Siamo Nello Specchio!

  Ah, yes...We Are In The Mirror.....

  If this was an old episode of 'The Outer Limits', or 'The Twilight Zone', we would be stuck in the mirrors...forever. Sigh. Not a bad end, actually...

MIRROR SHOTS 2016

  As we wander through various towns and cities during our annual jaunt to Italy, I keep my eyes peeled for mirrors. It's a great way to get fun pictures of Johnny and I together, sometimes just me, and it has now become quite a fun diversion.

  I try to find new locations, but always end up with some mirrors that we stand in front of every year. Why not? Some times things in life become classic. A few special 'traffic' mirrors we love have become classics...to us, anyway.

  

I just love these muted tones...

A classic. Morning walk, Paciano.

  Mostly, I try to get Johnny to join in the fun, and most of the time he's up for it....

Absolutely have no idea where this was.
It was in Italy, this I do know.

Up against the wall, Dude!
Mr. J does love the shady side of the street.

In the hills above Cortona.

  

Sometimes I'll be all by my lonesome self, just taking a walk and playing with my camera....

Out in the countryside, somewhere...

This was way out in the middle of nowhere...
Johnny was down the way painting...
It was a fun day of adventure.

The signs are there, I just can't read them.
Johnny waits, always patiently.

Again, Paciano.
Watching wisteria come into full bloom.

Same spot as above, but opposite direction....
Johnny wants that building in the background for his studio.

Outside of Panicale, another classic mirror shot.
Johnny paints in the background.

  Boy, the one thing I do notice here is that I wear the same outfit everyday, for the most part. I am getting good at packing light, I guess!

Ahhh...Back together again, just the way I like it.
Baby, don't leave me alone.

  I especially like finding mirror shots in unexpected places.

Used furniture stores are always good for a mirror or two...

...thrift stores are great, too...

...and you can't go wrong at a favorite watering hole.
In Florence.

  We go on day trips all over the joint, so there are lots of mirrors to take advantage of. Mostly they are traffic mirrors, since there are blind driveways and sharp turns everywhere. Good for me!

Getting a little fuzzy.
Maybe one too many glasses of vino?
Never!

  As I look at these now, I realize that I have no idea what so ever where many of these Mirror Shots were taken. All I can say is this...I really don't mind.

What's not to love?

Down yet another 'white road'....
Just where we like to be at sunset.

Somewhere on a hill....

In an Umbrian Borgo...
.....that looks really familiar.

Ok, I couldn't resist taking a shot from the car.
That's us, in the silver Lancia.
No idea where we are here.

  Ok, I do believe I know where the rest of these were taken. Maybe.

Morning walk, again, in Paciano.
Village of many Mirror Shots.

Ahhh..Pienza.
Typically Tuscan!

Ummm...ok.
I don't know where, but maybe the morning walk to Missiano?

Bella Roma, in the rain.
Sigh. Two very happy, albeit wet, campers.

  Of course, the most classic, of all the classic Mirror Shots, is the mirror we see everyday, over and over and over again...
  The mirror we pass under on our morning walks to Paciano...
  The mirror across from the apartment where the nonna watches from her window, every day...
  The mirror that holds the view of Lago Trasimeno....
  The mirror that also holds the view of the benches and the  red chair, where the nonni sit and spend their sunny afternoons watching and talking...
  The mirror just outside the walls of Panicale.

Beautiful Scenes/March 2016

  Sure, the weather has been crazy…one day nice and sunny, the next bone-chilling wind and rains…Sigh.

  That's what to expect in Italy in March. We are used to it by now, and come prepared with proper outer wear and good books to read by the fire. And dominoes to play at the bar, where it's warm always.

  Upside to these wacky weather days…some great opportunities for photographing the beautiful countryside here.

  Everyday, first thing we do is see what is happening over Lago Trasimeno, because we can get at least some idea of what the weather might be doing…..We just walk out to the walls of the village and gaze across the valley.

