Category Archives: About Me

How to Stay Cool in Italy

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….when people tell you it’s hot in Italy in the summer….believe them

We knew going to Italy in July that it would be very warm. Everyone who had been there before us warned us over and over again. One thing that we made sure of was to book accommodations that had air conditioning. Here is my list of how to stay cool in Italy in July.

  1. Stay only in air-conditioned hotel rooms or homes with air-conditioning.IMG_9456
  2. Drink lots of water.
  3. Walk in shady areas and underneath porticos if you can find them. They were everywhere in Bologna.IMG_9291
  4. When eating outside make sure you’re under an umbrella and preferably next to water.IMG_8954
  5. Spend time in the mountains (the Dolomites) or high up in the hills of Assisi.

    6. Always wear a hat.IMG_91427. Cool off in the sink, shower or pool.

    8. Sit or stand by a fountain.

    9. Spend time in an air-conditioned museum or find an old dark cathedral to sit in.

    10. Enjoy a gelato.

    11. Cover yourself in yogurt.IMG_9487

    11. Find a shady park and sit or lie down for a spell.

    12. Enjoy an icy glass of  Aperol spritz or Prosecco. IMG_8945

    I hope these suggestions are helpful. Enjoy!

Late August – Wind, Waves and Rain

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….can always tell when August rolls in

The nights get cooler in late August but it tends to warm up during day. On this last trip to the cottage the winds picked up and we had huge waves. I’ve never known the waves to come up the beach as high as they did. On our little section of beach the waves came up over a wall of sand and created an new lake in the middle of the beach. When I took these pictures the wind and the waves had already died down somewhat but the little lake remained.

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Luckily we had gone swimming the day before and the water is still quite warm.

Hopefully when I go back tomorrow the winds will stay away for awhile. When the waves are too high the barge won’t run and that means we would be stranded on the island. Not a terrible thing but my daughter has already lost one day of work because we couldn’t get off the island.

Back Into My Painting Groove

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….seems like I need complete solitude to paint

I’ve found in the past that I get my best work done late at night when everyone is in bed. At the cottage it is more difficult to do because the light isn’t good after the sun goes down. Today I found myself all alone at the cottage. My neighbours had left for a few days and I didn’t have a lot of things to pack before I left for home.

I got out my paints and set up my brushes. I had a large canvas that already had the background done. In fact the background had been done for two years and I just wasn’t sure how to finish it. Then I remember hearing these wise words….” it’s only paint”. In other words don’t worry about messing it up, just go for it.

I knew that I wanted to paint pears and I had a vision in my head how I thought it might look. I lightly sketched two pears and then started adding colour. I like to work quickly and I use brushes, rags and my hands. Two hours later I finished my piece and am quite happy with it.

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Watercraft in Venice

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…..the most famous being the gondola

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There are about 10 different types of watercraft in Venice but the most commonly seen are the gondola, the vaporetto and the top0. The vaporetto is a water bus that transports people from one end of the island to the other and is way more economical than hiring a gondola. The topo is a barge that transports goods to the businesses and residences of Venice.

There are also specialty boats for garbage collection, construction barges, police and ambulance boats, fire boats and car ferries.

Although beautiful and romantic, the gondola is strictly for rich tourists. At 200 euros for a 45 minute trip I consider it a luxury expense.

 

Service Boats and Personal Watercrafts

Ciao!

Share Your World 2016 – Week 33

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….I haven’t participated for awhile

If you’d like to share your world check out Cee’s blog.

Would you travel into outer space?

Probably not. There are too many places on this Earth that I want to see first.

Which country/city in the world (that you have never been to) would you most like to visit and why?

I’d like to go to Great Britain. One of the main reasons would be because our son and his new wife live in London, England.

What could you do to breathe more deeply today?

I could go for a long walk and I probably will. I have to return a library book anyway and it’s a beautiful day for walking through the neighbourhood. It also gives me a chance to get a closer look at what’s been going on. I noticed yesterday when I was in the car that there are a couple of houses one street over that are undergoing some major additions.
Complete this sentence: This creamy peanut butter sandwich could really use some …

…..sliced bananas

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for a wonderful four days with my oldest daughter at the cottage. This was her first visit this season and she’s planning on another visit next week with her wife. I loved having her up there with me. She just purchased a paddle board and brought it up with her. Luckily it’s an inflatable one so transporting it to the island was easy. Now that it’s inflated it’s staying at the cottage for awhile. I was surprised how solid it is. It doesn’t feel inflated at all.

I’m also grateful for some good weather while we were up there. We drove up in a torrential rainfall but it cleared up before we got to the island so the barge was running and we were able to get the car across. It was cool the first day which was a bit of relief from the heat wave we’ve been experiencing but it was windy and the waves made paddle boarding for the first time challenging. The next day the lake was perfectly calm and it had warmed up again.

While we were at the cottage my neighbour’s brother and his three teenage children were up for a visit. I’ve known this family for over 20 years and it was nice to spend time with them. On Sunday we prepared a meal together and had a great conversation about American politics (they live in the states).

We had planned to leave on Tuesday, which was also my wedding anniversary, but the weather had turned and it poured rain non-stop and the winds were snapping branches from the trees. We were grateful that no tree came down on the cottage. Unfortunately the barge wasn’t running because the waves were too high. We ended up staying one more night.

The next day was beautiful and even though I had to get my daughter back to the city so that she could get to work it was difficult to leave on such a nice day.

I’m also grateful for being able to get together with my other daughter and our granddaughter this week. We drove to Hamilton yesterday and went for a nice long walk to the waterfront. We stayed and had dinner with everyone, including my son-in-law and his mother.

This weekend I’m looking forward to going back up to the cottage for a few more days. Maybe I’ll get some painting done and start on a new book. I’m also looking forward to getting together with some friends when I return next week.

Cheers!