Beautifull Cascata delle Marmore in Italy

The Cascata delle Marmore (Marmore's Falls) is a man-made waterfall created by the ancient Romans. Its total height is 165 m (541 feet), making it one of the tallest in Europe and the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. Of its 3 sections, the top one is the tallest, at 83 m (272 feet).

It is located 7.7 km from Terni, a provincial capital of the Italian region of Umbria.

Its source is a portion of the waters of the river Velino (the rest of the river flows into a hydroelectric power plant), after flowing through Piediluco lake near the community of Marmore. It pours into the valley below formed by the river Nera. Its flow is turned on and off according to a published schedule, to satisfy the needs of tourists and the power company alike. Tourists try to be there the moment the gates are opened to see the powerful rush of water.
History :
The Velino river flows through the highlands that surround the city of Rieti. In ancient times, it fed a wetland that was thought to bring illness (probably malaria). To remove that threat to the city of Rieti, in 271 BC, the Roman consul Manlius Curius Dentatus ordered the construction of a canal (the Curiano Trench) to divert the stagnant waters into the natural cliff at Marmore. From there, the water fell into the Nera river below. However, that solution created a different problem: when the Velino river was in flood stage, its water flowed through the Nera toward the city of Terni, threatening its population. The issue was so contentious between the two cities that the Roman Senate was forced to address it in 54 BC. Cicero represented Terni, and Aulus Pompeius represented Rieti. The Senate did nothing about the problem, and things remained the same for centuries.

Lack of maintenance in the canal resulted in a decrease in the flow, until eventually the wetland began to reappear. In 1422, Pope Gregory XII ordered the construction of a new canal to restore the original flow (the Gregorian Trench or Rieti Trench).

In 1545, Pope Paul III ordered that a new canal be built (the Pauline Trench). The plan was to expand the Curian Trench and to build a regulating valve to control the flow. Upon its completion some 50 years later (in 1598), Pope Clement VIII inaugurated the new work, and named it after himself: the Clementine Trench.

In the following two centuries, the presence of the canal was problematic for the countryside in the valley below, as the Nera often flooded it. In 1787, Pope Pius VI ordered architect Andrea Vici to modify the leaps below the falls, giving the falls its present look and finally resolving the majority of the problems.

In 1896, the newly formed steel mills in Terni began using the water flow in the Curiano Trench to power their operation. In the following years, engineers began using the water flow to generate electricity.
source : http://en.wikipedia.org/

Walk for Muscular Dystrophy

My older brother and mother and I joined my younger brother for his first MD {Muscular Dystrophy }walk , we are going to make this a yearly event from now on , this local walk raised over $40,000.00 , which is amazing ,in only 2 days we raised $170.00 thanks to our family and friends, next year we will start fundraising much earlier , I didn't know about this walk until I read an article in the paper a few days earlier.

It was a nice time spent at the lake participating in a great cause.

I should probably mention my younger brother Brad pictured with me does actually have Muscular Dystrophy , he has Beckers MD , when he was young it was obvious things were not quite right , Brad walked like others but later he had a "different gait" and when he tried to run he would always fall it was like his legs were not made for running , he would always laugh it off , of course the doctors brushed it off , but my mom pushed on and finally at 10 years he was diagnosed with Beckers which is thankfully the mildest form of Muscular Dystrophy , they told us that he would be in a wheel chair by the age of 20 , he is now 34 and still not in a wheel chair , pushing his limits . I admire his strength and courage. You can read his story here at My Beckers Story

Enjoy the Angel Fall in Venezuaela

Mini History :
Angel Falls (indigenous name: Parakupa-vena or Kerepakupai merú which means the fall from the highest point, in Pemon language; Spanish: Salto Ángel) is the world's highest waterfall, with a height of 979m (3,212ft) and a clear drop of 807m (2,647ft). It is located in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima) , in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivar State, Venezuela.

The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is atomized by the strong winds and turned into mist. The mist can be felt a mile away. The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternately known as the Rio Gauya) which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River.

