The Tree in the Yard Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 14 x 20" 36 x 50cm
View from Balcony Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 8.5 x 16" x 41cm
our house in the buttercups
The Alps never looked so beautiful to me -- in past, I had only driven by in fog or night. The sun played off the steep sides of the peaks, creating a super-three-dimensional image. We stayed in Nus, Italy, on our way to our new digs in Rocca Malatina. We woke up to the start of our new adventure on 30 April.
I am rather beside myself in confusion: the complexities of packing up, fitting what we could in the rental car, driving eleven hours and finding ourselves in a completely different environment is discombobulating. . Saying goodbye is something I rarely do, and I believe real friends will be with us forever. Our new home, so large it is hard to find one another and Harika, is sunny, warm and comfortable. There are very few glitches, things we need to bring on our next trip from Paris, later this summer -- a couple of area rugs, particular kitchen utensils (my swivel peeler).
We are surrounded by two acres of buttercups, punctuated by the red combs of the neighbors' chickens making their way though their veritable forest. Harika is afraid of the chickens, and I admit I wouldn't like to be in a confined space with the rooster.
Each morning we get up and go to the coffee shop. The cafe is where I learned most of my French, pitiful as it was. Now I search to recognize a few words in Italian. I supplement with "Duolingo" and Youtube online lessons. Our landlord's cousin in Bologna may provide additional help -- I need to increase my vocabulary -- according to Duolingo I am at 200 words, but I suspect I know many more.
The coffee shop here is the antithesis of its Paris counterpart. People are talking and gesticulating with great passion -- the couple at the other table is playing cards: 7:00 AM on Saturday. People talk to us, we nod, smile and make an eng-fran-italo response: spaghettios. Harika is the star, she understands everything.
This morning we walked up to the park: Sassi di Rocca Malatina -- so named for its unusual rock formations. We encountered a one-eyed Jack Russell pup, who had a penchant for Harika; numerous birds, and landscapes to paint. We'll need to cover the 100 kilometers of trails if we continue to eat like we have been. "Pasta Fresca" across the street from us sent over a welcome cake -- made of what else but chocolate and spaghetti?
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