Artists in Italy: Traveling

nally we are sitting on our terrace overlooking the beyond beautiful Sirente mountains and the Subequo Valley.

It was a hard and long trip to get here, but already it is hard to remember. Many modes of transportation were involved.

Montpelier Train Station

Amtrak

Amtrak was not running so we took a bus to Springfield Ma and then changed to the train. The tracks are up several flights of stairs. It was not an improvement. In Hartford we changed to an electric train. Once we arrived in NYC we took an elevator to the station level. it was obvious that we were nearing NYC because of the increasing amounts of trash along the tracks, but so far it was a relaxing trip. This all changed at Penn station. We took a tiny elevator up to the station level and were confronted with 100s or 1000s of people going the opposite direction as us. Only one woman was going our way and I positioned myself behind her with Jim behind me. People are running, texting, welding brief cases and the steely eyes of business men as weapons. The world is a rushing roaring river pouring over us in a tiny hallway underground with exposed pipes and electrical line in the cieling—welcome to the downtown 7th avenue line. Jim had to head butt one guy.. We were wide eyed deer swimming upstream. Brookly, Atlantic Ave. Still agains the flow we pop up into the fresh air of Park Slope.

Dinner and the night spent with the friends that introduced us. They have a new shower that makes you want to rip your clothes off and jump in. Now we want one too.

Breakfast with Ed, Ruth and Susan:
crepes and cupcakes.

You can see how excited they are or maybe the just ate too much. Now the air is heavy with humidity that had increased overnight. By the time we arrive at the Alantic Ave LIRR we are away in sweat. The sweetness of sittin in an air conditioned car held together with duct tape. Two weeks from his 21st birthday we meet a man on the train with Down syndrome. He has a yam aka and a prayer shawl around his waist. David and Jim joked and talked until we changed to the airtrain. A good for our trip and the stamp of approval from Annie. After that it was airports and waiting.