Sunday, July 1, 2012

Memories

 Dinner last night...burgers and fries.
 Bella missing her owners.




These are some drawings I did last year. I did a lot of drawings when it was hot, but I don't think I ever posted any....time in a bottle.


 These are three drawings I did last year while waiting for a friend to pick me up. She was super late which is uncharacteristic for most Italians I know.





These pictures show the walk to the coffee place. 



The end of the trail is in site. Morning coffee in the orange chairs.


This is my finished painting from Friday. At least I hope it is finished.







Last night's tractor jam at the Roman Fountain and
rocks I picked up last year at the Adriatic. 












Painting in progress.



Saturday, June 30, 2012

House Guest!!

Finally we have company. Bella has come to stay for three days. She is so little compared to Angie. She comes with a TV, internet connection, a beautifully appointed Danish home and an IKEA catalog.

Today I have done nothing. I did not even walk downtown. There are some nasty, invisible, bugs here. I think, just a theory, that people who live here are immune to their bites. I have never seen one, but suddenly I will have a bite on the end of my nose or my arm, etc. Last night I noticed that one had bit me on my eye brow. This morning my eye was swollen shut. It didn't hurt, but I could hardly open it. I put ice on it and it is much better, but at one o'clock it still is over sized. Now no one will come visit us since I have told the truth about these bugs. I wanted to go to the pharmacy, but Jim said it would be too expensive. We brought hydro cortisone cream with us, but I wish I had some antihistamine pills as well.

Italian flags are flying all over town in anticipation of the game against Spain on Sunday. Viva Italia!!

We had dramatic storms yesterday afternoon. We could see the rain across the valley moving slowly over the mountains. It was raining so hard and the line of rain was so consistent that we could see it bouncing up along the edges as it reached each new hill. The lightening was hitting the mountains about two miles away. Behind us, out of sight, the lightening and thunder were simultaneous.  At the same time, from the east, a storm was overtaking Castel di Iere. (I think I am finally spelling it correctly. I depend on Gregor.) We could see the line of rain coming over the fields toward the storm that was moving in from the west. Rows of trees would be standing out in sharp contrast only to be consumed by the rain and disappear behind its curtain. It is unclear to me how three storms can converge from three different directions, but there you have it. Rain has gone up from its statis as an Italian word you do not need to know. (pioggio)



Here is another view of our house. We are just to the right of the melon colored house. Are house did not look so bad before they painted. The white car belongs to our neighbors. Just to the right of the lamp post is the first floor garage with the mercedes (not ours') Our door to the right of that, the second floor little balcony with French doors that opens in to the kitchen, and the third floor terrace. The next window to the right is our bathroom window. Just above our roof line you can see a tiny bit of the roof that covers all our house except the terrace. This is the house that all the water leaked from when their pipes broke. All the scaffolding you see in the upper left is around the church and other areas damaged in the earthquake in L'Aquila six years ago.
In this picture, of indeterminate age,  you can see our house just above the man on the left, behind the pile of rubble. There is no roof on the terrace and I assume no bathroom.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Viva Italia!


Although expected to lose, Italy pulled off an almost flawless game against Germany in the EUFA 2012 semi-finals. (Ok Germany got three penalty kicks and four minutes of penalty time at the end of the game, but the score was still 2-1 for Italy) It feels like we are at the world Quiditch cup! Once again we were in the piazza. The screen situation was new and improved. Last game must have been the first time they projected on the wall. A sheet had been procured complete with sleeves for a piece of wood across the top and bottom. This sheet was attached to the underside of the usual tent that is there with plastic strips. The bottom of the sheet was attached to the decking with expensive rope. The projector enjoyed a new mounting at the top of the other side of the tent. It all was amazing and perfectly done, until a kid pulled the plug out of the wall across the piazza. Luckily nothing happened during the time the screen was dark. Porcetta sandwiches were available, but I had gelato. The finals will be Sunday at noon, so no watching in the piazza. Luckily we are dog sitting over the weekend and the dog has a flat screen TV with satellite reception. But nothing could ever be as fun as watching the games in the piazza.

Winds coming up from Africa will make the heat fierce again this week until Tuesday. (I love the way that sounds, but I do not love the effect) In the meantime three thunderstorms collided directly over our heads today. We could see the rain moving across the mountains from two different storms and the storm behind us was producing simultaneous thunder and lightening. Rain is no longer a word you do not need to know in CVS. After two weeks, at least, it has rained. The air is moist and smells of wet hay.

 This is today's efforts. Step 1: Drawing, step 2: Lay-in, step 3: 2nd lay-in

I am not showing you the picture of the real place because my drawing is so off. It might not look like too much, but it is really hard.

This morning was market and after that we went up into the cool earthquake zone behind us to start paintings. I am on my quest for arches. I have made progress on my two Italian language goals:
1. I can sometimes know what time people are talking about  can express what time I mean and
2. I can usually tell how much something costs if the price is said to me. Today I was stunned by a food processor, ice cream maker, bread kneader, you name it, all in one machine on sale for 999E. I don’t think this woman is going to sell any. We do not have enough electricity in our house to even run one. I think the way it works is that our house has a certain amount of electricity coming into it. If we buy something like a washer-dryer or an electric stove we will have to ask for more. This is a theory.







Today's  picture of clouds.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

geography 101 Italy



 It has come to my attention in several ways this week that people may need a little geography lesson about Abruzzo. The name for Italy in English is not Tuscany. It isn't even Tuscany in Italy. It is Tuscano. At the top is the map of Abruzzo. Our town is under the first Z in Aburzzi. Abruzzi is the plural of Abruzzo and it did used to be called the Abruzzi, because there are four regions. We live in L'Aquila: eagle, area. Abruzzo is bordered on the east by the Adriatic ocean and on the west by the province, Lazio that contains Roma.

Below is the map of Italy compared to the states of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. It has been mentioned that we are not in Kansas anymore, but on this map I think we might be.



More fun facts:

If you lived in Italy rather than the United States, you would:
use 56.56% less electricity
consume 55.11% less oil
have 42.08% fewer children
make 34.7% less money
spend 60.84% less on health care
have 19.35% less chance of being unemployed
have 11.89% less chance of dying in infancy
live 2.09 years longer
experience 28.89% less of a economic class divide

retrieved from
http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/IT
June 28, 2012

Great painting day!

 The Italian Hammock
Jim focused on his drawing from Castel d Iire.















Drawing and step one of today's new pastel of the church in Castel d Iire.




















Finished pastel that I started yesterday. Unfortunately I see two mistakes that I will fix. See if you can find them, because I am not telling. I have also been working on my book on pastels. I have done a lot, specifically I have started captioning all the demo sequence photos I have taken of works in progress.



Today's Nice Views!
Top is from Castel d Iire. You can see the round part of the church that is in the pastel above and the the church tower from the pastel that is just started.

This is one of the wheat fields on the way back toward CVS.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Ho hum, just another day....

Italian friend
We had to spend a day recovering from that festivale!! Now we are back on track. We got up pretty early, before 9am and walked to Castel d Iire. The bus did not pick us up, but it is only 2 km. Just a typical day, painted, had coffee, walked home, down hill all the way, had lunch, took a nap and now I am lurking outside the Dane's home. 
Italian friend

Danish Friends

View of the valley

Sunset from our terrace

This morning's pastel step 1

Castel d Irie...morning painting spot

Roses for Deborah

More roses

Walking home from Castel d Iire

Pastel at the end of the morning, but not finished