Glorious full moon

But I have no picture. Last summer I tried taking pictures of the moon over the lake, but the results were disappointing.

Just imagine a large white moon, about halfway up the sky, free of the clouds for the time being, but lighting the ones nearby.

It's a spring moon, though the weather continues to be "winter with flowers." Everything bloomed early because of mild temperatures earlier in the year, but now we've had an almost normal quota of chill rainy days.

The blog is about to shift into travel mode, as Leah and I leave for points European next week. A friend we're joining later in the trip left today for Paris, and I'm wondering if she will run across any of this action.

Off to the Gala

Guests invited to a village wedding in Transylvania must wait until the groom, his friends - and the band - arrive to lead them to the church.

Tonight guests at our Partner Church gala won't be ushered in by a band, but they will see an authentic Transylvanian wedding costume (modeled by a willowy dressmaker's mannequin.) Through a long chain of circumstance, our Partner Church Committee received the wedding dress a number of years ago. It was assembled in the 1920's by an expatriate who wanted a costume for his daughters, and it was one of the daughters, then in her 80's, who gave it to us.

Transylvanian wedding costumes are made up of many pieces. The basics are a plain white long-sleeved blouse and full skirt. Embroidered bands of varying widths go around the neck, the wrists and the waist, and the bride wears not one but two aprons. The costume is finished off with a crown head-dress, trimmed in dangling ribbons.

Every stitch of the costume is made by hand. Ours has deep rows of dark-red silk lace, like that trimming the apron in the picture. It's beautiful work that now is almost a lost art.

Happy Easter - a little late

Drat! I started a post last week, saved it, then went on to other things. When I heard someone say "Happy belated Easter" yesterday, it seemed OK to revert & update.

So here's the belated Easter greeting. Although you can't tell from the picture (there's a reason to pose a person next to an object, and it's called scale!) this garish Easter egg is at least 7 feet tall.

It lives on an island in Snagov Lake, near Bucharest, a gift from a well-meaning group perhaps hoping to brighten the day for the lone priest who lives on the island.

The egg is like many things in Romania - too bright, too big, entirely out of proportion. Like the rest of Eastern Europe, Romania has jumped a long way in the past 20 years, and travelers are often reminded of the length of the jump. (And yes, some of my favorite places are IN Romania. It's that kind of country.)

The other picture is to remind myself (and anyone else who loves Japanese prints) that at long last an exhibition is on view at SAAM, thanks to a fine collection given or promised to the museum. If you love these prints (so influential in 19th-century Western art) go see the show!

The weather has reverted to winter, not surprising after our amazingly early spring. Question now is, "What's next?" (Snow level at 300 feet this weekend.)