This morning

Yesterday this woman, that I do not know, came out of her house and gave me a catalog for an art show in Pescara last fall. It is written in Italian and pretty poor English. It was so nice of her that I went back and did a picture of her house. She and her husband were so thrilled they had us in for coffee, gave us a huge bag of green plums, and a bottle of his home made wine. Not bad for a days work.

This morning I went to finish one of my pictures and start a new one in the same place, but from a different directions. Strangely we have clouds in the morning. The light was in and out. I finished the firts pastel and did the drawing on the second without light and shadow. I gave up and headed home and all the clouds disappeared. It does not matter I have portraits and birds to do.

 Castel di Irie. Finished from photo.

Watercolor bird, 5 x 5 inches. Done from photo, obviously.

CVS Done from real life. 

Our neighbors door that I will give them as a present. I forgot to take a picture before I framed it.

I took two more photos for portraits. You can really see what a proud people Italians are when they pose. One lady really got after me for not speaking Italian after 4 years. If I knew how I would have told her I have only actually been here 6 months. Instead I will draw a wart on her nose. HA.

Market day

Total cost for this picture: 1 euro

Check out the garlic prices. I wish we could bring some back, but the drug dogs would get us.















More work in CVS.

 These buckets are filled with cement and then they are lifted up two stories to their final destination through the window the photo below.

Renovations at street level. The entire rooms have been re-stuccoed and are now perfectly smooth. It has taken a couple of weeks of constant work, stuccoing, sanding till it is perfect. That's the Italian way.

Fashion Update

After reporting on how to spot a Dane, I have noticed a disturbing melding of cultures. People I would have bet money on as Danes, turn out to be Italians in, baggy multi-pocketed, shorts, sandals, and white socks. Some even have a man-purse. However, once they start talking it is clear they are not Danish, but Italian. Are they Italians from Rome or has the Danish influence infiltrated CVS? Today I spotted an Italian in Birkenstocks!! I m afraid for the Italian culture of being well dressed no matter what the occasion. Luckily this disturbing trend does not seem to have affected Italian women, quite the contrary, Danish women now go for the “bella figura” while Italian women maintain their proud tradition of the tallest possible high heels, tight pants or dresses.

 You decide....

A new trend to watch, enormous purses that hang from the elbow with silly characters on them. I intend to find out how large such a purse can be before it pulls the shoulder out of the socket. After intensive research in the piazza I have a hypothesis: the purses are huge, but empty. I will try to get photos, although the subjects are skittish of being photographed and the full effect is only possible if the purse is actually on an arm.

On another front, we now have a piece of furniture that Victorio offered us last summer. It is mid-century modern and will be our bedroom dresser. ( our house is also mid-century modern, but a different century) First it needs a through cleaning. Ten bowls of clean water have already been required. By the time a small portion is cleaned the water looks like ink. We are very grateful for this piece of typical CVS furniture which we are repurposing from kitchen to bedroom. It probably does not take as long to clean as it does to put together a piece of IKEA furniture, however meatballs are not included.

This morning we visited Victorio at the Commune. We had a list of questions I had translated on Google. All but one were answered and we did not owe anyone any money which is a good thing. The last question could not be answered because I had forgotten what it was. Note to self: always include English with the Italian translation.
I also found out what the word piase means. (not how to spell it) It is the word for village and I hear it all the time.

I finished my pastel of Castel di Irie this afternoon. I decided it was never going to be cool enough to walk there again so I did it from a photo in my studio. I do not feel quite right about this tactic, but it sure would be nice to be able to do that instead of returning, sometimes as many as three times, to finish something.

I have started a new project: drawing my elderly friends from CVS. I took four pictures today and started one drawing. It was hilarious to see my two friends arguing over who was most photogenic. I do not know why they love me, but they do. I love them as well. One of my big worries is that I will come some summer and they will be gone. They are the first friends I made here.

Just when we thought we had managed to eat all the apricots, more arrived. Not as many this time, but there were more zucchinis. Wow it is a beautiful life where people give us furniture and food.

Jim making his 40th kill of the tiny mosquitoes that plague us. No bug bites last night.

Yesterday out Painting

 Jim heads off toward the only shade in the field. He can really spot it! That orange chair is quite a target. Church of San Francesco in the background.

 Me take one.




















Finished I think, although I made the buildings way to big. Its artist license right? No it is artist mistake. I need to read my own book.

Meanwhile we continue our vibrant social life with free concerts in the piazza Friday and Sunday night.

 The bands, even if they are TRIBUTE bands, do not snear, are really good.

An example of Danes at play. Bjarne reserved a table and we were relegated to the foreign section. Just a tip: Italian is easier than Danish and more people speak it.

 My small garden. Two kinds of basil, rosemary, two kinds of oregano,some flowers and a foot.

