Artnotes: Awfully Nice at the Sea

Grotto di Labante   Blair Pessemier   Acrylic/linen   20 x 14   50 x 35

Tree at la Vignola  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Ac;rylic/linen 14 x 14"  35 x 35 cm

Swimming at Nice   Laurie Fox Pessemier   Acrylic/linen  12 x 12 cm  30 x 30cm

"la Vignola"  Blair Pessemier   Acrylic/linen  8x 18"  20 x 45cm

Meditteranean at Matterlink   Blair Pessemier   Oil on linen  20 x 24"  50 x 61 cm

Gates at Rocca Malatina  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/linen 9.5  x 13"  24 x 33 cm

Artnotes:  Awfully Nice at the Sea

We went to Nice this week to return that ever-so-expensive rental car we borrowed in Paris.  Renting the giant vehicle was a must, to get our last belongings out of Paris. It cost more than 1000 euros, yikes!

We needed a way to unwind once we got to Nice, a 5-1/2 hour drive from here. I drove the new September rental car (700 plus insurance – Amex doesn’t cover Italy) and Blair drove the Paris car and we met at the airport.   I was thrilled to be driving, in Italy no less, going just as fast as the underpowered Fiat would allow.

I remembered a place we painted two Februaries ago while staying in Villefranche-sur-Mer.  It was in Nice, and I so wanted to jump in the water that foggy day.   This 85 degree sunny day fit the bill.

I hardly ever feel strong desire for anything, but this I did.

We got there and everything became finer than I could imagine.  There were bunches of people:  young men all standing on a green signal buoy  out from shore, other young people trying to get on a large, square “raft of the medusa” floatie.  Fat men stretched out on rocks, young girls afraid to swim.  I put on my suit and went to the water, Blair staying with Harika on an out of the way shady set of steps.   I climbed down the rugged metal ladder into the water.  It was just a little cool, but slippery in the way of sea water.  I slid in, and floated and bobbed, swam a little against waves stronger than I remembered, but feeling great.  I returned to find Blair with my skirt on, putting on his suit underneath.  He went in just like I did and we both came away with such a wonderful feeling, like a well-preached sermon.  “It was so “slappy””, he told me.  I felt just the same, and we both felt we had found a place, an experience, where, had we stayed in the water any longer, we would have gone to another place, a perfect place.   It was like a transporter of our life, with all ideal elements – moments later the sky went all wrong and the magic fled.

We drove back to Rocca Malatina, and ate dinner at 11 at night.  If felt ever so ready for the next day.