Mirror Shots! (What, Again?)

  Before the year comes to an end, I am bound and determined ( yeah, sure... ) to do more posts. This one was on the list, and more gnomes, too. I still have food and art posts I need to share, of course...!

  Let's just see what really comes to pass. I can't decide if it's just laziness that has come a-knocking on my door, or an overall feeling of being, well, overwhelmed. 

  Whatever is is, I need to kick my lame fanny down the road, and write!

  A most wonderful way to move down said road is to take a trip on 'Mirror Shot Lane', or as we like to say in Italian, Strada dello Specchio. 

  ...I think. My online language course has informed me that I am now 51% fluent in Italian. In reality, they probably don't have a saying anywhere close to this in Italian. 

  Mirror Shot Lane. That's a good one.

  For those of you new to Live Pronto, Mirror Shots began as my way of getting pictures of Johnny and I together while we are on our yearly jaunt to Umbria. I now have yearly posts of these wacky portraits.

  I still love finding these wonderful traffic mirrors, which are all over the place, and trying to get a shot that has us both looking somewhat normal, as opposed to "fun-house" weird. (Though truth be told, it's always a hoot when that does happen.)

  Every year I figure that we have seen and done all the possible Mirror Shots, but I still seem to find new ones.... and what the hell, I just can't help myself!

 (You can find previous Mirror Shots HERE, by the way.)

  This year it's basically 'more-o-the-same', my Dear Readers. You who have not completely given up on me, that is. 

  And by the way, thanks for hanging in there, guys and dolls.

MIRROR SHOTS  2015

  

Over the border, in Tuscany..the day we climbed a very tall tower.

I love a nice background view.

A closer shot....

  

  As always, dear Johnny is such a trooper. He really puts up with me and my camera shenanigans. He better, or I won't cook pasta, polenta or risotto for him anymore. 

  I take as many of the two of us together as I can get away with....

Must have been a nice day.... No coats! No gloves!

Smile, baby, smile!

A perfect shot to take during the
Cheese Rolling festa.

 Sometimes I'm all by my lonesome self...sigh.

  It's all good...I'm in Panicale.

Grabbing a quick-pic during our morning walk.

I always take at least one Mirror Shot in this spot.
Extra special with the wisteria and banksia roses in the background...

  This year, I got all artsy with the reflection shots. Mirrors or not, I still took the photo.

On the boat to the islands....

In a gallery somewhere...

Perhaps in Florence...

Definitely in Florence, on the streets. I remember this one.
Cute lil' fanny.

A triple reflection. My new standard!

  

While seeing the amazing Daniel Buren exhibition
in San Gimignano.

As Mr. J gets set up to paint,
I settle in to read...after this sneaky shot, of course.

  My favorites are the tried and true, close to home, on our morning walks.

  You just can't beat it.

A warm day, on our walk to Paciano.

  This year, we had a second trip to Italy..it included our beloved Panicale, but also Venice, for the Venice Biennale. We try to go each time, every odd year. It's a blast and a treat. The entire place is filled with contemporary art, and we just emerge ourselves.
  And then there's the food & wine, of course....

  Thing is, in Venice, there are very few traffic mirrors. You know, no cars and all that...so I end up taking Mirror Shots in what are mostly art installations. It's amazing how many installations include reflective surfaces.

  Well, you'll see what I mean..... All the remaining Mirror Shots were taken in Venice this past October. Big fun.

Ok, look closely.....
There we are!

This was one of our first, and one of my favorite exhibits...
Where's my Sharpie???

  

  Forgive me, dear readers, but I didn't take a lot of notes this year on which artist created what work. My (very) bad. 

  If you find that you are losing sleep over who did what in this post, just let me know, and I will research the shite out of it and get right back to you.

  I promise.

  Some of the mirrors in these various installations spun and twirled. This made for a wonderful combination of "trying to get the shot", and "how to not vomit while trying to get the shot". It was great......

Whoooaaaooaaa...Got it!

  Sometimes things just got silly....

Johnny wanted nothing to do with some of these.
I don't blame him, but I couldn't resist.

Where's Janelle?

Another solo shot.
Funny what you find on the way to the loo.
I do love these old school bars with the toilet out back....

Well, at the time I thought it was pretty cool photo.....
There was an entire tree in this room.
This is just the rootball.

  Oh, Canada! Truly a fantastic exhibit this year. I can not begin to explain it, I just know I loved it.   So, I'm going to just add a link HERE, and if you want, you can check out more.

  We took this shot, below in one of the many spaces in this pavillion....Thanks, Canada!!

Having a bit of a laugh in Canada.
And yes, he is holding his iPad for extra credit.

  In another area, we came across this....at first it's a room full of fake corn on the cob, with a china cabinet at the end....

But really, it's all smoke, or in this case,  corn... and mirrors.
A dark shot, but still kind of cool.

  I managed to find one actual traffic mirror! (below)

  It was at the Arsenale pavillion site, and meant to keep the little people-carrier electric 'go carts' from conking each other out.

  I love getting a photo that shows a great background, either inside or outside.

This is in the Punta della Dogana museum. It is such a beautiful place to experience contemporary art. 

