Ferrara Cathedral

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Rin

Welcome to Ferrara, a city in northern Italy with spectacular architecture and wonderful sculptures.

This is the lovely Ferrara Cathedral, we discovered it our first night in the city and knew we would have to come back in the morning for a closer look.

Ferrara Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint George, it was consecrated in 1135.

The porch of the building is supported by two Atlases perched atop lions.

Here is a detail of one of the Atlases and his lion, also a noble pigeon.

This is the nave of the cathedral which is lined with saints, looking towards the entrance.

A wonderful sculpture of Saint Ursus of Aosta.

The right-hand aisle looking towards bronze figures.

Bronze statues and crucifixion from the fifteenth century.

The Madonna delle Grazie chapel in honor of the Virgin was created by Agapito Poggi and Andrea Ferreri in the eighteenth century.

Sunlight illuminated the many crystal chandeliers throughout the cathedral.

The walls and ceiling are beautifully decorated with gilt stucco.

The Ferrara Cathedral was a joy to behold and made a great beginning to our trip through northern Italy.

View of New York City from the New Yorker Hotel

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Rin

View from New Yorker Hotel and Tiny Hippo

How exciting, this is a huge city that only a Tiny Hippo is capable of exploring properly!

Sisters Garden and Bloom

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Rin

Sisters Garden and Bloom in Kalona, Iowa, are two wonderful shops in rural Iowa that always contain treasures for the avid hunter of old and new curiosities.

Driving up to these stores you know you are in for something different

A line of vintage bikes decorated with fairy lights

Of the two shops, Sisters Garden has more vintage and antique items than Bloom

Mirrors are a key element to the decorating of the shop, they add depth and wonder to the space

A wonderful old cabinet with many layers of peeling paint is reflected in another mirror

The stores themselves, are old, happily distressed, farm houses.

Sisters Garden uses many soft light sources to add a sense of drama and fantasy to each room

Never mind that man in the mirror, just my assistant, ignore him

The Bloom shop is very eclectic

Bloom is a brighter, more retro, version of Sisters Garden

I just love all the layers to look at in the shop; though, I seemed to have wondered into this shot

The upstairs of the shop is even more whimsical than the ground floor…

The upstairs is devoted to new and old children’s toys!

My husband may have squealed when he saw this Erector Set, don’t tell anyone

The view from the loft is great

My favorite part of Sisters Garden and Bloom is this greenhouse built from old windows and doors

Sisters Garden and Bloom are two great shops that are always changing.

Campbell Center

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Rin

Recently, I took a week-long course at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Mount Carrol, Illinois. Not only was the course highly informative, I also had a blast exploring the early 20th century campus. One evening we were able to go into the old gymnasium that hadn’t been used since the seventies.

The gym is not very exciting from the outside but wait until you see inside!

The old pool in the basement of the gym is in remarkably good condition, don’t worry about the mold in the corners, it adds character

The bathrooms were not so well-preserved

The dilapidated bathroom stalls

I am not sure what this room was used for, maybe it was a locker room?

The basketball court, complete with basketball

There was even a theater at the end of the basketball court, painted on the wall were the names of the crew of “The Silver Whistle” performed in 1959

This was taken from a small room overlooking the basketball court

A Ping Pong table in the room overlooking the basketball court

This was the old shower room

I took this picture by sticking my arm around the corner because I could not walk into this room due to all the rubble

I was not able to explore all of the rooms because the light was fading quickly, I pretty much just shot these last two photos on the fly while I was finding my way out of the gym

One last glimpse of the old gym

I loved being able to explore this old building, what a rare treat!

Exploring the Old Basketball Court

The George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Rin

The George Peabody Library is a beautiful library that is a must see for any bibliophile in the Baltimore, Maryland area. The library, designed by architect Edmund G. Lind, was opened in 1878.