Daddy's little helper

"Welcome to the Ice Age," reads the sign on this Costa Coffee window. And it's a clean window, too, thanks to this little girl and her father.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"E" is for "eternal"

Some people believe that nothing is eternal, that nothing lasts forever. It's true that material things, no matter how indestructible they seem, one day will fall apart, erode away, disintegrate; in short, disappear. Sooner or later people disappear too, no matter how much we want them to be with us forever. Today marks the day my husband suffered a stroke that led to his leaving us much too soon. I'd like to think that it was only his physical self that is gone, and that he is somehow still around. Part of him lives on in his baby granddaughter, Mila, who by coincidence, turns one month old today. Above are my son and daughter-in-law's wedding rings, dangling from Mila's toes. May they, and my daughter and her husband, all live long and happy lives.

See other E's at ABC WEDNESDAY.

Airing the clothes

Nothing like airing out your clothing to get them sweet-smelling....and perhaps full of cat hair.

Red against Red

Do you walk against the red light sometimes? I do.... Now that many people are on vacation, this normally very busy street has less traffic.

Sunday Bridges--A Cultural Bridge

There exist cultural bridges that come in all forms, from institutions to online websites like Serbia's Ambassador to the World," and of course, people, like my friends and I above in 1968 when we were students (that's our director) there, too, in Aix-en-Provence in 1968. I am on the right. We all met up in Napa, if you remember from a couple of photos like this one taken last summer. All of us pictured, including our director now in his 80's and wife, who kept up with all of us are, like you photo bloggers, cultural bridges.

See more bridges of all kinds at Louis La Vache's SUNDAY BRIDGES.

Weekend Reflections--Ingenuity

Near the same market where I snapped this other Reflections photo, I came across this ingenious new windshield wiper! Soft, easy on the glass. But what I like best is the little sign to the right that reads, "Autolinea Auto Parts", along with an address. I think I'll hope right over and get myself a pair of these.

See other reflections at James' Weekend Reflections.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--sky over the newly-renovated park

I've shown you Tasmajdan Park downtown several times before, but it has recently (and thankfully) been renovated, making the entire park much more enjoyable. New walkways, fountains, a small dog park, chess tables, playgrounds...wonderful. There are two new statues. The one in the foreground is of Milorad Pavic, a rather unorthodox writer, style-wise, who passed away at the age of 80 in 2009. I've never read his books, but what Wiki says about his works is intriguing:

• Dictionary of the Khazars takes the form of three cross-referenced encyclopedias of the Khazars, a semi nomadic Turkish people. The book was published in a "male" and "female" version, which differ in only a brief, critical passage.
• Landscape Painted with Tea mixes the forms of novel and a crossword puzzle.
• Inner Side of the Wind – can be read back to front, each section telling one character's version of the story.
• Last Love in Constantinople has chapters numbered after tarot cards. The reader is invited to use a tarot deck to determine the order in which the chapters can be read.
• Unique Item has one hundred different endings and the reader can choose one.

The other statue is of Heidar Aliev, the third president of a Azerbaijan, who also passed away at the age of 80 in 2003. Azerbaijan financed part of the renovation of Tasmajdan Park.

See other skies at SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

From a fairy tale...?

Yesterday's post put me in a fairy tale mood. Which fairy tale character(s) inspired this house, upstream a bit from Belgrade on the Sava River? Note how it's been built high, in case of flooding.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"D" is for (Goldilocks') DILEMMA

A dilemma indeed. Not sure Goldilocks would have sat in any of these chairs, used by street sweepers at a nearby market to sit on while they take a break. On the other hand, I can see a sort of smile on the back of the chair on the right...maybe she'd have sat there.

See other D's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Shedding some light

These lamp posts in Kalemegdan (view of New Belgrade across the river) look like acorns to me...or earrings...or...? What do you think?

Teetering....

I watched this lady take teeny-tiny teetering steps in these high-heeled platform shoes. She did not seem at ease at all. I know I wouldn't be; one misstep and it's off to the orthopedic clinic.

Lady readers, do you wear or did you use to wear such shoes? And remember the pointed-toe shoes....? Much damage done from those, too.