Live Pronto!: Morning Coffee And Umbria On My Mind

Friday, January 29, 2016

Morning Coffee And Umbria On My Mind

Sitting in bed this very early mid January morning, good coffee in hand, the sound of much needed rain gently falling, I am remembering soft warm days in Umbria.

We are readying ourselves for the upcoming visit, so it's a joy to think back, as well as look forward.

I am often asked "What do you do while Johnny is out painting?"

Well, I almost always go with him, both to record what he's doing, and just because (corny as it may sound) we dig hanging out together. I love taking long walks, reading whatever I have on hand, and just checking out the area we have chosen for that particular day.

The landscape is so beautiful, and it goes through such a major change during our stay.

Spring 2015 brought snowcapped mountains across the lake, even!

The scenes I love most include the lake, the mountains in the distance, and the fields. Throw in some classic cypress trees... and it's heaven.

To me, anyway.

I never get enough of the wheat fields.

As Johnny sets up to work, I wander off, seeing what I can see.

On this day, we were parked on a 'strada bianca', or white road…as I've mentioned before, these are gravel roads that are totally for public use, and also our favorites to explore. They are regularly used by locals…especially farmers.

Watch out Johnny….

Oooopsy...here it comes.

At least they're slow moving.

There are several plant nurseries in the vicinity, both small and large. I normally visit the smaller nurseries to buy herbs and flowers for my little garden back at the apartment, as well as the farmer's markets. These are more akin to nurseries we have here at home, in California.

The big nurseries are an entirely different critter altogether. They are huge! They go on forever, and all the plant stock is growing in the ground, not in containers.

It's pretty cool….

Italian Cypress doing what they do best.

While Johnny paints, I have fun getting as close as I can for these photos of rows upon rows of large scale plant material. I would love to see how they dig them up and transport them. I assume they must contain the massive root ball in burlap, or something similar.

I head up and down the dirt road, taking time to check out the nursery...

Sadly, I can't get right into the rows of trees. This is all behind a fence. I'm thinking it's for protection from various animals that could do harm here, big time.