Going! Going! Gone!....

Saturday night I went to Santa Susanna's Saint Nicholas Serata Dinner Dance and Auction to benefit 9 Roman Charities this Christmas Season. I didn't win any bids. I was really hoping for the Chocolates from Around the World Basket! I guess I can thank the person that out bid me for saving my thighs! Besides the clothing, jewelry, Notre Dame items, trips, spa treatments, Italian lessons etc. there were plenty of gift baskets. My favorites were the "American" baskets. They had barbecue sauce, peanut butter, ziplock bags, cake mixes, toll house morsels, etc. Don't laugh! You'd be surprised what little things you miss. I think I would pay 10 euros for one spoonful of Jif peanut butter! I did win a door prize of Americana placemats and dish towels. It was a wonderful evening and raised a lot of money for the charities. I also had cool tablemates. Pictured above are Sr. Pat, Sr. Maria, me and Sasha. Nella was a little camera shy. The other picture is Fr. Greg being the auctioneer for the live auction. Last week I purchased some yummy extra virgin olive oil and fresh honey being sold as as a fundraiser....my two favorite food groups...Fat and Sugar!!! All this talk about food...I'd better be careful or I'll show up in Louisiana at the end of December for my 2 week home visit a little too chunky and you won't recognize me! (giggle)

Last week on a beautiful sunny day I decided to go to Villa Borghese (Borghese Park). I went to the museum, Galleria Borghese pictured below, and fell in love! His name is Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Ladies, don't get excited...I know you are all hoping for an "Under the Tuscan Sun" experience! He is just an Italian sculptor and painter from the 17th century. (smile) I was almost mesmerized looking at his statues of Pluto and Proserpina and Apollo and Dafne (Daphne). Dafne escaped the grasp of Apollo by turning into a tree. Bernini captured the transformation perfectly in marble....amazing. Proserpina is trying to flee from Pluto and you can see the tears running down her face and see how his fingers press into her flesh...again...this is marble. (OK, I see the running theme too...women trying to escape from men...no comments from you armchair psychiatrists please. (smile) ) Bernini also did the bronze Baldachhino (canopy) over the high altar at St. Peters and the Colonnade in the square. He also did the Fountain of Rivers in Piazza Navona that I walk past almost every day. He did a sculpture of David that has a face with such intensity you can almost feel the emotion... he was said to have used his own features. After my museum visit I had a nice little mini picnic lunch in the park while people watching...not a bad way to spend an afternoon, huh??