Amsterdam - Prinsengracht Farmers Market

My wife and I took a trip to Amsterdam this fall.  We stayed at this great flat at Prinsengracht 79 that is on one of the outer canals just a 10 minute walk from the Danrak.  The flat was wonderful - spacious and comforatable and big enough for four people.  When we look out of the flat window, we overlooked the Noorderkerk Church & square.  On Saturday's they had a fantastic farmer's market with veggies and cheeses and baked goods.


Creamy dutch cheese


Delicious mushrooms



the warmest and moistest fresh baked breads and croissants



beautiful flowers of Noorderkerk


Noorderkerk - a protestant church and a center of artists during monday's Antique mart.


The pipe organ and angel in Noorderkerk


the view from Prinsengracht 79 of Noorderkerk


This man played the most beautiful songs for hours during the antique mart on Mondays.


Local musicians at Noorderkerk.

Dia de Los Muertos 2010

Día de los Muertos, also known as “the Day of the Dead” or “All Souls' Day” in Mexico, takes place on November 2nd to pay homage to the departed. Día de los Muertos celebrates life through music, dance, food, art, prayer, and family togetherness. Ofrendas (or offerings), as bread, candy, tequila, flowers, and pictures are placed upon candle-adorned altars as gifts to loved ones, while wood, clay, tin, and paper are transformed into skull masks and sculptures to exchange and display.

These are captures from the Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration held at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California. This was an awesome event attended by thousands of people. This event use to be held in downtown oceanside, but this venue holds much more appeal (and people). The costumes and makeup were awesome. What a great event. A wonderful mix of culture, religion, music, and vendors.

Music & Music Makers

David Sanborn at Anthology

Ever since I started working at Eli's Records in Phoenix, I was exposed to more variations of music that i could have known existed. My store manager started pulling music for me to expand my mind. David Sanborn was one of the vinyl albums that got pulled.

Ever since that time in 1983, David Sanborn has been my all time favorite Saxaphonist. I had the honor of grabbing one of his performances at Anthology in Little Italy, San Diego. This was the first time i was able to hear him live.

His performance exceeded my expectations.

I was able to capture this shot (although no cameras were allowed) through a reflection in the mirror of his trio. I wish i had my better camera because this shot could have been magic, but, considering the point and shoot pentax, i am very happy with this.

Thanks Anthology and Mr Sanborn!

Ah, you will notice that although this was a reflection, you can read Anthology . . . i took the liberty of flipping this shot horizontally.



This guitarist was part of a mariachi at the Tropicana hotel in San Jose del Cabo, BCS Mexico. The food was great and the room authentic looking - although i know they had just gone through a refurb.

This is the Chapel Choir of Worksop College. Led by the Asst Director of Music, Timothy Uglow, the Cappella del Pazzi was filled with beautiful music on 6 April 2010. As we walked through the garden, i was just in time to get the flyer for the upcoming performance. It was rich and beautiful. A wonderful treat.

Basilica di Santa Croce. Final resting place of Michelangelo. 

Most of the grunge band that practiced every Thursday night. The gal, don't remember her name, had a fantastic voice.

Beauty is in the eye of the camera

Abeyta's Travel Italy Travel Journal

Abeyta's Travel Journal - Italy

Lights Lights Lights

With a steady hand, i was able to hold the lens still enough to capture this ride as it twirled round and round.  The effect was amazing.  The yellows & golds were brilliant and topped off with dashes of red.



This was the wolf moon over the Oceanside pier in January of 2010 at dusk.  The moon was at the right angle to hover over the pier and I was able to capture the lights reflecting onto the morning waves.  This is the definition of the wolf moon.. 




These were candles set aglow in the majestic Milan Duomo.



I woke up early enough to catch the rising sun in Venezia, Italia and grab some beautiful photos. I didn't see it til later, but this one has the sun's light entering the lamp posts and it made it look like they had the fire from within.



This firelight danced upon the wicks of candles at the Tropicana restaurant in San Jose del Cabo, BCS Mexico. This candelabra seemed quite old as the melted wax of what seemed like thousands of candles created a most impressive piece of art.

