Transitions

I am now, really and truly, looking at my final days in Brasil.  I started ‘Flowers’ as an experiment, just to learn something new, pass the time, and it evolved into a means of talking about, of showing you my world.  It is full of the inevitable comparisons between the USA that I knew so well and Brasil, a country that I was learning to understand and to, at times, love.  It also, from time to time, became a voice to my efforts to know and understand myself as I have changed through aging and experiences, and now may become a place for me to express all the changes I will have to make as I return to the place where I started.  

I find that this idea of changing back has occupied my thoughts at the oddest moments; while visiting my sister a month or so ago, or when in a hot shower, just walking mindlessly through the grocery store, or while standing in long lines, waiting.  The idea of what defines us now and of how we make our way back to a place where we are comfortable with ourselves, and our expectations is a question that needs answering.  Are we the sum of all our titles held: daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, divorcee, wife, widow or of the things we enjoy doing: reader, talker, walker, dancer, cook or what others see from the outside looking in, student, bookkeeper, manager and back to student once more.  How will those secret character traits we keep so well hidden: shy, unsure, child, needy, affect us while we wait for the transition back to be complete. 

I suspect we are all ever evolving.  Sometimes being influenced by our hidden traits and at others, being pushed forward by who we have become to be that person we have yet to meet.  I suspect that the transition takes time and patience.  That in the end all those titles we have been, become a part of our new self.  Like a well cooked stew, in the end all the components add taste and character; widening, shaping, determining who we will be next. 

A Flash of Memories

Today Camillo has been gone two months, and even today I can’t really believe that he is not here with me and his family.  I have spent nearly the complete two months looking back through our photo albums.  Albums that we started after our first trips in 1992 and ended with the my first digital camera Camillo gave me for Christmas 2002.  After that I stored all my digital photos in folders on an exterior drive, thousand and thousand of photos from all of our trips, parties, celebrations, all the good times.

In February of 2007, I started writing on ‘notanissionary’ as a guest writer and nearly simultaneously started Flowers on the side; a blog for the purpose of posting color and photos from time to time.  Through these two blogs I began to track our trips and other activities in real-time.  I didn’t always post about all of the trip, maybe the leaving or just the return, but I have photos of nearly everything we did over our 20 years together.  I find this a comfort; not many people can say their lives have been so thoroughly documented. 

(The countryside near Alba)

My last photo post was from Torino.  From there we traveled to Alba and on to Como.  I have yet to look at all the photos from that last week, but I will.  I wouldn't want to miss the memories they represent.  All of our last week, the last day, the last hours are documented in photos. 

(Lake Como)

The last day was a day well spent.  A sit on a bench sharing a panna cotta flavored ice cream, gelato; a day filled with laughter, and good food, and friends and new sights.   All  the things that our life was filled with, all twenty years, no one can ask for more than that; a lifetime of memories. 

 

One Step

 

One step is all it takes

one foot then the next

one foot then the next

one step is all it takes.

 

Our first step and our last

one foot then the next

takes us where we want to go

one step is all it takes.

 

One step backwards doesn't count

one step forward is what it's about

one step then the next

takes us where we want to go.

 

Life melted down

is about one step, then the next

taking us where we want to go

one step is all it takes.

GingerV, Nov. 10, 2012

Ipanema and beyond

A view of Ipanema from across the Lagoa. 

During this past two weeks, Camillo and I have been in Rio, Lisbon and Torino.  Here is a sample of each skyline.

Historic center of Lisbon – a view of the castle from the old city.

Rooftop of Torino viewed from the Palazzo Reale.

The last night in Turin,

Tomorrow we leave for Alba and the Tartuffe (truffles) festival; the highlight of this trip.  Camillo’s sister ask us over two years ago to meet her in Italy for this festival, and then backed out once we got into the idea.  We are both sorry she won’t make it.  The idea of trying many recipes of food and pasta with truffles, and the local wines that are made to accompany the food is of real interest for us. 

Our six days in Torino (Turin) have been fun.  Our hotel is inside the historic center, within easy walking to many sites.  In fact, the map of this area has 58 buildings to see listed and 92 sites of artistic and cultural interest.  (there may be overlaps)  Most of these are palaces (Palazzos) from when the Savoy kings and their courts were housed here.  Torino being the first capital of the unified Italy before Florence then Rome.  Over a three hundred year period, the city went from a remote military outpost to one of the most sophisticated cities in Europe.  (1560 – 1860s)

  

We’ve spent many hours walking, browsing, gazing, photographing and, of course, eating.  I have 3 pair of comfortable shoes with me, a pair of tennis, one pair of boots and one pair very comfortable sandals.  Over the six days, I rotated through the shoes, going out in the morning around 10 and walking until two or three in one pair.  Going back to the hotel for a rest and then going out again around 7 wearing a different pair of shoes.  This works pretty well for keeping the feet (arches) from collapsing.   

The café in the Palazzo Reale -

In the first two days we visited the Palazzo Reale, which is huge; didn’t allow photos and took at least 3 hours to walk through: 

the Palazzo Madama which is a wonderful museum containing furniture, plates and decorative items, and is four stories of history of the Royal period, did allow photos and nearly caused me to drop with exhaustion and gave tremendous joy all at the same time.

 

The Palazzo Madama:

     

  

The Madama had a full room of hand made lace on display.  OMG!

We filled each day, but I will tell of only two more places we really enjoyed.  We took a bus then a trolley (train) up to the Basilica di Superga (the tombs of kings and Queens of the Savoys).  First we got to sit for most of the 40 minute trip both ways, the view of the city is superb, and the Basilica beautiful where it sits upon the hill.

 

And FINAALY : the National Museum of Cinema - the Mole

Mole Antonelliana sede del Museo del Cinema:  This is probably the best known landmark, the most photographed  in Torino.  To tell the truth, I wanted to see the building but wasn’t really interested in the Museum of Cinema.  I was wrong.  What fun.  There are many interactive displays  illustrating the technology of early film and the development of cameras.  Then when you think your feet won’t hold up another minute you, enter a huge room with large screens hanging from the ceiling and lounge chairs with sound coming from in the head rest…. and clips from old movies from the 40’s and 50’s and some 60’s (that we saw anyway in the 40 minutes or so we laid with our feet up) playing on all the screens.  There isn’t a child, of any age, that won’t enjoy this museum.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodnight from Torino.