It's A Gnome-y Gnome World

  I made a big old promise to myself that I would post more, and so far...it's going pretty well.

  Just looky here! I said I'd post about my pals, the Gnomes, before the end of the year... and I think I might just pull it off. 

  This one is a true labor of love, as I have gotten into a little trouble over the years taking photographs of these little fellas. Normally found in the front gardens of private residences, I have to be sneaky and quick. Getting busted is something I just don't want. And it has happened.

  It can go one of two ways...either the owner of the garden thinks it's fine, or I am screamed at/barked at, and chased back to the waiting car where Johnny sits mortified, as I slip into my seat...tail firmly betwixt my shaking thighs.

  Oh, yeah. It's happened. More than once. I've sworn never to do it again...but I'm hooked, I tell you...HOOKED.

  Who wouldn't be? The hunt is half the fun, and when they just pop up, totally unexpected....it's irresistible. 

  Damn you Gnomes, and your cheery smiles and pointy hats and weird ass colors! 

  I love you.

  And here, again... I must say... Johnny is a saint to put up with me and my foto fetishes. Bless his heart. After all, he's the one driving and stopping at my every scream of "Oh-My-God..PULL OVER!" 

  He doesn't even ask why anymore. He just sighs and finds a safe spot.

  I love him.

  So, despite my yearly promise of this is the last time...here goes.

  Ok, so this year, I have gnomes from Umbria and Venice. I found them all over the joint.

  Nice. 

(Can I just mention that when I write "Nice" as a one word sentence, I am imagining it in Mike Tyson's voice, with a slight lisp, like in the movie "The Hangover"....?) 

  Like my Mirror Shots, I always think I've found them all, and then I find more that I have not seen before. It's un-natural, I tell you. Where do they come from? Are they gettin' it on somewhere in the shrubbery?

  This guy wasn't. He was all by his lonesome self in an olive grove, just whistling away....

  

  

"Hey, where'd everybody go?"

  Mostly I find them in groups of two or three...

If I was a thirteen year old boy, there would be a fart joke here.
No, no, really...you go right ahead. Knock yourself out.

  

  The thing is, there aren't that many different 'sets' of gnomes or setti nani (seven dwarves), and I do end up seeing versions of the same fellows in different gardens. Some are pretty washed out, color wise...

Working hard in the cactus patch.

Same garden, just across the path.

  Sometimes they are so washed out, they blend in and I almost miss seeing them. Good thing the garden below had a couple of twirly wind thingys. That's what gave the gnomes away.

Another garden of washed out pals.

  In Spello, a beautiful little gem of a hill town south of us, I came across a spot with several small setti nani, all tucked away within a cluster of potted plants...

He's taking advantage of his 'spa privileges' and soaking in a mud bath, I guess.

This guy was really trying to hide.
I see you, dude. You and your little chicken.

I'm not going to say anything about that...umm...that 'mushroom',
 and how he's holding it... and just smiling.
Really, I'm not.

Last of the tiny gang.
These are the smallest I've found. In the wild, at least.
I have to wonder about that cigar, though...Seems kind of macho in this setting.

  I am loving seeing all these guys again, really. Honestly, some I have no memory of. 

  Yikes! They put a spell on me.....

  

Another gardening Gnome.
You're hired!

I have taken a photo of this fellow, in Cortona, before.
But now he has a stalker, so I guess I'll leave him alone.
She pretty much creeps me out.

 

These guys were hanging around in Burano.
I love the color.

Same front yard as above.

  The Gnome below is a favorite (so far) of all time. ALL TIME, I say.

  We were on bikes, way down near the southern end of the Lido just outside of Venice, cruising around a neighborhood, when I spotted him. He was taking a break from his construction job, and as most gnomes do, having a nice hit off the old pipe.

  We asked him how it was going, and he said he had another two, three weeks left on this job, but didn't have anything else lined up until spring
  We told him not to worry, it would all work out. He just chuckled and said "We gnomes don't really worry, we know we can always find work gardening, or just hanging around in gardens. I just do this for a little extra cash so I can travel the world and follow the big waves."
  Then we talked about Mavericks for like, an hour.
  Who knew?
 

  There are Gnomes, and then there are Setti Nani, or Seven Dwarves, as in Snow White 'and the'...

  These are fairy tale characters, often taken right from the Disney animated film, or images conjured from the original Brothers Grimm books.

  I am always on the look out for a full set of Snow White and her seven wee escorts. It's a major score. Sometimes there will be lots of various other figures in the gathering, sometimes not all seven of the 'nani'. 

  All I know is that I can get more than a little light-headed and short of breath when I do have even a slight sighting, let alone a grand party, as below....

  

We are talking Gnomes & Snow White & The Seven Dwarves!
I am not sure if this is legal in all countries, but hey..this is Italy.

This is a pretty cool mash-up, too.
Almost a full set, but with some 'fillers',  just because. 

Now this is a perfect, and I mean perfect set.
Everyone accounted for, and in good shape.
Nice. (in the voice, in the voice..)

This is a very nice group, but sadly,
they are missing their Mistress.
 Maybe it's more fun without her? I don't think so.

  Lastly, we have quite an extraordinary find. And I almost walked right by, because it was in a window of a glass shop on a very narrow and super crowded walkway in Venice. 

  In fact, I was just starting to get bitchy about it all, when all of a sudden....

The clouds opened, and the angels started singing.....
I can't believe I didn't buy this set for myself.
But that is one slippery slope I do not want to go down, friends.

  So, there you have it. And before the end of the year, by golly.
  If you have enjoyed this post, you may want to take a gander at previous posts, HERE.

  Hang with me, Dear Readers...there's more to come!