Dora and the Pigeons - Part 1 (Venice, Italy, October 1989)

Where were this kid's parents?????????

When Dora was very small, she usually answered the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" question, "A bird." We always assumed she was being funny, but we were never quite sure.

Anyway, all over the world her irresponsible parents risked her getting meningitis and who knows what else. She really, really wanted to feed the pigeons. Here we are in Venice on our first Italian trip during the year we lived in Brussels. These pigeons are in Piazza San Marco, which is on my short-list of the most wonderful places I've ever been.

Sadly (I guess), the woman selling bird feed in the background of the first picture must now be unemployed. Venice has outlawed the whole pigeon-feeding thing.

From Dora: Remembering Grandpa

This is a post from our new guest/co-blogger, Dora Fisher.

It has been 50 days since my grandfather, Harry E. Fisher, passed away. As time moves on there are some wonderful things that stand out in my mind about him that I would like to share.

My grandfather loved his wife, my grandmother. He was not a particularly expressive person, but you can see it in how his face is so much softer and happier in every photo with her. This is one of my favorites:


My grandfather and I shared an obsession with dark chocolate. Now, every time I open my freezer and see our stash sitting there-- keeping it frozen was a trick I learned from grandpa-- I think of him. When I was a little girl, I loved visiting my grandparents over school breaks. My grandpa and I would eat dark chocolate together and watch movies.

Rockefeller Center (NY, NY, about 1980)

Dora & Norman's Visit to Asheville (Asheville, NC, July 2009)

Norman has posted a nice set of pictures from his and Dora's visit to Asheville. Without permission, here's a nice one--click on the picture for the full slideshow.