Pisa, Italy . . . yes, the tower still leans

Ok, it probably leans much more than this . . . my aim was off. However, it was amazing how incredible this structure was . . . and to think it continues to sink lower every day. We did take the obligatory photos of us holding it up, however, with all the people around, it was sad to say, none of them came out as i had hoped . . . lucky you. The bapistry and duomo were quite incredible here - especially against the rich sky.

One of the striking things that struck me most about Pisa, however, was the immigrants. In Southern California we have the Mexicans, Filipinos, Cambodians, etc. However, In Pisa, Florence, Rome, they have the Africans. Something of a cultural variation but it hit me then that every country would have their immigrant.




This is the Pisa Duomo . . . a huge structure.  Grand.  Bold.








The inside San Michele in Borgo in Pisa Italy.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Michele_in_Borgo

Venezia, Italy - Around Every Corner a Perfect Picture

Daybreak.  A quiet morning as the vendors prepare for another busy day.



Just a small set of the hundreds of gondolas on the island. 



One of the shopping corridors outside St Mark's Square.  As with all the architecture, it was amazing how much attention was paid to the detail in everything they did.



This bride and groom had just gotten married and he was taking their wedding photos just outside St Mark Square.  It was about 7am and the sun was rising.  Her name was Mercy Lee and they live in China. 



The Abeytas and Shearers lunching at the Grand Canal.  We were just south of the Ponte Rialto.  We had a grand meal (no pun intended) at this picturesque setting.

One of the interesting things about Italy and eating out.  In Tuscany, no matter what restaurant you went to, tipping was not expected and if you tried to tip, they got offended.  In Milan, Venice, and Rome, in the more upscale / touristy areas, you were expected to tip.  My opinion is that we received better service in the places where tipping was not expected.

Memories of Firenze, Italy

Florenc Rainy Street water color, originally uploaded by les abeyta.

Our recent trip to Italy, specifically Florence, is captured by many of my photos, but this is one of my favorites. It actually isn't the original photo, but one that came out very blurry that i did some Photoshop work on. The end result is something I am very happy with. I put to Canvas and have framed in my office right now.

This photo was taken on Easter Day and as we were walking the rainy streets, the light and colors just seem so picturesque. What wasn't great was my non-steady hand.

The wet cobbled streets, the umbrellas, the big doors, and couples strolling next to each other came together wonderfully.



This street statue was a classic.  The greatest and funniest cupid.  The girls were a bit timid but they finally went up with him.  Rachael, Andrea and Samantha took the best photo with this Roman god.



This was the night of Easter . . . the rain came down all day and we were on our way from a delicious dinner.  We stopped for a gelato and the lights and wetness seemed right for a photo.  Not many people walking about so i didn't have to stop anyone from getting in front of the lens.  Notice in the top left the universal Coka-Cola.



As we waited to enter Dante's museum in Florence, a child was blowing bubbles . . .





The train station, Santa Maria Novella, was almost a daily destination for us.  This shot of bino 1 and 2 was a perfect reminder of our trip.  From this station (and the bus station) we went to Pisa, Lucca, Greve, Milan, Venezia, Treviso, and Roma.  Click here to see on the map where this photo was taken




This was a daily staple . . . the gelato in Firenze was out of this world.  Some stores were better than others for quality, but definitely something I came to love (and quickly).  The number of flavors far exceeded what Baskin Robbins presents in ice cream.  It is amazing that despite how much I ate, i actually weighed less when I came back . . . helps when you walk a bazillion miles a day!!!  I have purchased some of the US retail versions since we've been back and they do NOT compare to what we had in Italy.



This photo of Billa Market meat deli is indicative of the wide selection of meats and cheeses and wines available.  This was one of my favorite parts of the day . . . walking to the market for the huge variety.  My grandfather would have been in heaven.  The salami and prosciutto was the best!



Scarves were plentiful, but what i love about the markets in Firenze (and Roma and Venezia for that matter), were the endless color combinations everywhere.  I can see where Beneton may have gotten his inspiration from.





Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore as seen from the Piazza Michelangelo where there are incredible sunset views.  This was a special evening sunset and my wife and I decided to jump off the bus after returning from an afternoon in Greve.  We had wine, salami, the sunset, a great view, and each other.  It was a great time to remember - just the two of us.