Happy Birthday to my Baby Boy

At 31, my son is hardly a baby anymore, but as all mothers who read this know, we always tend to think of them as "baby boy" and 'baby girl". Above is an arrangement I made for my son's birthday, similar to the one I made for my daughter last October. You can see his first bunny, tiny moccasins, a cat/fox (never could tell), his much-loved Curious George (original nose was chewed off), a soap carving, a carved owl, a dragster, a Swiss Army knife, and a little Serbian boy candle, all arranged on his first knitted blanket. Gosh, how time flies. Happy Birthday, "Baby Boy," and many, many more. Your sister and I love you, and I know your father is with us all today.

ABC Wednesday "F" is for "Fruška Gora Feline"

Fruška Gora (FROOSH-kah GORE-ah) is a mountain in the north of Serbia, sometimes also called the Jewel of Vojvodina, for its beautiful landscapes, nature and countryside. It's not a full-blown mountain, but rather a mount whose name derives from the old Serbian name for the Frankish people: Fruzi. The full translation of "Fruška Gora" would be "Frankish Mountain," and it received this name due to its function as a natural border during Frankish campaigns. During the time of the Roman Empire, its name was Alma Mons "Fertile Mount". Today this mount is best known for its wonderful fruit, nuts, and honey, and is also home to over 12 Orthodox Monasteries.

My photo wasn't taken on Fruška Gora, but rather on Fruška Gora Street in Belgrade, where the other 'f,' the feline, happened to pose nicely for me.

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Waiting for the water taxi

In the top photo, a man awaits the arrival of the yellow water taxi, which arrived a few moments later, and he hopped on. He'll be transported across to the river island you see in the background, where he may have a houseboat, or might just be visiting friends. The cat didn't go with him...

Note the killer icicle in the bottom photo. Though this one doesn't pose any clear danger*, there have been a couple of cases of icicles falling on passers-by downtown.

*Although in the photo it appears likely to fall on boats passing by, the icicle is hanging too close to the deck's outer side to be of any real danger.

Beware of the crows!

Life is tough for Belgrade's street dogs, especially in the winter. This fellow is holding tight to his bone that the crows seem to be attracted to...unless they want the dog himself. I've seen crows dive-bomb dogs to divert them from their food, then snatch it.

In Austria and on the Titanic

Bermet (BEAR-met) is an elegant dessert wine, produced according to recipes held secret by a handful of families in the town of Sremski Karlovci (see the sign on the van) in Vojvodina, Serbia, about 50 kilometers north of Belgrade. The red or white wine is sweet, usually between 16 and 18% alcohol, with a pleasant mixture of spices and herbs. Every family has its own recipe, so you won’t find two Bermet that are the same.

Bermet but can also be served as an aperitif. In the old days, Bermet was very popular among the aristocracy of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the Viennese court purchased it in large quantities. Several varieties of Bermet were found on the Titanic's wine list on its maiden and ill-fated journey.

This lady has saved her customers the trouble by coming to Belgrade in her van and setting up a street stand.

Africa in Belgrade

Located in Senjak (SEN-yak), one of Belgrade's most beautiful residential areas, the Museum of African Art is the only museum in the country dedicated entirely to the culture and arts of the African continent. After many years of having acquired art throughout West Africa, Veda and Dr. Zdravko Pečar formed an extraordinary collection, which they donated to the City of Belgrade, and in 1977 the Museum of African Art was established. The collection now consists of over 1700 authentic objects of art from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Togo, Cameroon, and Congo. Along with numerous masks and wooden sculptures, the Museum's permanent exhibit displays other objects made of various media for magical or decorative purpose.

This photo shows a typical West African dwelling, which stands on the grounds of the Museum.

Read more about the Museum here

P.S. I would like to thank Jacob of FloridaFotos for the Creative Blogger Award on the sidebar!

Two walkers in the snow

I'm always intrigued by people using umbrellas when it snows. For me, umbrellas are just for rain, but then a bumbershoot IS perhaps practical for snow. Try as I might, I just can't get the smaller walker shown here to carry an umbrella.

Through my windshield

It's snowing, snowing, snowing, and it's the wet kind. This photo was taken a couple of days ago when I ventured out by car with Bibi to the river park along the Danube. This is a view through my windshield, but of course I was parked....otherwise you'd have gotten a close-up of tree bark.

ABC Wednesday "E" is for "expectations"

These workmen are looking at a billboard of the complex that will occupy the plot in front of them where one building is already going up. After many years of stagnancy, new buildings are mushrooming all over Belgrade. Some are locally financed, while others like the one you see her, are from foreign investments.

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Big, broad Branko's Bridge

This is such a classic shot, but I couldn't resist snapping away. Branko's Bridge that you can read about in my very posting here is the main bridge that links the older part of the city with New Belgrade, from where I took this photo.

An upcoming celebration....

My daughter got engaged this past weekend to a great guy she's been seeing for some time now. Her brother and I are so happy for her, and we know her father is somehow watching over her, too. In this photo along with the champagne bottle and glasses is my husband's wedding ring, which I keep where I can see it every day. May she and her future husband have many, many happy years together, as her father and I did. Stay tuned for a wedding photo sometime this year. (Most Serbs celebrate a happy occasion with rakija (RAH-kee-yuh), a strong brandy made usually from plums, but I find it too strong, and prefer champagne.)