There’s No Place Like HOME

HOME is the only place I want to be this time of year. HOME is where you are now … or where you would like to be.

HOME can be a place in your past or present …  or a state of mind.

Since I am HOME this week, I have no new travel stories to share. Instead, I will share some photos that I posted on Instagram as Photoshop-Fun pictures.

Instagram is lots of fun. You can post your own pictures or follow what others have posted. My Instagram name is boomervoice.ca

Where is HOME for you?

Fern enjoyed the sights of Venice on a private gondola

Some Instagramers post pictures of their cats and dogs and have thousands of followers. I don’t have thousands of followers and I don’t have a cat or a dog so I borrowed Fern, my niece’s dog. Since I did not take Fern on my trip to Italy, I photoshopped Fern into a picture of the Grand Canal.

My niece, Kate, helped me dress Fern for the photo-op. Fern did not like her gondolier boater hat. We decided not to upset our model by dressing Fern in a gondolier sweater. This is the best we could get.

The next photo is also from Florence but it is not photoshopped

This is not a photoshopped clock but it looks like a photoshopped clock

What time is it? The shooting-star hand is pointing to 15 o’clock

This clock was created in 1443. It is over the inside front entrance to the Duomo in Florence. The shooting-star hand runs backwards (counter clockwise), moving like a shadow on a sundial. The number 24 is not midnight. It is sunset. When the clock was made, the gates in the protective walls that surround Florence were closed at sunset. The bells in the Duomo were coordinated with the clock to warn residents to return to the city before sunset. The clock still runs. Since the time of sunset changes throughout the year, the clock is reset every week to align 24 on the clock with sunset.

Next, we are off to Rome to see the Beatles!

The Beatles play the Colosseum in Rome

The stage in the Colosseum has been partially rebuilt to show what it was like when the Colosseum was used as an amphitheatre. I imagined what it would be like to hear an iconic band in the Colosseum. I cut and pasted an image of the Beatles from their American debut on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, a performance that changed American music culture.

Jaws is not a lifeguard at the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Throw a coin into Trevi Fountain and make a wish. Tourists throw 3000 Euros a day are tossed into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It is illegal to wade into the Fountain to scoop up coins. I thought that Jaws would be more effective than criminal sanctions to keep people out of the pool!

The power of the waves in the next photo should be a deterrent to keep people out of the water.

Should Peggy’s Cove add barriers to keep tourists away from the water?

Norman loves his 1966 BMW R69S. He would never ride it in salt water. However, with help from photoshop, Norman is riding the waves at Peggy’s Cove.

Kayaking is not allowed in Niagara Gorge

Stay away from the waves at Peggy’s Cove and stay out of the Niagara River at the Gorge!

I took this shot of a kayaker in Huntsville on a beautiful autumn day when the water was glass smooth. I gave this kayaker a bigger challenge by sending him down the Niagara Gorge. He did just fine on the run.

This is Bauer, a white German Shepherd owned by my son, Adam

Bauer can run as fast as a deer. He loves to play fetch. He loves the water. I threw the ball too far and it landed in the Niagara Gorge. Superdog Bauer had no trouble retrieving his ball.

Bauer is a superhero dog to me because he chased away the beaver that ate my tree. Sadly, the next photo is not photoshopped. This is what the beaver did to a big beautiful tree.

I became a tree hugger when I saw what the beaver had done

To celebrate the new year, I will plant a new tree

For now, it is time to get ready for the holidays!

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are great ice dancers

La La Land won the People’s Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie opens Christmas day.

I snapped a photo of the ice rink at Toronto City Hall just as the Zamboni finished resurfacing the ice. It made a perfect stage for our Christmas skating stars. I will go to see the movie but not on Christmas day …. I will be home that day!

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Goodnight