Monday, April 26, 2010

People Watching


We will be leaving Assisi on the 29th - taking the train to Venice. Wanted to capture some images today to help me remember the people here. Many are tourists, but even most tourists are Italians traveling with their families to this special place. The language is full of life as are the people who live here -walking, riding bikes or scooters - lots of cars zipping through the crowds on tight, narrow streets. You get used to ducking into a shop doorway to keep from getting hit. When business is slow, the shop keepers often sit in chairs outside to read or sew or visit with their neighbors. I was walking toward the Basilica of San Francesco following a postal deliveryman (he was smoking a cigarette). On the way back up the same street, a woman stepped out her door to look at the mail she had just received. There's an image of school children on the steps of Santa Chiara having their packed lunches. Probably on a field trip. It's quite normal for the local women here to dress very stylishly and to wear high heeled shoes. It amazes me since the streets are so hilly and uneven. The styles are often flamboyant - glittery, metallic colors on shoes and belts. When in Church here you can tell this is not Placerville!







































































Friday, April 23, 2010

Links and Reviews of Sites I Like

Just added a page to the blog with a few of the sites I think might be of interest to some of you. I'll be continuing to add to the list. A day of continual rain in Assisi - many colorful umbrellas, birds contimuing to sing despite the weather, anticipation of the sun's return and more growth from the rain! A good day for knitting. I completed a facecloth yesterday for John and am continuing to work on the drop-stitch scarf and a linen table runner. Also completed the pieces for a baby sweater that will have to wait to be finished until I get home and get the ball of yarn that is being held for me at my local yarn shop. Am reading a novel on my iphone kindle by Tom Rachman called The Imperfectionists. Seems to get better with each chapter. I'm reading slowly so I won't finish too quickly. Peace be with you!





















Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Peace

Away from home, without a car or a long list of "things" to do, it's easier to be outdoors walking in all kinds of weather. Just breathing it all in. Rain, the wind, scents of food cooking and flowers blooming. Listening to bird song and smatterings of conversation in Italian, German, English and more. Young families out with their baby strollers. Moms picking up their children from school. It's interesting to sit on a stone wall and watch people going about their day. I like to try to guess which are tourists and which are local residents and wonder about what their lives are like and who they are. When we were sitting in Pizzeria Otello this evening waiting for our vegetarian kabobs and green pasta, a family came in to eat. Looked like a Grandfather, a mother dressed in a business suit and a rosy cheeked little girl with very curly hair tamed into two fat braids. A happy family. Italians eat dinner much later than we are used to, and John is always hungry, so we are usually the first customers in the restaurant and need to wait a bit until the staff is ready to get started. The restaurant is open at lunch time then closes for a few hours until 7 pm. And finally, a few of the photos I've been taking the past couple of days. Flowers that give beauty, peace and serenity.





































Saturday, April 17, 2010

Food and Photo Art






































John has been making some tantalizing pasta dishes and posting them on his blog, so I thought I would share a photo of a salad I made the other night and a picture of "the best coffee bar in Assisi" according to our hosts here. I've had cappucino and a croissant (cornetto crema) on three occasions and even though I haven't tried any of the other cafes, I'm sure it's true. I don't want to take chances!

And here's another image I've been working on in Photoshop. Wall/door/window detail. Interesting colors, shapes and textures, I think.

















































Thursday, April 15, 2010

Assisi Update

It is so peaceful here that time has expanded and I don't feel so driven to "accomplish" things every day. Just sitting on a stone wall and listening to the birds and watching the sun's rays piercing the clouds seems perfect. A full day can include a long, warm bath, preparing a simple salad or pasta meal (had some delicious potato/spinach pasta topped with spicy red sauce and freshly grated parmesan for lunch), meandering through the streets and alleyways and a trip to the market to pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread.

John and I are on different sleep and eat schedules, which is not much different from how things are at home. I have insomnia so stay up very late while he likes to go to bed early and get up before dawn to set out for several hours of intense hiking and exploring. We are each having a great experience here in our own eccentric ways.

Last evening at church, John had a good conversation with Sister Sue from St. Anthony's guest home (where we stayed last year). She invited us to come visit them and asked about our trip so far.

The photograph below is one I took a few days ago in a lovely garden near here. I did some digital work in Photoshop and this is the result. I'm not used to working in Photoshop on the little Netbook we have with us, so am not sure how it will print compared to the monitor view. It will be interesting to see how that goes when we get home and I have access to my printers.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Knitting Projects

I started knitting this organic cotton facecloth on the train between Florence and Assisi. It is so soft!
















Now I'm working on a scarf using a drop stitch pattern that is really very simple now that I have lots of practice by starting it and unraveling the yarn 3 or 4 times before I got the hang of it. I love the way the pattern waves across the scarf. The yarn is a wool and rayon blend and tends to untwist a bit so little strings show up in the open spaces, but I like the way it feels.Posted by Picasa













An afternoon walk.

John the photographer. He is taking some excellent shots!

It was a beautiful sunny day today in Assisi. John climbed Mt. Subasio this morning and then we went for a more leisurely walk this afternoon.Posted by Picasa