In the indigenous Pemon language Angel Falls is called Kerepakupai merú meaning "waterfall of the deepest place". The falls are sometimes referred to as Churun-meru, an error, since that name corresponds to another waterfall in the Canaima National Park. Churun in the Pemon language means "thunder".

article source : http://en.wikipedia.org/

More Picture from Bruges, Belgium

Inspiration comes from way back when , well 2002 anyway

It turns out that I am a collector , this was evident when my daughter spilled a glass of water on the tray on our ottoman where I keep two piles of decorating magazines, I leap and started flinging my mags out of harms way , some of these magazine are from the early 2000's , this is the only thing I really collect actually . One much loved magazine in my collection is this 2002 Country Home magazine , the home of Kimber Wysong has been a great source of inspiration for my current home , I actually got a hold of Kimber on Facebook , and she tells me they have long moved on from this lovely home and are now living in a "Beach House" .

Now this is a window box people , and the source of inspiration for mine , which I will admit is much more meek , but mine is not nearly as ample a window box.

I have always been a fan of a Tudor and this one so light and charming is perfection. This fence sealed the deal for me , it pushed the decision for me to tackle building our current picket fence right after we moved here in 2003.
Actually after seeing this off center entry again maybe I should continue my fence and add an entrance arbour?? ok that's a blatant copy.

This is one of the first open shelving kitchens I did see , Kimber was a pioneer , and look at those gorgeous wood counters , they are cherry and the charming painted floors , her two little boys must be teenagers now , it is still as classic a home as ever , wouldn't you love to see her beach home ? I know I would too , I did ask if she would share some photos so I could share with you , I will keep trying , but I don't want to be too stalkerish ...

We are very much enjoying the early arrival of record breaking temps not since 1944 has it been this hot this early , the plants are just loving the warmth and sun , everything is blooming and sprouting in record time. I must say though I feel for the kids and teachers in school this time of year for the lack of air conditioning in the school makes for some sweltering class rooms, I dropped off a very powerful fan that was collecting dust in our basement , they surely can borrow it for the next four weeks of school , if the weather stays like this is is going to be a very long four weeks , I was up in my daughters class room this morning at 7:30 AM and it was so muggy I don't know how they could even stand it , I am glad we have the pool up for them to cool off in after school , freezies and swimming , nothing is more summery to kids.

I just had to show how my little corner of shame in my garden looks now that some time has passed , this is the sweet spot , I wish my whole garden looked this lush , I am working on it , my lovely friend has been donating her split hostas by the bucket full to me , I love a big hosta.

This photo was taken just 8 weeks ago , look how things improve over a short while , all the lovely perennials were just waiting to appear.

Everything is planted now , I went for a colorful scheme in the window box this year, I actually took a photo from a magazine of a window box I loved with me to the garden center and tried to do a scaled back version with similar plants I will add a few more plants I think , it will fill out and improve with time , I will show you the progress.

Readers brag post

I received some emails and photos yesterday , the first was from Susan in Ohio , she said that my pergola inspired her to create this over the garage pergola detail , which is amazing what a beautiful addition to this home , cheers to Susan !
I want this exact design above my front window ...he comes another project.

Second was from Stacey who lives a couple of towns over , I did an in home consultation with her in her new home she had literally just moved in , she was so open to change , painting the cabinets removing the corner shelfy thing and curved bulkhead , I also suggested new butcher block counters and an over hang to create counter seating and beadboard of course , well her husband made quick work of a big project , this duo did a great job and now has a stunning kitchen and they have also added value to their home. Cheers to Stacey and hubby!!!

Look at that pretty bulkhead , added crown moulding and matching paint adds height to the room and a cohesive look . They added two pendant light , which look perfect there.

Maybe that center light could become pot lights ???

Gorgeous counters , I wonder how they are treating them?? They sure look great , and BTW they are from Ikea.

Outdoor spaces

If I didn't know any better I would think it was July , it is so darn hot , the kids will be splashing and playing in the pool probably right after school.

I re-painted the trim around the front door , it was dark grey and now it is a soft creamy white , Behr's Vermont Cream I am embracing my cottage look.

If this weather keeps up I may just have to take a dip too , all the hard work we have put into the backyard has really paid off .

We spent the whole day yesterday slaving over this 16 foot diameter circle in the sweltering heat , trying desperately to level this spot out and removing all the grass then adding 20 bags of sand to make a nice even spot for the temporary pool , which the girls just love , I have very badly blistered hands to prove it , the things we do for those we love!
Are any of you surprised that here in Canada it gets hot and we need pools to make it through ? I am always amazed there are people out there that think Canada is cold all year round , well its not we have four distinct seasons here this spring is actually feeling a lot like summer in fact is 80 degrees today ... that air conditioning needed to get fired up today , my husband can not handle the slightest bit of heat .

