Mine forever

On August 23rd my loving husband of 31+ years, Ivan, passed away after a brain stroke he suffered a week before. My children and I are devastated, and there is only a big void all around us that we must try to fill with memories of a man who was full of energy, love, and optimism. He was honest, fair, and principled. Above his desk he had this quote, which is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:

To Have Succeeded

To laugh often and love much;

To win respect of intelligent people

And the affection of children;

To earn the approbation of honest critics

And endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To give one's self;

To leave the world a little better,

Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or redeemed social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm

And sung with exultation;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived...

This is to have succeeded.

If this is indeed a measure of success, then he was indeed successful. We, along with numerous friends, will miss him and continue to carry him in our hearts as long as we live.

Odd Shots Monday: Home, sweet home!

They say "Home is where the heart is," and indeed this fellow looks like his heart is content. Click and see where he's sleeping. Took this photo the other week in Pirot, in Eastern Serbia.

Answer to yesterday's mystery object: They're the ends of two racing kayaks that had been put up to dry out.

What are these?

Any ideas? Answer tomorrow!

I'm just curious...

I'm just curious. Are thongs:

1. attractive to the viewer who glimpses them like this;
2. comfortable for the wearer;
3. hygienic?

Any input welcomed!

The Red Balloon...and The Blue Balloon...and The Yellow Balloon....

No, this is not a scene from the end of Albert Lamorisse's 1956 classic The Red Balloon, but rather a recent sighting in the Belgrade sky. Just happened to look up and there they were, floating free, off to who knows where.

Traffic jam

This isn't your run-of-the-mill traffic jam. It was caused by a trolley car whose electrical cable had become unhooked. Usually this isn't a major problem, since the driver just leaps out, grabs a long pole from the rear of the trolley, and tries to hook the cable back on to the overhead street wires. For some reason, it appeared that the trolley's cable couldn't reach the overhead wires. Serbian drivers are not patient, and leaned on their horns. A motorcycle policeman came along with another one to direct traffic. Then a rescue truck. Finally a small bulldozer came to lift one end of the trolley just a bit so the cable could be rehooked. This whole adventure lasted "only" twenty minutes, but in the meantime, automobile drivers were having fits, and even the bus you see in the photo grew impatient.

ABC Wednesday "E" is for Exercise

These trampoline parks are now popular here. When I was in junior high in the US light-years ago, friends and I used to spend hours bouncing on trampolines. Later I learned their demise was due to overly-exuberant bouncers who bounced right off onto the hard ground. At least now there's a mesh fence and padding around.

Lady in lavender

Just the other day I was wondering if I should color my hair again, but decided I'd stay with its current mature color. But while walking downtown on the pedestrian street, I glimpsed this lady, who made me wonder if I should reconsider... Then I got to wondering if it is really her hair---perhaps she has a series of wigs to match various colors in her wardrobe. (I'll try to find her again...)

Cool music in the fountain!

We've all had the occasion to be in the right place at the right time for a photo. I had another such occasion last Friday when I happened by this member of a band who was climbing into a fountain downtown. He happily tooted away for a few minutes on his tuba, and when he'd finished, he "smiled" at all of us who were clicking away on cameras or cell phones, climbed out, and joined his still-dry band to play some more tunes to practice for Nišville (NEESH-vil), a jazz festival take-off on Nashville to be held in the town of Niš, a couple of hours' drive from Belgrade. Last Friday temperatures rose to 37 degrees Celsius here, which is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. All onlookers were envying his dip in the fountain.

No sunscreen for me!

Yesterday at the Market Blue you may have noticed the Chipsy (potato chip) banner. This fellow apparently enjoyed a couple of packs of chips, and then put the wrappers to good use. Saves on sunscreen...but what about those legs....? Sorry for the slight fuzziness--you can imagine this was a pretty quick shot. Just turned around and there he was.

At the Market Blue

Nothing like a cold beer with a friend, and if it's too hot to run down to your local cafe or pub, just pull up a crate at the Market Blue.