I likey my panoramic setting on the new camera.

  The local country side is slowly changing, and I'll keep taking shots to record the season.

  These photos are all from the past few weeks, and the big changes are starting now that the sun is coming out and the ground is warming up.

This lonely beauty has already lost her blooms…

  The farmers have finally begun in earnest to plow the fields. The land has dried enough that the tractors can do their work without getting bogged down.

  I love the color of the soil here, especially contrasted with the wheat fields and olive trees.

A view I never get tired of…morning walk.

Vertical and horizontal lines…Love.

I can totally see why Johnny says
he could paint these views for the rest of his life….
These scenes have both an ancient and modern feel.

Reflections on the lake in the background..A nice day.
A timeless view.

Paciano, our neighboring village, in the background.

A peek through the foliage…morning walk.

  As we head into April, I see all the local trees starting to leaf out. It seems like this happens overnight, but it's been happening all month in reality.

Perfect light hitting these beauties down at the lakeside.

  Tomorrow I'll begin photographing the changes that will happen in April…I can't wait to watch all the local wisteria come on, as well as the start of the red poppies and wild sweet peas in all the fields. 

  Nice.

  For tonight, I'll end with a couple of sunset views…..

Local olive trees at sunset.

The sun setting over Lago di Chiusi.
 A nice way to end a day, especially with Mr. J and a glass of wine.
Ciao, March 2016...

Ahhhhh…The Staff Of Life

  We headed out early for our morning walk Sunday, hoping we might find the bakery in Paciano, the next village over, open for business. 

  We have been told that 'Lo Scoiattolo'(The Squirrel) is only open on Sunday and Wednesday…and you'd best get there early, as they sell out fast.

  We have had their breads before, but since last time we were here, they have an official place of business and are taking orders online and by phone. They'll bake some extra things to sell for walk-ins, as well, but we found out today that it's always good to order early.

  Lo Scoiattolo is a small shop, off the main drag, but just follow your nose, folks. You can smell bread baking as you get close. They are using a wood stoked oven, and it sends out the yummiest of fragrances….

Fausto tends the oven, as well as the wood fire.

  Step inside, and right away you know you are going to have a hell of a time deciding what to try first.

  We knew we would get at least one twisty, cheesy, herby breadstick. It was warm and fresh from the oven. Like everything when you arrive early.

The hard part? Stopping at only one!

  We enjoyed espressos as we chatted with Fausto, and the baker herself, Lia…We had met them last year, and had tried Lia's yummy breads the year before when she was selling at the Spring Festival in Paciano.

  At that time, word had it that she wanted to open a storefront, and we are so glad it has finally all worked out for she and Fausto.

  

The Magician at work, making pretzel magic.

  There are wonderful bakeries all over, but most don't sell real hearty whole grain breads. The usual fare here is the typical Italian white bread with a good crust, not much flavor, as its main job is to sop up all the goodness on the plate. 

  Lia's breads are full of seeds, nuts, and even fruit, in some cases. She makes whole grain rolls, farmers breads, and even flat-bread type pizzas.

Just some of this morning's offerings.

Far right, potato pizza, next to a margherita pizza.

     We don't eat a lot of bread, but we will be righteously tempted when we come here!

We wolfed down a warm-from-the-oven pretzel minutes after we left!
We only bought one…what were we thinking?

In reality, these tasty morsels were all pre-ordered.
We were lucky we got what we did.

Uhhh…yum.

    We joined the 'club', so now we will be emailed the weekly list of what's on the menu, so to speak. We can order to pick up later, which works. Just need to remember what day it is….which gets harder the longer we stay.

Plus, it's really warm in here.
I could hang out here all day, baby.

  We'll still be making regular visits to our favorite bakeries in the area, but it's so nice to have another option which offers something very different, indeed….

Thanks, Lia & Fausto, for making it happen.
You guys are an inspiration!

  Here's the new Facebook page they just began…become a friend! And learn more, too:
  Lo Scoiattolo