Arrival in Venice – May 3

We drove from Florence to Venice. It was so beautiful through the Apennine mountains, through the Emilia-Romagna region one of Europe’s most intensely farmed and fertile plains. We took the newer road that does not go as high. There are tunnels right through the mountains. Rest stops in Italy were a crazy experience. You have to pay at the cash then get your food. Last stop I ordered a ‘caffe’ and a sandwich successfully. However, I did not realize that the cashier chose a sandwich for me. When I got to the counter, I pointed at one and the server said “No. That one”. I looked on my receipt and sure enough that is what I ordered. We drove through the marshlands to the Venice causeway. Just before we saw a cruise ship being built. They are massive.

Our arrival in Venice was spectacular. First we took the causeway over to the ‘parking island’, then a water taxi to St. Marks square. Venice is meant to be seen from the water. It was a spectacular way to arrive. We checked in right away. Our hotel is just off the square called Splendid Venice, a Starhotels brand. We were in room 518 on the top floor. The room was papered in silver with reflective spots. It is beautiful. We had half an hour or so in the room before our tour of the back streets of Venice. My phone was dying and my charger was in our bags. They came just before our tour, so glad I had the power bank charged. I was so glad to have it.

Water taxi & our room

We went downstairs to meet our guide. Barbara introduced us to Sylvia. A native of Venice, who spent eight years teaching in Japan. She came back to tons of changes. Many shops run by locals closed to reopen under foreign owners. Many people moved away. There are now about 50,000 locals. Tourists crowd this place. But a step into the back alleys and everything is calm. We went to a square where Sylvia showed us the different stages of architecture: Byzantine, Islamic, Gothic, etc. We walked by a school where Moms were waiting for their kids to get out from class. Then the squares, they have a different name in Venice, were filled with kids with their scooters and soccer balls. There was a game of soccer using monuments as goal posts. We even walked by the internet famous bookstore with the gondola inside. Tim took a picture of the street name for us to remember, so I could come back later.

Sylvia explaining the church of the campo, squares.

Right after our tour we met Barbara to go on a gondola ride. She chose the one where we went under the Bridge of Sighs. We waited until the end of the group, so got a gondola for just the two of us. A few boats up was a guitar player and singer. So relaxing. I loved it. Tim got some videos and I took some pictures but really tried to just stay in the moment.

We went to supper. It was multiple courses the best where the lasagna and the dessert. The rest were only okay. Right after supper we got on the water taxi for the Magical Venice tour down the Grand Canal. I posted a couple of videos, check them out on my other website: 2023 Best of Italy CAWcreations

We even got to go under the Rialto Bridge. It was beautiful. Barbara walked us by a bar where Hemingway used to drink and back to St. Mark’s Square. The vibe is so different at night. Some people are really dressed up, and there is classical music played by quartets, and others. we wandered before bed just trying to absorb it all.

Rome to Pisa Monday, May 1st

Bags outside our door by 7 am, meant we were up shortly after six. Alarm is a must on a bus tour. We each set one today. We had breakfast at the hotel. I love the peach juice and the chocolate filled roll. Tim even found a sugar donut. I love sweet treats with breakfast, but still added the eggs and bacon. Check out and onto the bus. This group is really punctual. We have a seating chart. Tim and I are in the back of the bus with Linda, Jeanne and Paula today.

Barbra is good to give us little details about Italy as we drive. We pass many towns on rocks sticking above the surrounding countryside. This was for protection. Viterbo had a very large church where the first conclave was held. In 1268 after Pope Clement IV died, the cardinals met at the papal palace at Viterbo, Italy. They locked the cardinals in because they were taking too long to choose the new pope. Eventually, they even took the roof off the church. Finally, in 1271 the new pope was chosen, Pope Gregory X. Ever since the meeting to elect a pope has been called a conclave. The first conclave held in the Sistine Chapel was 1492.

We drove through Umbria, and Tuscany today. It is so green and beautiful. There are so many different trees and plants. But the green patchwork of farms reminded me on PEI. After getting off highway one, we drove through an area of Tuscany that specialized in nurseries. Beautiful trees many small for patios. Most Italians live in condos but want lots of plants.

Greenwich Beach walk

Tim and I went to Greenwich for a beach walk. We went to the beach that has the bathrooms and change rooms. I was not sure if my asthma would be ok with the humidity. It was beautiful. The dry sand was even squeaky. I really needed it.

2022 end June Greenwich Beach

The fog had not burned off by the time we got there. It was lovely because we felt really alone in the fog on the beach. The water is still cool but very refreshing to walk in. The tourists are coming back and there were others on the beach and in the interpretive center.

The roses beside the boardwalk to beach have already flowered and are fruiting. Up by the interpretive center they are still blooming. I got a great picture (see below).

After the beach, we drove by the UPEI Climate Research Lab, and the UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation. The building was completed in May 2022. It is a beautiful facility. You drive by a bank of solar panels on your way up to the building. I cannot wait to tour inside the space.

After we played tourist. We went through the St. Peters Landing shops. They are lovely. One shop carried MacAusland’s wool, another carried Belfast Mini Mills wool. The other crafts are beautiful. We loved many of the paintings. The cafe had amazing looking treats, but neither of us were hungry. The coffee smelled amazing. It was a lovely morning.

Blue Rodeo in Summerside

We went to the Blue Rodeo concert in Summerside on Friday, March 25. We got there early so no crowds going in. But I was sitting next to someone. It was interesting to watch the crowd. Some people were very careful with their masks, others took them off as soon as they sat down. Jenn Grant and Daniel Ledwell opened. Their act was good. I found that the audio was not so good. I could not really hear her stories and that took away from the performance. It may have has something to do with all the background noise around me. I am so not used to crowds anymore.

