The End is Near

How we look in Italy

House for sale in CVS.....expensive but big enough to share


Places we were today...

Goriano Sicoli

Reanno

Goriano Valle

What are you guys going to do with yourselves without my blog to read? I could tell you what Jim cooks for dinner everyday. Yesterday we went up to Gagliano to do paintings for our Italian gallery. It is located in Gagliano and the owner thought those pictures would sell best. We left her three each in frames we had purchased from Ikea. (eekayah) From there we drove up to Rocca di Messa, (where the movie La Strada was filmed) the nearby ski area. It was a lot like being in Aspen. It was market day, but a very different type of market than we are used to. There were many antique vendors, materials from the Ukraine, toys from Africa, pottery from Italy, and fur hats, real fur, and coats. We could not figure out where to eat and it was getting perilously close to closing time at 1 p.m. We went to a grocery store and got bread and cheese: a classic. Jim had bought a knife at a hardware store so we were all set for lunch on a boulevard (La Strada) bench. After that we had Gelato. It is our mission to try as many gelato places as possible. So far they have all been good. We have saved all our plastic gelato spoons so we know exactly how many we have eaten. We haven’t counted them yet.

Today we took the grand tour of the Subequo and other valleys. We started in Giorno Valle at the real farmers market. They did not have much and we can’t really buy any food now anyway. Raspberries are in and there was homemade olive oil, many lavender products, cheeses, honey and homemade wine. Only real farmers can participate. Next we went to the market at Reanno. (I am spelling that different every time.) Reanno has a long tree lined street and the market was set up under the trees. It was our last market this year. The smell of the fruits and vegetables was so strong. Peaches are the main item right now and pears. Oh and the amazing watermelon.

We dropped by the neighbors to say good by and give them a key to our house. I wrote them a letter, by myself, no computer to help, to try to tell them what it has meant to us to have such good friends and neighbors. I even read it to them, and yet, they still had that what the heck is she saying look on their faces, but they can re-read it later. We had quite a few laughs about how they speak to me in Italian and then I tell Jim in English. Then I told them about Annie. I had not told them before, because I did not know they would become such close friends. I wanted them to know how much they had helped us in trying to create a new life for ourselves. Of course there was crying all around, well just me really. Enrica got a set of teacups out of her cabinet and wrapped them up for me to take home. They were a gift from her daughter. I hope her daughter sees this as, “my mom loved those so much she gave them to her friend.” I hope Italian daughter’s feel differently about these things than I would. Enrica had just taken a cake out of the oven and tried to give us all of it. We managed to only take 1/2. It was chocolate, almonds and cherry. She is a great baker. I admit, I was hoping there would be cake at their house, because Italians are required to feed you if you come over. What I didn’t expect was that we have so much cake here that we will have to eat it every meal and probably on the plane.

We have made genuine friends here. It is yet another place we can call home. I am on the terrace watching my next to last Castelvecchio sunset. The sun is behind the mountains to the west, but still illuminates the mountains in the east behind Castel d Irie. Overhead, clouds lit pink and maroon with purple shadows, skim across the cerulean blue sky. The newly painted orange house glows florescent in the dusk. 8 p.m. and the sun has set. A farmer is pumping water with a tinny sounding generator. The last few nights have been cool with a hint of autumn, although there is no such hint in the days and no rain for four weeks. The earth has turned around again and soon it will be five years since we lost our Annie. We will be back in her home, Vermont. Jessie is in Boston and says she loves her newly renovated apartment and roommates. She got to be with Karnnadda this summer and we got to be with Flaminia and family. Hopefully we will all be fortified to start another circle with out our precious Annie.