Artists in Italy: JULY 27 Goat avalanche

Yeserday afternoon about 4pm we went out painting along the path from the catacombs to the Fountain of St. Agatha. This is a beautiful path made with 1000s of paving stones that is mostly used as a goat highway. Once there were lights along it, but many of those are broken and I don’t think the others light up. There is a large round basin that would make an excellent wading pool, but the water is turned off. So this venture was a fail in terms of a tourist attraction. The goats are very happy with the arrangement. Once again I forgot my camera. Let me repeat I need an iPhone 6. I am going to be 60 on my birthday it is on Dec 6. The planets have aligned. People! Pay attention. This is meant to be.

So I missed the great shot of the tide of goats headed toward us on the path as we were headed home. Seeing the really large horns and the fact that they took up the entire path led us to chose jumping over the railing into the field and letting the goats have the right of way.

We have seen this goat header before, but not in a couple of years. He has the scariest dog ever with a giant leather mussel. He also had a small boy carrying a big stick to help him. After the goats passed in a stampede of Naaahhahahas and a large addition of goat poop to the path I turned around and one small goat, but with horns, was left with us. Jim tried to get the shepherd to stop by using American words, that did not really work, but finally the small boy returned, grabbed the goat by the horn and made off with it. It was such a cute picture until he kicked the goat and then I quit looking.

While we were eating pizza at the pizza restaurant, the goats were back. They were outside the window standing on hind legs stripping leaves from small trees. The pizza was excellent. After that we stopped by our neighbour’s house to see when they could come to dinner. This was a wise move prompted by the delicious baking smells coming from their house in the afternoon. Yes there were cookies. Who cares if I had just eaten 3/4 of a piazza. It would be rude to refuse a cookie or two and to not take home a bag of them.

This morning it was off to finish the downtown painting from Cat Piss Alley. Luckily I gave up early before the smell was too extreme and I finished it at home with a ruler. Usually when people tell me they can’t be an artist, because they cannot draw a straight line, I tell them I never draw straight lines anyway and that that is no excuse. Well, after today I can say that one must be able to draw a straight line or not care. This picture had more straight lines than I have done all year and believe me I am glad it is done!