After living with a furniture grave yard in my dining room we decided to stick with our current black large dining table , the lovely oval table is pretty but I would need to add height to the legs and the top is really rough , I decided to keep it for myself in my workroom in the basement , it looks so nice down there , someone before me used it for a craft table too and I'm ok with that .

I found these lovely green coned shaped hanging baskets , I decided to plant a variety of purple flowers and trailing greens , which I admit look piddly right now , but will look great after a few weeks of growing.

The History of Bruges in Belgium

Bruges (Brugge) was founded in the 9th century by Vikings who settled here at the end of the little river 'de Reie'. The name Bruges is probably derived from the old-Scandinavian word 'Brygga', which means 'harbor, or mooring place'. Because of the proximity of the North Sea, the settlement very quickly became an important international harbor. A sea-arm, called the Zwin, connected Bruges with the North Sea. The young settlement acquired city rights as early as the 12th century. At that time a first protective wall was built around Bruges. Soon, however, the Zwin started to silt up. This would have caused major problems for the city, were it not that Bruges adapted itself to this situation by creating outports in Damme and in Sluis. Moreover, transport of goods over land became more and more usual. In the 14th century Bruges became the starting point of a commercial transport road to the Rhineland (over Brussels and Leuven, cities in Brabant which also started to flourish because of this trade).

The Bruges bear in the Porters Lodge.Already in the 13th century Bruges was an important international trading center. Traders from all over the then known world came to the city to sell their products to each other and to buy Flemish cloth, a internationally acclaimed textile product, produced in different Flemish cities (e.g. Gent). In the early 14th century Bruges was the scene of political unrest between the citizens and the count of Flanders. Because of this unrest the French king tried to annex the county of Flanders, but the population managed to kick out the French garisson on May the 18th 1302. Later the Flemish army beat the French army in the 'Battle of the Golden Spurs' on July the 11th in the Flemish city of Kortrijk.

In the 14th century Bruges turned also into an international financial and trading center. It became the wharehouse of the North-European Hanza cities. Several countries had their own representation in Bruges: the Italians, the Germans, the Scottish, the Spanish made the city into a true European center where different languages could be heard and where the most exotic products could be found.

The decline of Bruges' wealth started in the 15th century : the unstoppable silting up of the Zwin, the competition with the bigger harbor of Antwerp and the crisis in the cloth industry resulted in less commercial activity. The crisis, however, was not immediately noticable. Bruges continued to construct splendid late-gothic buildings and churches, and the Flemish painting school (with e.g. the brothers Van Eyck and Hans Memling ) started to flourish as never before.

By the end of the 16th century the former glory was only a memory and Bruges slipped into a wintersleep that took several centuries. New textile industries were introduced in the 19th century, but to no avail. In the middle of the 1800's Brugge was the poorest city in Belgium. The 20th century, however, brought new life. The city was discovered by the international tourism and the medieval heritage turned out to be a new source of wealth for the 'Venice of the North'. Economically and industrially another important evolution took place. The new harbor of Zeebrugge (Seabruges-at 10 miles outside of the city, at the Belgian coast) brought new developments and new industries to the region.
article source : http://www.trabel.com/brugge/bruges-history.htm

Beautiful City of Bath in England, Another Pictures

Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in the south west of England. It is situated 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol. The population of the city is about 80,000. It was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590,[2] and was made a county borough in 1889 which gave it administrative independence from its county, Somerset. The city became part of Avon when that county was created in 1974. Since 1996, when Avon was abolished,Bath has been the principal centre of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES).

The city was founded, among surrounding hills, in the valley of the River Avon around naturally occurring hot springs (the only ones in the United Kingdom, using the common definition of a spring with water above average human body temperature) where the Romans built baths and a temple, giving it the name Aquae Sulis. Edgar was crowned king of England atBath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa resort during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted fromBath Stone.

As City of Bath the city became a World Heritage Site in 1987. The city has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector and growing information and communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population ofBath and the surrounding area.
Source : Wikipedia

Questions

During the house tour I was asked a few questions , so I thought I would answer them here


Like what is the color in the bedroom , the soft grey color , it is Fossil Grey by Glidden you can see a full tour here.



Also what is the bathroom color , well it is called Beach House by Debbie Travis , but since most of you don't live in Canada , I will suggest Ocean Air by Benjamin Moore which I used in a powder room for a client yesterday , it is perfection as far as blues go. You can find a little tour here.