Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Anything man-made

Since I’m closing in on the photo upload limit, I thought to go through my media gallery in order to select a few photos of some of my favourite man-made things from my earlier posts (i.e. from when I barely had an unrelated follower). It makes me happy to look at them again – and this is basically why I do what I do.

If you wish to know more about these photographs, you will have to look back (hihi).

I can see a few patterns: shooting things up on the trees (why?), food (well…), puurty colours, intricate shapes.

Man-made and mad-woman-shot-and-picked.

Who is it that loves Jeger in that song? Metka?

New carnation design: cranberry chocolate from Slovenia

Orbetello street lamp design.

Photo: MM

For Cee’s new Anything Man-made challenge:

SL-WEEK 14: Memory

This is Trieste. A port city practically on the border between Italy and Slovenia. On which side of border, ‘ours’ or ‘theirs’? The answer depends on whether you asked me this now or three years ago.

This is Miramare Castle, a bit north of Trieste.

Beautiful, no?

And Trieste and Slovenian villages all around it could easily be “ours”. Alas, American troops that were stationed at Miramare after the Second World War for seven years saw to it that “peace was preserved”, and Trieste was eventually “returned to Italy”. And now I hear that independence is what the city is after. Be as it may, this plaque does not evoke nice memories. To a Slovenian.

And here are three more images that bring about mixed memories.

Ex-bedroom, pink and all. Plus tree mushroom as a candle holder. Plus ex-dog.

Ex-home, snow and all. We don’t get that here.

Ex-sport, mind games and all. This was the last game of the tournament, for the overall victory. The guy on the left ate his just dessert and kicked our asses. I was not even second. That time.

Photo: MM (+ last one by a nice person)

For Sylvain Landry’s SL-WEEK 14: Memory

13th tournament on 13, Tournament Street

Our annual garden tarok tournament. For family and friends. So green, and mostly peaceful. Can hardly wait till next year.

The registration office of the greenest card tournament.

The newly red chairs on the lawn – the garden’s owner suggested moving the tables in the shade himself.

Dogs have fun too.

A surprise doggie visitor.

The game is tarok in threes.

The most stylish award.

The last place award.

The second place.

Ahd the winner is… Damjan, valda! (The translation of Italian brand name: ‘who else than’)

Italian art for the winner.

Little helper.

It was a good day.

Photo: MM & JM

Happy birthday, dedek J.

Today we celebrate my grandfather on the mother’s side, here with his wife, my grandmother.

I just had your son over for two weeks. He came to visit me in Italy, I think you would approve since you had always spoken well of Italy and visited it often. You wouldn’t believe things he was eating, though.

This reminds me of the oldest tarok player who I saw last at the New Year tournament in Union brewery in Ljubljana, just a few weeks before his passing. He had lived a long time, seen plenty and experienced highs and lows. He came to where I was sitting with my Italian amore and told us something like this: “I was in Italian prison and despite this fact I will never be able to say anything bad about Italians.”

I think you would agree. Tanti auguri, dedek!

And here you are under a hat in the most excellent (yet rather badly scanned) photo there could be (thanks, dad!), of little me surrounded by all four of my grandparents.

Photo: BM

No vivid filters were harmed in the making of these images.

Prague

Montalto di Castro

Ferry to Isola del Giglio

I dived in! Isola del Giglio

Roma garden

Trilateral tarok tournament in Tournament Street in Ljubljana, flags, from left: of Slovenia, Ljubljana city, Italia.

Capalbio sunset

Winter at home

Photo: MM

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Vivid.”

Internet is cool

She is the first online person that has ever turned into flesh and blood for me, thanks to that card game of ours, tarok.

Unless some others I know she lived fairly close so it was not so hard to meet. And two years ago we both did a similar thing in the same month. Change of life. Except the first photo, which is from my 40th birthday celebration, the rest are from last summer when we visited her in her new home in Velenje. She made us stuffed peppers and then walk around the lake (she in flip-flops), upon which my amore said that in Italy who wishes to walk so much joins the scouts.

She celebrates today, and we will do more walking together, I promise. Cin cin!

That time to me, today auguri to you.

Velenje Lake

Slovenia, one of my countries.

Šoštanj thermal power plant, just so that not everything is so idyllic.

Smrklja! 🙂

Photo: MM except b&w (Zedd?)

Look who’s coming!

Another bestia! And a dog too! 😉

Let us remind ourselves: the last had to eat bestia’s gelato as a ‘reward’…

…really!

And the first was awarded a trip to Tuscany

It’s so nice to take part in the Tournament Street Tournaments, especially in pairs! 😀

Photo: MM

Reigning champion

Because you have a tournament today, on your 40th birthday, I wish to remind you, in pictures, how it is to win and the path to get there. Thank you for taking part in Tournament street tournaments so regularly all these years and I sincerely hope that you come back again this year. Auguri and cin cin!

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013 – 2. place

2014 – the winner!

Photo: MM & last one BM

Tournament Street Tournaments

The game is tarok, in threes (even though Marcel Štefančič Jr. one time said that tarok in threes – instead of in fours – is for the birds). There is the National tarok association which is a member of the Slovenian Olympic Committee. We just need to determine whether it’s summer or winter games that will have us.

There is an annual tarok tournament for family and friends. If I had my tarok folder with me, I could put up here all the results from the first 12 tournaments… This summer will be the lucky 13th. Here are a few glimpses from the past (photos by Zedd and MM):

Years ago, before the host said NO MORE TABLES ON GRASS + the furry judge

Booooooooooooo (this is an old photo)

What is your target? (Meta=target in Italian!)

Table #1

Slovenia, Ljubljana

Tables 1, 2, 3 – must be order

The menu for today, featuring garden water, spring Mexi

Who is it that loves Jeger in that song? Metka?

I can’t watch

Devil’s pictures

Double act + the host

Photo: MM, Zedd, BM

Who will it be this year?

In the meantime have a look at this Midnight Club talk show about card games (in Slovenian). There is mention of a certain Manja who got away. Well, yes. But I keep coming back like Lessie. Tournament street lives on!

≈ Manja Maksimovič ≈