16 April 26

Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15 April, 1452, 574 years ago yesterday! He painted the Mona Lisa between 1503 and 1519. Of all my ties I'm guessing he would choose this one for me to wear in his honor.

14 April 24

I'm letting Mona Lisa smile enigmatically to honor the birthday tomorrow (on 15 April 1452) of Leonardo Da Vinci. And I'll mention the birthday anniversary a few days ago of Papa Dave Tennill, father of our amazing daughter-in-law Courtney. He gave me this shirt with the logo from his geothermal installation company WaterFurnace® (because he gave up wearing ties when he retired).

14-15 April 23

I'm smiling more broadly than Mona Lisa, to honor the birthday (on 15 April) of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

15 April 22

Mona Lisa is smiling enigmatically (as always) about Leonardo da Vinci's 570th birthday (1452-1519).

15 April 21

 Leonardo da Vinci was born on this date 569 years ago! Can you guess where?

21 August 20

 On this day in Mona Lisa History: In 1911, an Italian thief named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. It was recovered two years later. Peruggia intended to return the painting to Italy. An interesting side note is that the police questioned Pablo Picasso about this theft, because he was a friend of the initial suspect, another artist in Paris.

 

8 November 19

I'm (still) attending the annual NCHC conference in New Orleans. Today, Mona Lisa is with me, to help demonstrate the use of virtual tours and wikis for classroom teaching. Her appearance is timely as news reports suggest that she may be taken off display at the Louvre because crowd pressure makes it impossible to view her well. By contrast, the virtual tour from the museum lets you view her "up close and personal," at full size or zoomed in for detail. Virtual tours are like Google Street View for almost any location or topic, from exploring the solar system to the history of the Roman Empire and to the microscopic details of the human inner ear.

21 August 19

On this day in Mona Lisa History: In 1911, an Italian thief named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. It was recovered two years later. Peruggia intended to return the painting to Italy. An interesting side note is that the police questioned Pablo Picasso about this theft, because he was a friend of the initial suspect, another artist in Paris.

15 April 19

I'm wearing my Mona Lisa tie to honor the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Also today in my Beginning Philosophy class we are discussing "The Prince," written by Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). It's a great day for famous Italian Renaissance people!

14 June 18

For "Flag Day," I've draped myself with flags from all over the world. If you're a fan of The Big Bang Theory, I hope you will celebrate with some episodes of Sheldon's "Fun With Flags" blog. My centerpiece tie honors the birthday (tomorrow) of Lisa del Giocondo (1479-1542), the model for Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting.

15 April 18

This is my latest "wearable art." Today marks the 564th birthday of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The Mona Lisa is believed to have been painted in the years 1503-1506.