Blue Rodeo started with some classic songs. The songs were so good bringing me right back to good memories. They also played from their new album – I Owe It To Myself was my favourite of the new ones. I just do not know those so well. The light show was amazing. The best was standing with the whole audience for the last few songs. Great concert.

2020 Giller Prize Winner inspired me to read some of Poe’s Short Stories

We read a short story collection for bookclub:

How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa was the winner of the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize. I liked the stories fine. Like any collection some spoke to me more than others. Some I did not relate to at all but reading does give us a window into a life we have not experienced. The characters were memorable for sure.

It reminded me of how much I love short stories. This week I read some of Poe’s:

tale — “Eleonora” (text A), pp. 154-162.

tale — “Manuscript Found in a Bottle” (text B), pp. 67-87.

tale — “William Wilson” (text A), pp. 229-253.

tale — “The Pit and the Pendulum” (text A), pp. 133-151.

I spent my high school and undergraduate years reading Analogue and Asimov’s Science Fiction magazines. It is a joy to revisit the short story.

Grief Goes On

I saw this quote this morning on one of my grief support sites. It is so true.

It is so hard to explain to people that I cannot do what I did before. I am not the same. I will never be the same. I am functioning and focusing on what I can do, what I still have.

Mondays have become so hard because once I get the week going I can do the routine. I know I am lucky to be in PEI where I can come to work each day. Where there are very few cases. Where I feel safe at work. It is making that decision each day to go on, to be strong, to be here. Even when I am tired.

Here is to hoping my meditation and gratitude journal can help today. I really meant this to be a strong uplifting post, but sometimes carrying this grief while living a normal routine is all the strength I have.

Free Patters at CAWcreations.org

I have decided that I will begin uploading some of my patterns as .pdf files for free on the patterns section of my website here. Initially, I posted 5 patterns for free. I will continue to add more as each week of isolation increases. Knitting is a wonderful hobby for people at home.

I also created a video on how to make a dishcloth. This year I gave Ireland a skein of cotton yarn and some knitting needles at Halloween. I promised a knitting tutorial to her. A few months later, I did my first tutorial. It teaches the following knitting skills:

• Make a slip stitch
• Cast on (CO) by knitting into stitches
• Knit (K)
• Yarn Over (YO)
• Knit two together (K2tog)
• Cast off

I love this pattern to start teaching because students do not need to know how to purl. They start with only 4 stitches and increase by one stitch each row to the centre of the cloth, then decrease one stitch each row to the end of the cloth. Also, this is going to be used to wash dishes. Perfection is not needed and you can allow for a few mistakes.

I plan to create a new tutorial this week and maybe make a blog post.

Stay safe everyone, and Happy Knitting !

 

A Brick at ICMP

This Weekend we went back the International Children’s Memorial Place to dedicate a brick for Andrew. It was emotional but I think that the anticipation of the event was worse. Andrew’s was near the end of the event and Vicky laid it. I went home with Mom and before we left we stopped at Andrew’s Tree.

We had a very emotional chat on the way home. I was glad to spend time just Mom and I.

I wanted to be able to say where I am at, but I am I not really sure. My emotions are a roller coster. I am back at work full time. When you work in academia you have to be ready for fall classes. This is a journey.

Letting the pain move through

“You have to open yourself up and let the pain move through you. It’s not yours to hold.”  — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Wow… that really made me think when I saw it this morning.

I started letting the pain move on Saturday in my writing and yoga sessions. It was hard to just let the tears and pain flow. The emotions really hit two days later. I hate being out of control but envisioning the pain “moving through” me helps me to see the process. Being stuck in that numb place would be worse in the long run.. I think.

I wrap myself in my healing shawl and let the pain flow.

P.S. For those of you who are interested in my knitting, and knit pattern designs check out my CAWcreations website at www.cawcreations.org.  This blog is more focused on quick writes where I write down my thoughts and publish them right away before I over think and over edit it.

 

Living and Grieving

On the night of May 15 to 16, we got a knock on the door around 1 am. Two police officers informed us that our oldest child, Andrew, had been found dead in his apartment. He was 26. He is gone and I am shattered.

I keep thinking that if I wait a day, a month, two months that this post will get easier to write. I am leaning that this is not something to get through but a complete life change. I am a different person than I was two months ago. Things that were so important to me now seem insignificant. I am foggy all the time. I zone out and miss things. I put on audiobooks so that it can appear that I am doing something but sometimes it is so I can just stare into space without people worrying about me. I did finally start knitting again but it is simple things that I can do without thinking.

Before you start worrying too too much, I am seeing a therapist, and went to an amazing writing retreat on Saturday “Writing as a Tool for Healing: A Life Writing Workshop with Trevor Corkum & Joshua Lewis”. It was the inspiration for Turing this blog into essays on my grief. I just listed to A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis. It helped me to realize I am not alone so maybe my thought will help someone else know they are not alone.

My cup is full to almost overflowing. Little things will send me crying all night. I can barely get through half a day of work  I go home and nap most days even the beautiful summer days. Tim, my husband, instituted the two things a day rule to get through the days. That means that if you get two things done it has been a great day. I have taken it a bit further by doing the following:

• get out in nature each day (sometimes this is sitting on the grass in my yard, on good days it is going to the beach),
• do some kind of self care (might be meditation, massage, or just reading a book and knitting)
• eat properly

The checklist helps. We have planted a number of trees. My friends and family are providing a breadth and depth of support that is so good for me. We endure.