too busy!!

Aug 19

Friday
I am behind! Jim has been using my computer to try to get internet at our house. He had it for a moment, but in trying to make it better lost it. My MacBook air is a big problem because it only has usb ports. I would not buy one again. To use the router the first time you need an ethernet port and I don’t have one. We are borrowing an old IBM. You can guess how we love that. We spent most of the day waiting for a tex guy who neither came nor called. I do not know where that stands at this point.

We went downtown at 9:30 for we did not really know what, but since you never know, why not. Just as we sat down they turned off the lights. We were so excited that we not have to wait for a 10 pm start time, but you know we did. The lights came back on and about 12 people were thanked and stood up. Each one started to talk! This is great the way people are appreciated for their work. Luckily only a few talked and then the mic was handed to the mayor. Now we know that he speaks last.

Some guys had made an iMovie about the renovation of the soccer field. It included some of the pictures of the earthquake. It is very hard to remember what these people have been through and not too long ago. The movie was hard because it was all about boys. Girls do not play soccer here. At the end of the film Folk Sirente sang along to pictures of people from Castelvecchio from the past. That was so interesting. I kept seeing people that could have been my grandmother or mother, even though neither were Italian, but the styles were so the same. We have some great pictures of this family in our house that I think I will give to the commune.

Saturday
I started a painting in the morning on a stairway landing overlooking Via Roma. The traffic was intense. There were so many people and for the first time I heard people honking in anger. It was as if 10,000 people from Boston desended on Montpelier. At the main intersection in town there would be no light, East State street would be one way and cars or trucks would be wide enough to scrape the houses not the way up. People would have no interest in the one way sign and would sometimes have to back up into the intersection. People walking would do so at their own risk. A tractor might park in the intersection while the driver ran into LaBrioche. And the people from Boston would lay on their horns totally improving the situation. Then there was the wedding. A giant truck was parked directly in front of the door to the church. The vegetable truck was across the street blaring music with occasional bursts of un-intelligible rants about the types of vegetables for sale. A day in the life. I was very happy with the start of my painting and I enjoyed being above everyone. Most people did not even see me.

At 4pm I started my class with a pastel demo of a still life. That went well and people seemed pleased. Then back to the piazza for a 9;30 (sic) concert. It was great. Sort of gypsy rock and roll. They guys looked like they were having a great time. We had to leave early, 11pm, because I was so tired.

Now I am off to teach my first full day of class!!