Tuesday, March 30, 2004

WRECKS AND WORMS

We don’t have a kitchen, but we do have a hot plate, toaster oven, and crock pot, so we should be ok. But the workmen to lay the new floor should show up soon, as they are now officially a week late. At first we were told they probably did not work when it rains, but that did not make too much sense. Since it has rained on and off all week, maybe there is some truth there. We now hear that it is the mover who does not like to move kitchens out in the rain, but he came yesterday in an all-day downpour and removed all appliances except the fridge. The new plants in the garden liked the rain a lot.
In any case, we have a wreck of a kitchen, which is the least of our worries. It seems the old NETSKY worm virus was transmitted to us while we were lapsed on our virus control, and when Steve went to update the protection, his credit card was refused by the fraud division. Remember the stolen wallet? The repercussions of that may never end. So twice now, we have thought we were protected and we were not. Our new virus protector and “Spy Sweeper” have kicked in and we seem OK now. But they are still finding and “quarantining” files daily.
The sun has finally come out and we may be able to enjoy the day outside while the workers finish our floor. That is if they ever get here!

Sunday, March 28, 2004

BYE BYE, BY PALERMO

We had planned to spend Friday in Palermo with Mike and Wendy, exploring the cathedrals and monuments, visiting Angelo from Turkey, buying a set of sheets, eating lunch in a local trattoria. Instead, Palermo had a general strike, and traffic that was next to impossible promised to be impossible.
So instead, we looked for local alternatives. We decided to start in the lovely little town of Sambuca di Sicilia, the one with the unique little theater that the town has restored so that the ceilings and box seats are painted in charming bright colors. The theater was closed, but I have a picture of the outside below. We went across the street to see the Institute of Gianbecchina, a local artist who painted very feelingly the faces of the people after the Belice Valley earthquake. The woman there had the key to the theater and opened it up for us to see. Then she suggested we go on to the building that houses the Antiquarium as well as a sculpture show. So we went on to there and saw for the first time the relics from the ruins of the Adranone pre-Greek settlement. There are some fine things there, and the guide Antonio kept mentioning that the show of pots we had seen with Tim at the Agrigento museum also contained some very nice samples from the Sambuca ruins. He showed us a picture of one of the things we had seen, a frying pan with the body of a woman for a handle. We remembered it, and he said it would be returned to Agrigento once their Museum restoration is complete. Then he took us to the fabric and knot sculpture of Sylvie Clavel, a French woman whose work we had seen before.
From there we stopped at a favorite coffee and sweets bar, Il Giglio, and loaded our guests up with dolces for the last time. Then on to San Cipirello, to a wonderful trattoria called Apud Jatum, which is surely the best in the area for Sicilian cuisine.
We ended the day in Acamo. It has a castle in the middle of town, and it has just been restored. So we took a tour with a guide who knew no English, and did not know how to slow down his language for those who did not speak Italian. He did not let us ask questions, and when he did he could not answer most of them. But the castle restoration was great, and the art show that was being installed looked very interesting. We were only allowed outside pictures, but you can see what a "new" castle looks like.
So good-bye to Mike and Wendy without the hassle of Palermo!

Friday, March 26, 2004

VOYAGES WITH MIKE AND WENDY

It rained like hell Monday, and then it got nasty on Tuesday too. We did not have too much time to get bored, but the floor repair men did not come on Tuesday even after we had cancelled our hotel in Taormina for them. We shopped for ceramics and “dolces” in Sciacca and Wendy and I swam at the Terme. We took walks and picked flowers, had tea with Elaine, and ate at Hostaria d’ Vicolo. Steve and Mike drove up to San Calogero. We read and watched Italian TV.
Wednesday we drove on to Pietraprezia, my dad’s hometown, then to see the mosaics at Piazza Armenia, then on to Taormina. We had a great time, and drove back today, with stops in Catania and Caltagirone. We were stopped by a herd of cows and chased by rainbows. Etna appeared this AM and it was snow covered because when we got rain, they got snow! Here are some cool pictures from the trip. Stay tuned tomorrow for more!

Tuesday, March 23, 2004

MAYBE TOMORROW, MAYBE MONDAY

We had to cancel the Taormina hotel reservation today so that the workers could come and repair the broken tiles in out kitchen floor. But they did not come. Apparently, they will not work on kitchen floors when it rains cuz they need to move all the kitchen counters and appliances outside. We waited till 3:30 or so, and then Paolo came to tell us the news. So we re-scheduled for Monday-maybe. I wanted to swim at the terme and Wendy and I went for a good swim. We had a great meal at Hostaria d'Vicolo tonight. We leave early tomorrow AM to start the next part of the trip.
So here are some pictures from earlier in the visit.

Monday, March 22, 2004

MIKE, WENDY, ELAINE

We have three Maine-iacs here this week. Elaine is living here for 2 months writing a book on yarn and Mike and Wendy are old friends. We have seen the port, the Menfi market, Saint Michelle and the ceramiscists, visited Selinunte, Castlemare del Golfo, Erice, Trapani, and day after tomorrow, Agrigento, Taormina, Piazza Armenia, and maybe Caltagirone.

