My bee field day at Big Jim's bee yard in Mt. Airy, MD.

That's Big Jim pulling out a frame full of bees. And I'm one of the white-clad folk in the crowd watching him work. He got stung three times (on his hands--he doesn't use gloves and is oh so casual about the stings). The only other stingee was my husband Doug, who just went along for the ride, didn't wear any protective clothing, and was wandering around the field. He was pretty casual about it too.

There she sits. Awaiting her colony of bees.

I know that beekeepers highly recommend telling neighbors about newly adopted bee hives. But I'm still not so sure I'm going to. My house is at the end of a street, facing a park--which you can see in the background. I continue to ponder what's best for everyone. For now, keeping my mouth shut is best for everyone. (Actually, in general it's always best to keep one's mouth shut. Or as my friend Margo W. says "WAIT"--Why Am I Talking? That was the single best piece of advice anyone's ever offered me.)

David Brooks, a wise conservative, says "Media Psychodrama"--Perfect!

"Let’s all stop paying attention to Sarah Palin for a little while. I understand why liberals want to talk about her. She allows them to feel intellectually superior to their opponents. And members of the conservative counterculture want to talk about her simply because she drives liberals insane. But she is a half-term former governor with a TV show. She is not going to be the leader of any party and doesn’t seem to be inclined in that direction.

"The Sarah Palin phenomenon is a media psychodrama and nothing more. It gives people on each side an excuse to vent about personality traits they despise, but it has nothing to do with government."

Full interview here.

Still crazy for violets after all these years. So reliable, so care-free. They are the anti-tulip, which is neither reliable nor care-free.

My makeshift bee suit. Got it for $10 on eBay. I'll add elastic to the cuffs and pant leg bottoms.

It's used; was billed as "AN, OFFICIAL, GENUINE, AUTHENTIC, U.S., MILITARY ISSUED, PAIR OF WHITE, MILITARY EXPLOSIVES HANDLER'S COVERALLS. 100% COTTON."
Note creative and interesting use of commas.

If you need to handle any explosives you can borrow my suit.

I don't expect to ever be this casual, but you just never know.

I'm fascinated by that nasty device that appears to be blending the bees into bee soup, but in the end it seems to be full of living bees that get dumped back into the hive boxes. So much to learn.

Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Becca & I were nearly alone in this home, so I imagined living here. Nice modern art collection. Modern in the relative sense

I'll take a dozen more please. Babies that is. And in another lifetime obviously. (Db-click -- slowly -- to get full screen.)

Sock No. 1 of Pair No. 4

Piazzo del Campo in Siena and The Duomo of Siena (no, I'm not through posting pictures of Italy).

From Wikipedia:

The open site was a marketplace established before the thirteenth century on a sloping site near the meeting point of three hillside communities.... Siena may have had earlier Etruscan settlements.... It was paved in 1349 in fishbone-patterned red brick with ten lines of travertine, which divide the piazza into nine sections, ... held to be symbolic of the rule of The Nine (Noveschi) who laid out the campo and governed Siena at the height of its mediaeval splendour between 1292 and 1355. It was and remains the focal point of public life in the City. From the piazza, eleven narrow shaded streets radiate into the city.

The Duomo was built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Frog orgy, and concert, at the pond today.

Dozens and dozens of frogs engaged in quite a lively and loud display. They didn't mind me taking pictures either.

I saw locks near the Ponte Vecchio. Becca said it was a symbolic custom for new couples to leave locks. Romantic, right? Check out backstory below.

Locks of love.

Scored a good trashy political book at the library today. A weakness I don't even try to get rid of.

A street in Fiesole, in the hills northeast of Florence.

Now that's hard pruning.

Frescoes from I don't remember where--some church in Florence.

You can't take pictures inside The Uffizi Museum, except for the entry lobby. Outside at night there was A Man in Gold. That's all I know.

He stood alone mostly, but in this shot he's chatting with the local security guys.

I love this casual installation of a new "nuc"--short for nucleus of bees. I'll get my nuc in about a month.

I'd like to be this relaxed during my installation. Somehow I don't see that happening. For one thing, I WILL wear a veil.

Ran across a street protest in Florence. Something about taxes, I think. Happy, relaxed protestors. Most with nice shoes, true of all Florentinians.

We flew over the Alps on our way from Paris to Florence.

Spotted here and there.

Mother and son dancing to live music.

Florence police are sharp dressers. Becca and I admired the big white leather bags they carry.

Tucked into one side of a courtyard in the Palazzo Pitti there's a small, semi-enclosed pool and fountain. And check out that ceiling.

Hard to take good pictures with my baby camera. I loved this dark little pool area. It was ringed with statues and was designed so you could walk all the way around. I'll bet it's a nice cool place in the heat of the summer.

The colors in Italy were wonderful. Not just the churches and palaces, which are a whole other level of beautiful. Ordinary places too.

To my Nyack friend.

Unfortunately, I must report to you that the dill was pretty good. I bought two types because buying just one seemed sort of creepy. These are the last two I will buy.