Faster! Higher! Stronger!

Thanks to all of you who entered to win a copy of William Wallace's new book, Michelangelo: the Artist, the Man, and His Times.  I always love a good giveaway, and I love having fun prizes, too.

Congratulations to Carolyn!

She's the winner of this giveaway.  She has a really nice collection of printable bookmarks on her blog, Corner of the Library -- handy for all you book worms!  You'll find her on Twitter, too: cmcarpenter28.

 I'd love to send you each a prize, but this will just have to do...
Image courtesy of the Walters Art Museum

This gold medal was found in Egypt -- part of a cache of similar medallions one of which was inscribed "Olympic Games of the year 274."  Now in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, this medal may have been a prize from the Olympic Games held during Emperor Caracalla's reign (198-217 AD).  That's Caracalla depicted on the medallion with his shield.

The Romans were as Olympics-crazy as we are today, and they adopted the Greek custom with a fervor.  Nike made an appearance even at those ancient games -- just not in swoosh form.  Look at Caracalla's shield.  That's Nike, the goddess of victory, on the shield depicted in the bobsled of the day, a chariot.
Reverse of the medal. Image courtesy of the Walters Art Museum.

Faster! Higher! Stronger!

Do you Tweet?  
So does the Walters Art Museum! Follow @walters_museum and lots of other great museums on my Museum Twitter List.

Spring in Sacramento

First, a confession: I have two really big projects that I'm working on right now, so I won't be posting quite as regularly for the next month or two.  Fear not, though, I have exciting things on the horizon, though, including a trip to the UK and Ireland and a new ebook all within the next few months!

I have been busy keeping up with my Project365, too.  What a joy it is! And right now I find myself in the role of documentarian -- watching through my lens each day as Spring returns to Sacramento.  By the way, if you ever decide to come my direction, this is the time to do it.  Sacramento is gorgeous in late February, March, and early April.  The fruit trees are blooming.  The flowers are blooming.  Frankly most every blooming thing is starting to bloom!  We have a huge oak tree in our yard with swelling buds -- I predict baby leaves within the next ten days.

And then there are the birds... Sacramento is on the Pacific Flyway, and we get migratory birds from all over the Northwest and up into Canada.  I've seen several big Vs of Canadian Geese winging their way across the skies.  And our yard has been full of visiting birds large and small.

I know many of you are still buried under snowdrifts.  Having lived in Minnesota for a decade, I remember those days well.  But know that Spring is coming to you, too (and we'll be well into summer before you know it).  Here's a little peek into spring for you all near and far...



To Spring
O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Through the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring!

The hills tell one another, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn’d
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth
And let thy holy feet visit our clime!

Come o’er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumèd garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee.

O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languish’d head,
Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee.
-- William Blake (1783)

A Michelangelo Giveaway!

St. Peter's Basilica (Rome)
This time of year my thoughts turn to Michelangelo... so my photos today are all of his work both in Rome and in Florence.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6, 1475 and died on February 18, 1564, just shy of his 89th birthday. I have blogged about the beginning and end of his life before:
This year, 535 years after Michelangelo's birth, let's celebrate his life with a giveaway!
The Prize!


The prize:
a hardcover copy of the new release Michelangelo: the Artist, the Man, and his Times by William Wallace

Wallace's book is fantastic -- a great read cover to cover -- and I have a gorgeous copy just for you! Read more about it in my interview with William Wallace:
To win:
Leave a comment below answering the following question...

What work of Michelangelo do you most want to see in person and why?

The Sistine Chapel (Rome)
Florentine Pieta (Florence)
It's that simple! Please include your email address in the comment form or make sure it is attached to your Google ID (your email isn't shared with anyone, and I will not send you email unless you win).

Contest entries close Sunday, February 21 at 11:59 pm PST.
The Campidoglio (Rome)


Winners (Hopefully that's you!)
We will choose a winner randomly and announce the results here on Wednesday, February 24, 2010.
David (Florence)

Share This Contest
If you have family or friends who you know will love this giveaway, just click the little envelope icon at the bottom of this (or any) post to email it to a friend. And feel free to tweet away about it, too!
Risen Christ (Rome)

Rules (because we must have some)
Moses (Rome)
Please, only one comment per person per giveaway post. Duplicate comments and Anonymous comments will be discarded. Please make sure that the email address in your comment form is valid (email addresses are never public). Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Sweepstakes winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three business days will be considered such Sweepstakes winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. To enter, you must be a U.S. resident, age 18 or older. Employees, partners and vendors of The Gypsy's Guide and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. When applicable, the winner may be required to execute and return within five business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. All prizes will be awarded. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that The Gypsy's Guide reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize.
Good luck!