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Sheep Gazing

A herd of sheep came over the hill in back of our house today, along with the shepard on his motorbike, his two sheepdogs. and some cute baby lambs. My camera has a short film sequence so if you would like to watch and hear this happening. along with the tinkle of the sheep's bells, send me a note and I will send it individually, since I could not load the films here.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

MEXICO!!

We are back to 60’s and early spring again here. At least the days are considerably longer. While we were in Tulum, our time was measured from one gourmet meal to the next, so we did not keep too much track of day lengths. After these daily gorges, Jane and I would try to swim it off as best we could. I walked the beach a lot with Steve or Jane, and collected lots of shells which I smuggled back successfully, even though I watched a baggage handler go through all of our suitcases. Those guys just do not go too far into the dirty clothes bag! 12 days of beautiful weather and fun times is hard to leave. These pictures just do not do it justice.
Our hotel time share is just beautiful, and the plantings and plant holders displaying bougainvillea were incredible. The 24 hour room service and previously mentioned gourmet meals were just such a great treat, and the service was excellent. There was entertainment 3 nights a week that featured song and dance and costumes that were quite professional. Of course we made our own entertainment with euchre and hearts played almost nightly. We got friendly with the two young girls from Amsterdam doing their internship at the resort for five months, and we even got chummy with the General Manager, a very young guy who got cut up on the reefs while snorkeling the same day that I did.
We took a ferry to the island of Cozumel and rented motor bikes to drive around the island (the last 2 pictures in row 2). However, I have never driven a motor bike. I thought I would teach myself quickly so I took a “crash” course and did not do too well. The owner of the business pleaded with me not to rent the bike but to ride on the back of someone else’s. However, I told him that I wanted to do this thing and I would be ok. Well, everything was fine till we got to the middle of town-dead center, in fact. Somehow in the process of slowing down and then starting up again, I forgot to take my hand off of the hand brake. My balance has never been great to start with, so there I was, swerving and trying to straighten out when…the police on the side of the road waved for me to pull over. They asked me for my license, and while they were checking it (first the laughed at it-honest!), the bike shop owner came running up and again pleaded with me not to go off again. Then Woody showed up, and the police got into it, saying lady, be careful, are you sure you know how to do this? Well, I was NOT sure, so I gave in, the owner took the bike back and promised a refund, and I got on the back of Woody’s bike. The island of Cozumel is lovely, and we found a great spot for lunch and Jane and I had another good swim.
But we spent most days lying under the palapas and palm trees on the beach and reading, taking the occasional swim. I finished Sewer, Gas, and Electric (finally!) as well as the three Inspector Montalbano mysteries by Andrea Camillieri that are in English. They are set right near us in Agrigento and are full of interesting local color, and most importantly, about food and the process of enjoying it.
We met some neat people, including 2 couples from Alberta, Canada who were farmers and spent 3 weeks a year in the tropics. Steve surprised them with thre gift of a Canadian flag "pareo" which they promplty hung up (see photo). We snorkeled several times and saw some really colorful fish, found conch shells and farther down the beach, found a new cenote (underground fresh-water spring) in the water, and we almost attempted to walk to the ruins at Tulum, which we could see from our beach chairs. Later we found out it was impossible because of impassible cliffs, but it sure looked “doable” and inviting. Jane and I each had 2 massages at the spa, and Woody and Steve re-negotiated the time share deal. We shopped for some great bargains at Cozumel, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen, but we know we got ripped off some too. Isn’t that part of vacation? All in all, it was a lively but relaxing time,

Monday, March 15, 2004

ROME

ROME
We were in Rome for a day before we went on to Mexico. We shopped for books and CDs and watched a strike taking shape and blocking all the traffic. The Baths of Diocletian were closed because of it. Later, since we had both read Angels and Demons, we went to the church of Sta Maria Vittoria to see Bernini’s Saint Teresa. Yeah, she sure looks like she is being ravaged by that angel! There were other tourists there too who were trying to get a look at that statue. Then on to the coliseum and forum area and all of the different statues and buildings in between. The last time we were here, the path through the area was closed for renovation. It was wonderful to see all of the different layers of history that are displayed there. On to the Piazza Navonna to see Bernini’s Four Waters sculpture also from Angels and Demons (last picture, 1st row). Yeah, I can see drowning in there, too. For good measure, I have included 2 shots of my favorite building of Rome, the Castle if St Micheal Archangel, where the climax of Angels and Demons takes place (1st and 3rd, second row). Recognize Euroman?

We're home

MEXICO AND ALL THAT JAZZ
We’re home. At last. And what a trip it was! There were several phases to this trip, and after 17 nights, at least one of them sleepless, it is good to be here.
I am rubbing cream on the burned spots, nursing along the cuts from when I got tossed about on the reef, and just finishing the laundry. Elaine, a friend of friends from the states, arrives today, to I will be helping her move in to our old place. Meanwhile, here are a few highlights from the trip. Much more later!!