber begin to open........
then...the telescope begins to move....It is breathtaking, even now after I have seen this many times, how smooth and fast the scope rotates! Well, at that point everyone is really impressed, but it's not done yet....the third and fourth walls open (along with the cieling of the chamber) and then.....the building begins to rotate!

It goes around and around, with the scope moving, and the sunset brilliant in the distance...and we see Science and Nature, Technology and Trees...the beauty of nature from the earth and heavens.
and it is a wonder to behold.

health care debate

ok- so here I go throwing my hat into the ring..

I believe strongly that we should have a public option for healthcare in the US-
and if that is considered "liberal" or...gasp.."socialist", so be it. I am proud to be someone who cares about living things- be it plants, animals, or even..humans

I would be dead today if Italy didn't have socialized health care- My appendix ruptured while I was living there (actually, right after I returned from a long trip to the US) I was operated on, and stayed in the hospital for 6 days- all without paying a penny.

OK, so, the room wasn't private, and no TV, plus you had to go down the hall for the bathroom..and things weren't super modern.. (after all it WAS the hospital that Leonardo daVinci used to do his anatomical dissections in)

But the point is that I HAD health care in Italy- no questions....

and I Still wonder if my appendix had ruptured one week earlier, while I was visiting the US...and had no insurance (because at that time I was living in Florence)
what would have happened to me? I most likely would have tried to "tough it out" and avoid the ER, because I would have been worried about being saddled with a lifetime of medical bills-

While I was in the hospital a young american girl was admitted to my room.

She had been backpacking in Europe and ended up also with appendicitis while in France..she was operated on there, and decided to join her friends in Italy after they discharged her from the French hospital..

Well, needless to say, not a good idea...she ended up in incredible pain, and came to the Florence hospital straight from the train station...

I became her interpreter- and when her father showed up from the US, he was so grateful to the doctors for helping her...

The only thing I had a hard time translating for the father was when he asked where to pay the hospital bill.. He couldn't believe that his daughter was taken care of by a team of doctors and admitted to the hospital without charge. It was profound for him..

During this time of debate over health coverage in the US, I wonder what he (the father) is thinking about socialized medicine... I'll bet that he isn't out in the packs of demonstrators waving pics of Obama as Hitler.. No-I'll bet that he goes and hugs his daughter

coca cola assassina

coca cola assassina
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

an image of the sad state of many walls in the historic center of Florence Italy... The problem with graffiti in Florence (Firenze) has been on the increase over the past 5 years-

I am fortunate enough to travel there on a yearly basis, and have even spent 3 years (97-2000) living there full time.( My husband is from Settignano Italy, a village in the hills just outside of Firenze proper)While we lived there, we stayed in a building in the San Frediano area of the historic city proper. 

I can say, that in the past 3 years I have really noticed a huge increase in tagging...and here I must make a distinction between tagging and graffiti...Tagging , to me , is similar to when a dog lifts it's leg to mark it's territory. Graffiti, while usually still illegal can also be an artful and creative expression (when well done) . Tags are indiscriminate scrawls, graffiti , when well done can even enhance or inspire. 

Unfortunately In Florence, I have even have seen tags on the Duomo and other Masterpiece churches as well, such as Santo Spirito, in "my" neighborhood. No, I'm not at all religious, but I appreciate the masterful architecture on these amazing historic buildings.

Usually, (with Florence at least) the government makes a big show of concern about these things, then sits on it's hands and does nothing. (this was the case while we lived there and belonged to an initiative to enforce controls on traffic in the historic city....many meetings, a few appearances from "il Sindaco" -the Mayor...but nothing realized except a pretty, wider sidewalk on  a section of our busy street...and that took 8 years to come to fruition!

I realize now that I have a voice that can be heard about this problem, and will be tweeting/posting images/blogging on a regular basis about this, to bring to light this rape of one of the world's Historic treasures. 

Save Florence from Blight! Un ambiente sano per la citta! 

New Rings and "Franco SonoStanco"

" Maremekko" ring

I'm introducing a duo of solid silver rings

this week in my Etsy shop.

"Paisley Silver"

these were made during my time studying engraving

in Florence Italy.

And When I met one of my many Mentors...

My instructor is known as one of Florence Italy's most versatile

Master Jeweler.

He continues today to teach stone setting and hand engraving

4 nights a week at Fuji studios (via Guelfa). He is also the head goldmith for Graziella Jewelry, Florence Italy.

His name is Franco Benevieri,

but I always call him Franco "sono stanco"

(Franco "I'm tired"...)

He would come in and teach

5-10 of us (mostly foreign) students

the art of hand engraving and stone setting

after he put in a full days work at the bench.

Sitting in the Big arched entry hall of the studio,

smoking countless "MS" cigarettes..

sometimes listening to soccer...

He would come around to the bench and do

a quiet demo...

in simple Italian
for those who didn't yet speak the language..

and

All the students would leave the program with

at least a few phrases..

"fai Buchi"- drill holes,

"e' torto"- it's distorted

"fatto male"- made poorly

and if you were lucky......

"Brava"( good) usually followed by..

"coolo"- slang for lucky...

and of course,

" sono stanco",

(cause the guy works all the time

and is exhausted by the end of the day)

I got to visit him last summer..

here's a pic...

Thanks (Grazie) Franco for all of those days

that you go to teach, even when

you are "stanco morto".

Your knowledge and expertise are so valuable, and sharing it

will help many other metalsmiths continue

to uphold the standards and traditions that you teach.

I hope to see him again this summer... until then..

Fai Buchi!

Ciao!