Jessie is here!! Day 1

At the airport

Trying to sleep

First dinner

On the way to grocery store

First gelato

Buying some cheese and pig legs

Perfect view

more perfect view

7th annual Dane party

At the party

some of the food at the party

Visit to Castello, Gagliano Aterno

This was the third day that we left home and returned hours later than expected.

Woman who could speak about the Castello for one hour without breathing.






This is inside the castello that we have painted from the outside many times. It is in private hands and is hardly ever open. As part of this weekend's festivities we got to go in after we paid the price of a one hour talk we could not understand.

 These are some of the views out of the 60 pictures I took. I think over a 1000 pictures were probably taken by people on the tour.

Draw bridge.

 We have painted these windows many times from the outside.

 Cool crest painting.

Super huge chandler.

Looking down from second floor.

Book shelf decoration designed to discourage reading, especially among children.

 

Wild Boar for Lise.

On the way out.

 Jeneane & Jim pretend to be rich residence of the castle along with Sophia Lorene's sister.

Jim and Jeneane in their real role as visitors to the home of the rich and famous.

Obviously shoes designed for walking around in a castle.

This t shirt is probably accurate.

Last three days

The last three days we have left home, thinking we would be back early only to return hours and hours later than expected. Here are some of the things we did.

 Wine tasting...one hour, turned out to be two.

Delicious sandwich.

Great concert, the neighbor's daughter is in the middle. 

Second of four folk groups preforming.

Day 2:
Largest traffic jam possible in piazza.

How one day can be a week

First: get up and have first and second breakfast at home
Second: Get a ride from Ralph to Gagliano
Third: wait about one hour for the procession to start

Waiting

Forth: walk from Gagliano to Castelvecchio

On the walk. Beautiful as you can see. We made a stop at this little church. We could not go in, and I do not know why we stopped. I suspect photo op. The American flag is carried by college students from Detroit. Next is the European Union flag and the Italian flag. Luckily most people wore hats and had water so I fit right in, sort of.

Fifth: Go to Mass. Sorry, but I could not figure out how to upload the video. The music was beautiful.

Sixth: Go home, eat lunch and take a little nap.

Seventh: Meet Bjarne at 4:30 and take painting up to the piazza for art show. Get there early and have to be told to slow down.

 It all worked out fine. We took a lot of extra stuff, like wire, wire cutters, fun tack and double sided tape. Bjarne took what they told him: nails and a hammer, but we could not use those at all.

It was windy at the start and a little nerve wracking. Jim posing looking serene and confident.

Bjarne's work that he did this winter on his own after a one week class with me. People loved figuring out where places were.

Hey, it is my blog so I get to have the biggest picture.

It was all good till they told us we had to stay till midnight.

Artists milling around a lone.

Eighth: go home and eat a little dinner. Come back.

Ninth: A man from Rome took me to hear the choir practice. It was completely amazing and in a building I had always wondered about.

This was the most amazing rendition of "kumbyya" that I have ever heard and I have heard that dirge a lot. (I have sung it to)








Tenth: come back and sit for two more hours.

 Dramatic lightening on the Church of San Francesco.

An unfortunate choice of color.
















Eleventh: take paintings home and go to bed. When I mentioned to Jim this was the same day I walked from Gagliano he could not believe it.

Somewhere in there I finished these two paintings.

Portrait of Victoio requested by him. Done in mono-tone watercolor.

5 x 5 Cedar Wax Wing done in Watercolor.



And that is how a day can last a week and why I am going to take a nap right now at 10:40 after going to market and writing this blog.

Fashion disaster

It is 6:18 and still two hours and 12 minutes before dinner. There is plenty of time to get so much done before then. But right now I want to talk about fashion or rather the lack there of. I have decided that after three years I have some pants that even an artist should not wear in public.

The first pair is so big they can be pulled right down to the ground at any moment. They are covered in lose threads and have several spots of paint in embarrassing places. 
(The model is turned away to protect her identity. Honestly, would you want to be seen like this? I had to pay her a lot of money)

My second pair of pants suffers from Baggy Butt Syndrome, BBS, please give generously to help end this devastating condition. In the second photo our model has tried to pull them up tight to give a more “Italian” look, but do you think it is working?

I got this green pair of capris at a thrift store for $1.50. For that price I though it didn’t matter if they fit or not. Well, I was wrong. $1.50 is too much to pay for a pair of pants that are too big and are always inside out. What is up with that?

Lastly my Holly Hobby look. My model said no way was she wearing that for any amount of money. Please note how much a smile changes a before and after photo. In the first photo I do have the dress on backwards, but how much difference could that make?

In the after photo I have added the demure, yet perky, jacket that makes this suitable for church. Only $4.00 at my favorite thrift store. I do wish I had washed it, because it still has a slightly strange odor.





Beyond hilarious is that I am getting a ride to the San Francesco walk across the valley in an Alpha Romeo. Hey if San Francesco had had one he would not have walked. There is two and a half hours planned for this 30 minute at most walk. I am praying we do not have to do it on our knees, because, as previously mentioned, there are stickers everywhere. I also hope they will not be handing out those dark brown robes with rope belts. I especially hope there will be no self flagellation, as there is on these walkabouts in New Mexico. And if self flagellation is on the menu, then I am going for coffee. Sadly for everyone else I will be wearing a goofy hat. Not only does the sun hurt my eyes, but my dad would have worn a goofy hat and San Francesco was his favorite saint. So, Mebs, I am taking the fashion bullet for you. Hey, love you man.