  A must visit, if you are ever inVenice.

Happy, happy, happy.

  Tha vaporettos, which serve as water taxis, are good for a Mirror Shot, as well as the landings where they stop to pick you up.

Heading back to Venice after a day on Burano and Mazzorbo.

La, la, la...waiting for the vaportetto...

  Almost done, at least until next year.

  

Another photo op I happened upon whilst looking for a bathroom.
Hey, it's all good.

  Well, I have to say...This was fun. I mean writing a post here. I really need this. 

  Especially now, while being all stressed and overwhelmed by the whole holiday/family thing, and such. 

  Note to Self: 

  Get back to writing your bloggy. 

  You LOVE this. 

  It is GOOD for you.

  Netflix will be there when you're done, I promise. 

  THIS is IMPORTANT.

  On that note...

  Have a great holiday, and remember to do something you love.

  Peace on Earth, Dear Readers.

  

Umbrian Moments, Sept. 2015

  At home in California now, we will go back to normal life here….work, play, morning walks, garden puttering, visits to Mom & Dad…. The day to day stuff that brings to me the comfort of routine.

  In the back of my mind though, I will be thinking of the life that is more and more becoming the new normal, in Umbria. Two worlds that we live in, entirely separate from one another, and yet both have so much to offer. 

  I feel very fortunate.

  For the next few weeks, I will be doing my part to prepare for a show of Johnny's paintings which he did in spring in Umbria. It will be a good way to stay connected to both our worlds.

  Another way to stay connected will be doing this…writing and sharing photos here, on Live Pronto. I have so much to work with still…From the trip in spring, as well as the last couple of weeks in Umbria and Venice. 

  I look forward to slowly going back through and reliving some of these past moments.

  One of our favorite moments is when we just arrive, pick up our rental car, and make that drive through the countryside to get the first glimpses of Panicale from the valley….

The big tractors are always a bonus.

  Because we came just as the wine festival started, there were flags all around the village…this was fun to see as we found our usual parking spot.

The village colors. Three different flags for three different neighborhoods.

Rare for us to see so many folks around..
We are normally here in March, April & May..when it's pretty quiet.
Summer & fall are full of festas.

  We have to touch base with all of our favorite views..some just from the walls of town, others are favorites from places we drive to so often.

From just inside the walls.

Along one of our morning walks.

Below town, on a favorite drive.
We aren't used to seeing the hay rolls, though…or all the spent sunflower blooms.

  The biggest differences on this autumn trip include the light and the landscape. I couldn't stop taking photos of the freshly turned fields. All through the valley…the color combo of the soil and the blue, blue sky..I just loved. The soil was turned in huge chunks, adding texture to the views.
  Yum.

Just one of a bunch of my field shots. 

A perfectly beautiful day to visit a favorite nearby hill town,
Città della Pieve.

  When we drive around to go to the farmer's market, or the lake..or just looking for spots to settle in and paint…there are so many touchstone views that I now have taken photos of soooo many times.   Over the years, these areas haven't changed much at all, but seeing the very familiar scenes in a different season is a trip. Big change.

  We are used to the vibrant greens and yellows of early spring. In September, it's a whole different story…and just as stunning to me.

Heading down to Tavernelle for market day.

The color of the lake is different, too, as well as the fields.

  All the trees and shrubs are in leaf, so you get these distinct lines through the landscape, too. I love the new rhythm that this adds to the views...

Nearby, above Lago di Chiusi.

  We were excited to see all the olive trees in their full glory. Fingers crossed, the harvest will be a good one. Last year was a big disappointment, as the bugs got the best of the trees.

  From what we were told, it's looking ok this year.

  Speaking of harvests, another spot we love is just below town. La Saporita, where we buy apples, almonds, pears, and other wonderful produce. 

  The long driveway to the store front is always a delight, lined with cypress and umbrella pines.

Classic.

  What was new for us, were the apple trees full of ready to pick apples. There aren't even leaves on the trees when we first arrive in March, but by late April or early May, they are usually in bloom.

  The espaliered trees are always beautiful, but with all the fruit…a real treat.

  There were pomegranate bushes all over the area, too. Of course! I have noticed them around as they just begin to leaf out in spring, but never really considered just how gorgeous they would be with the branches full of fruit….

  The farmers markets had the best of late summer produce going on, too….

So tasty, I ate some every day.

  Then there were the grapes. It was harvest time, and some of the vineyards had already been harvested, others were being done while we were there.
  A real joy to see the vines full of big bunches of ready to crush fruit...

  In fact, just seeing the vineyards themselves, with all the vines full of leaves, was so different. I drive to Sonoma every few weeks, so I'm used to watching those vines go through the seasons. It was such a trip to see them here, because we always see them just totally bare. The fields were green with the vines...

  So anyway, today was my first day back at work in the gallery. Lots of mail to go through, bills to pay, messages to answer…..the usual day to day stuff. I love my job. I feel lucky to be able to help our business do it's thing.

  But already my little brain is thinking about next time….

  

  The tickets are bought, the apartment is booked…I think it's just fine.

  A presto, Panicale. Non possiamo aspettare…..