Village of Sciacca Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/linen 17.5 x 23.5 45 x 60cm
From Sciacca Harbor Blair Pessemier Acrylic/linen 17.5 x 23.5 45 x 60cm
On a pedestal Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 10 x 12 25 x 30cm
Private Library and Pietro Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 11.5 x 19.5 30 x 50cm
Houses by the Park Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 8 x 12 20 x 30"
Pessemier Acrylic/paper 8 x 6" 20 x 15cm
Arch on geometry page Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/paper 8 x 6" 20 x 15cm
Cherubs Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/paper 11 x 8" 28 x 20cm
Bay beach Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm
Aspra Beach Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm
Arabo-Normanno Building Bagheria Blair Pessemier Acrylic/linen 17.5 x 23.5 45 x 60cm
Dome with Palm Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/linen 17.5 x 23.5 45 x 60cm
Morning Boats Palermo Harbor Blair Pessemier 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm
Harbor Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm
Ficus tree Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 11.5 x 19.5" 30 x 50cm
In the Park Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 11.5 x 19.5" 30 x 50cm
“It’s the anonymity I miss”, said the man at the table
beside us. We went to a pizza restaurant
in Palermo, that had over 9,000 likes on the Internet: Pizza Frida, as in Frida Kahlo. There was an Italian version of her picture
on the placemat. The pizza was, in fact,
exceptional, with ricotta and radicchio stuffed into the crust.
David, the man at the table, was from Orkney, a dream home
from his childhood. He moved there after
a career in London. “I didn’t leave it for 18 months,” he told us,
“but now I need my city fix every so often”.
He had our sympathy. “Here, I
don’t have to say hello to everyone on the street.” I love the city life because I can be
surrounded by people, and at the same time be alone.
Traveling isn’t just about the place you go to. It’s about what you learn about yourself when
you are there.
Blair left his credit card at the machine at the grocery store;
here, in Palermo, Sicily. People are
afraid to come to Sicily, because it is dangerous (in fact, you are 27 times
more likely to be killed in the USA).
Don’t get me wrong -- Sicily; even regular Italy, isn’t perfect. But much of the evil reputation is bluster
(and done within Mafia circles). Blair’s
card was retrieved and saved for him at the store.
The minute I get in the car, or on the plane or boat, the
trip starts for me. I shake off all the
old ideas and attachments and move into a new phase.
Today we painted in a nearby park. There are the biggest ficus trees I have ever
seen there. They throw out new roots
from the branch, and it acts like a crutch so the limb can grow longer and
longer. The roots extend above the
ground like feet. Being a tropical
place, there are trees here I’ve not seen elsewhere. I discovered a thorn-covered silk floss tree
in a nearby courtyard.
There are problems with our social security
applications. Although they were
approved in December, records of our payments (which we made yearly) have now been
lost; cancelled checks indicating their deposit won’t suffice. The person administering my account suggests
I withdraw my application. I just might,
because maybe this year I will become a millionaire.