I was painting from here today looking down on the piazza. I was actually looking the other way, but wish I had the nerve to try this which means I will have to. Ho hum, but there are rules.

Meanwhile Angie waits and Jessie will be here in eight days!! Oh boy.

Construction

It may be a whole new CVS by next summer. There are many reconstruction jobs going on and huge trucks, cranes and cement mixers roar through the intersection at the piazza. Once someone gets their money, construction must start in one month and be completed in three. There is one little, but mighty and loud truck that carries the aggregate that they mix with the morter.

The scaffolding can take a week to build and then they cover the whole thing up so you cannot see anything. The good news is that no rocks fall on your head or car. 

The steeple has been wrapped in scaffolding since the earthquake or it would have fallen down, but the other repair is new. 

Construction right in the middle of my painting from last summer. Who planned that?

Devil machine used to carry aggregate that is mixed to make the mortar.  It is stinky and loud and always has the right of way. Up against the wall or else.

This building faces the piazza and is being worked on from both sides.

More great food!!

Roasted a chickens. A market day tradition.





Mini mural I did on our deck.



























Pastels from yesterday in the earthquake zone. It is getting super hot now so I have to find a shady spot and I have a million bug bites.

The goofy hatted artists.

 

Partee!!

After dinner we headed over to our internet hot spot. It was still daylight and we sat on the Danes’ stoop to see who had been in touch. Jim wanted to knock on the door and say hello. We went in to watch the women’s Danish and Norwegian Soccer teams. Norway was winning when we left. We came around the corner and encountered a party in progress. Oh, have some coffee, do you want whipped cream, have some cake, have a seat, have some more cake, how about some cookies, now watermelon, more cake? No? How about green plums from Castelvecchio? Water, tea, orange soda? Here take my chair, no I will get another out of house. No don’t sit there you might fall, take this spot, no, no I insist.

Twelve or more people  were gathered around a little doorway on the down hill slope of the side road. Next there were 14 as we joined the party. The generosity and graciousness of people here is amazing. The new thing I learned tonight is how to eat watermelon with a knife. The cake was delicious, the coffee was fabulous. People treated us like we belonged. It was all an amazing end to a day in CVS under the stars. At 11pm we are back home to finish up with a small lemoncello.

You will be happy to know that since that Danes have been proven the happiest people in the world for nine years, they have adopted a new flag. Don't expect to see it soon as it will take time to replace all the flags. You will also be happy to know that I, being a 1/4 Danish, won the competition for the new flag.

Vittorito Vineyard

Katie just before getting on the bus to start her journey home.

After she left we went with Bjarne to Victoritto to the vineyard where he buys his wine. It was beautiful as you can see.

 These are the large tanks for wine.

















This is an award wining vineyard that has been in the same family since 1830.

 Just a few boxes of wine. I think this was Bjarne's order.

The largest wine cast in the world. And it has wine in it.

 This vineyard has many small ( ?) cellars and vineyards all around because they have grown slowly and organically over time.

 Little sign tells what kind of wine is in the cask.

 Another view.














I liked these plates: spring: primavera,
summer: estate
fall: autunno
winter: inverno
Look who is hauling in the wine.

Shoes of the day:

ok, they were in a store, so they are not on the streets yet, but I bet they will be.

Summer

Summer started today. People are able to go about without sweaters or scarves wrapped over their heads. Perhaps they will be able to take the blankets off their beds. Now that summer is here full blast people may wonder what they were so worried about. Up till now they have visited lakes or the beach, but they have not gone swimming. Too cold! Now the time has come. It is 34 today and will get hotter all through the weekend. Maybe our clothes will dry in less than two days. I am not that excited about being hot. I am excited about Jessie coming. We changed our hotel in Roma to one closer to the airport and by the beach at Fiumicina. I think we will like that better.

Jim making french fries and onion rings. 

 Katie anticipating dinner.

The pastel I did yesterday afternoon. I am discouraged today about my work. These things happen. I am thinking, "isn't it great I have this wonderful hobby? Why did I think I could make money or be a great artist?" I think that maybe one cannot overcome a lack of talent with hard work. Sorry to everyone I lied to about that, but I really thought it was true. (Now is when you say things to make me feel better, but I won't believe you so don't bother) Probably I will feel better tomorrow. I am not going to stop paintings so what difference does it make?

Bye, Katie

Last day with Katie here. We walked to Gagliano Aterno and visited our friends and the gallery were our work is. Then we got a ride home in the Alpha. Not bad. We will miss Katie. It has been a lot of fun.

 This is a truck full of grain havested today. It is spilling into a large bin behind the truck and then the blue tube is sucking it up and shooting it down to the mill. Tomorrow it will be flour on the shelves.

 Another beautiful sunset that we could not resist. The picture pales by comparision.

Finished pastel in CVS. 

Jim's painting of CdI.

Alternative shoes styles.