IKEA Road Trip

Yesterday we went to IKEA!! Karin, Bjarne, Jim and I left after the Friday market: the only reason to visit Roma, although probably not high on most tourist lists. We went over the mountains across the valley from us by the windmills. They are so beautiful: Caldor mobiles appearing and disappearing over the horizon, casting long moving shadows. What is not to like?? It was our lucky day. We got two Pello chairs. (like Paong only half the price, more metal less wood) Finally, comfortable chairs. We got plastic containers to keep food in the fridge, (more than one kind of granita at a time), more frames and two lights for our guests to be able to read in bed. Oh right, no more guests this year. Next year someone will be able to read in bed, I hope. We had meatballs for lunch and it was self serve lingonberry sauce. Mmmm. Lingonberry and meatballs. 

Karin & Bjarne

Toilet flusher at IKEA...big water, little water

We went to Avazano to get Bjarne a new pool for his deck.  Avazano is a common place for people to take a bus from Roma and then have a friend pick them up.  It is a big town, 12,000 people or so, with all the traffic and shopping opportunities that implies. It reminded me of the outskirts of San Sepolcro in Tuscano. There was a giant store, Obi, like home depot, complete with the orange color. They had wood stoves and ceiling fans and lots of other stuff the local hardware store cannot stock.

 It was pretty exciting, but I am glad we don’t live in such a big town or have so many places like that to shop. There is no choice for us, but to support local business. We went over the mountains a way Jim and I had not been before. We went east or west of Mt. Sirento instead of west or east. It is confusing, because the road twists around so many hairpin curves. We went close to the big, square, castel we can see from the highway from Roma. I want to stop and look at it next time.  We had an amazing view of Rocca de Mezza with the Conolla Grande (giant ice cream 


cone) mountain in the background. Beside Mt. Etna, this is the largest mountain south of the Alps. It is where the Italians imprisoned Mussolini. Hitler rescued him from there. I took some photos, but they are pathetic in showing the amazing grandeur of the scene. We stopped for caffe, which was great. It is so nice to not have to know the best coffee place. There are some that are better or have more ambiance, but they are all better than we are used to. It was a most satisfactory day. 

Ikea swagg

PELLO Chair & Pillow with a BIRD on it

Last night, while interneting, we ran into the Mayor and he asked us to have our paintings in the Castelvecchio celebrations in August. We said ok, va bene, whatever. (MA NO, we said, “Si, perfecto!!) We had been hoping someone would ask. Now we need to find out from whom we can get the details. He also wanted to know when we would get our residency like the Danes. That was also exciting. If we had residency we could be here longer than 90 days, own a car and pay less property tax, but it is harder for Americans than Europeans. We have no pension and no health care to transfer to Italy. Both sets of our Danish friends had been coming five years before they decided to change their residency. This will be their first complete year here. We will wait for their report of the winter. It may be too lonely. It is certainly the talk of the town that the DANES have decided to get residency. People are proud. So far, there has been no summer in Denmark, so it is surprising more Danes aren’t here. I think there are three couples in Castelvecchio at the moment. I saw one of the women way up by the ruins in her bikini. That was surprising, but so Danish. I do not expect to see Italian women in their bikinis except at the beach. If you are a widow do you also wear a black swim suit? Mine is black but it does have pink spots. Mine is the only one piece on the beach. 

Started

Not finished

Today I was painting in Vilma and Gioni’s tiny courtyard. Jim was up around the corner. Vilma brought out caffe for both of us and delivered Jim’s to him. They are the people with the amazing hacienda like house. Jim said it was his favorite painting place where beautiful women bring him coffee. Two walls of the courtyard are part of one of the destroyed castels. He has used scaffolding to prop up the walls. I had thought I knew what I wanted to paint, but Jim got me to turn around and look the other way and it was a great scene. I had brought a skinny piece of paper and it was just right, although how I will frame it, I do not know.  

Tonight I am going with Regina, she is picking me up at 5pm, to the Wayne University of Detroit’s opening ceremony for their summer school in Gagliano. At first I said no, but then I thought why would I do that? So I said yes. She is going to drive from Gagliano in her car to pick me up. Jim stuck with no. Last year we went to the closing ceremony and it went on for HOURS and it was so BORING. Speeches and more speeches thanking everyone over and over. But hey, never say no. Surely it can’t go past 9pm, because people have to eat dinner. I will take my sketch pad.