





365 projects are popular – there are even photo sharing sites dedicated to them. The goal is to create a photographic diary of one’s life by taking and posting a picture every day for a year. I don’t know if I’m up to that, so this is the first installment of what I am calling my “360 project.” “360” as in this is a 365-like project, but without the stress of having to take a picture every day. Or limiting myself to one picture from a good day. The goal isn’t even a precise 360 days or 360 pictures. The goal, really, is to take at least a few pictures each week and post them here on Sundays. And there are 360 degrees in a circle and circles are always good.
On Thursday, October 29, I had to go to Lexington. I got out late but took a quick pass through beautiful Lexington Cemetery on my way out of town.
On Friday, October 30, both Ann and I had things to do in Lexington, so I returned. We ended that day with a small celebration of Jordan’s birthday.
Palermo is over 2700 years old and is the capital of Sicily. Our first stop was the the Capuchin Catacombs, which contains about 2000 mummies and skeletal remains, all dressed in clothing that often has survived the centuries better than bodies. I saw a couple of skeletons dressed in their military uniforms, complete with Napoleonic hats. I surely would have loved this if I were still twelve years old. But the jaw dropping amazement soon vanished when we came to the bodies of children who never agreed to be displayed for centuries. No pictures, but if you want to see and read more, here is the website.
We also visited the Cathedral of Monreale, a fine example of Norman architecture on which construction began in 1174. It’s exterior is stunning.
The interior is quite impressive as well.
The trip to Palermo also included a marionette show. These are no toys but are made entirely by hand from wood with hand-made clothing, armor, swords, etc. Each one weighs about 40 lbs and the puppeteer works up quite a sweat during a show. I know all of this firsthand. There is a great deal of craft and art involved in a Sicilian “L’Opera deî Pupi.”
And, of course, Ann makes friends everywhere she goes, including Palermo.
I haven’t taken a lot of pictures lately, but here are some from the past six weeks or so, with at least one from each of my four digital cameras. Yeah, I know, but I love all four of them for different reasons.