July 28

Jessie and Gina have been married one month!

I did go painting last evening and this morning after market. I have not uploaded my pictures. Yes, I know, boring. This afternoon I have painting our bedroom after this year's water damage from the upstairs neighbours leaking hot water heater. Somehow it is my problem, not theirs. It was actually quite easy. Jim did the plastering using a stone from the beach and a styrofoam meat container. It looks quite in keeping with the style of our house which is appalling to all Italians. They are pretty much sick of old stuff and our walls have that aged quality.

A lot of people have been arriving for August. The evidence is women cleaning everywhere. They are cleaning all the louvers on the shutters, they are mopping floors over and over and letting the water run down the street, they are sweeping the street in front of their houses and airing out the bedding over the railing. This is not how we return to our house in Castelvecchio. We go for coffee.

I was pretty appalled when I moved the bed today to paint the wall behind it. Once again the dust of the ages. I was not appalled enough to clean like an Italian house wife. Our style is if you can't see it or you can't tell it doesn't matter. We do not have to worry about keeping up with the Salutari's we are mere Americans who do not keep our houses very clean. Nobody else gets as many paintings done!

The other evidence is that the out of towners do not seem to care where they put trash or recycling. It is super annoying to see trash in the cardboard or non-plastic items in the plastic. Who do they think is going to take care of this for them. Obviously they do not think, do not care or to be charitable, do not know. But, honestly we have had recycling for years here. There is no excuse. If foreigners can do it so can Romans.

Jim did a great drawing of the church last night. He sat at the coffee place. Jim knows how to do these things. Where was I? Up cat piss alley. He said many people were enthralled to see him working. Tomorrow you will see pictures. I promise.

Altarpiece from San Elizabet with poly chrome additions

Altarpiece from San Elizabet with poly chrome additions