Musings

We got caught by the spring weather today.

And, we caught mass at the famous duomo (cathedral) at Monreale, outside of Palermo. The roof is so far above, it’s hard to fathom. Plus, the glow of the gold when they brought the lights up for mass almost took my breath away. Probably no one, perhaps intentionally, recorded how many laborers worked to build this building, begun in 1174. The local masses made a poor showing at today’s noon mass, and the priest criticized us tourists for showing up. We got that much from the Italian.

Still, we did cough up 6 euros each to visit the cloister, which meant we got to walk all four sides of the huge courtyard. Very scenic, surely, but I also got a bit queasy thinking about the lives lost so this could be built and decorated. I didn’t have time to study the Byzantine mosaics, just caught their gleam, mostly.

So, we stopped at the first picture last (yes, they’re not in chronological order). I hesitate to mention that we descended through a side door to look at catacombs (called a necropolis here if it is Greek, Roman, or early Christian, but apparently not if it is more recent) with embalmed or otherwise preserved corpses of Capuchin monks and community notables dating to the 1800s (older ones were not on view). Exceedingly strange. Prominent signs read No Fotos and No Film, as well as Show Respect (approximately). One said No Flash; I guess they were relenting a bit. Strange, considering high windows were open to the rainy outdoors, although the rain didn’t come in, just the terrifically humid air.

Milling around before we left, we saw a bier being loaded into a van through a door next to the entry. I saw the shoes through the glass, so I know someone’s remains were, shall we say, going on tour.

The rain’s back, we have a good internet connection, and we’ve talked to some home-folks, and that’s all for now.

Posted at 1:07 PM | Comments Off on Chased by rain, we experience…strangeness

We avoided switchbacks, and their alter egos—tunnels, and took the funavia to historic hilltop Érice, which the Greeks called Eryx.

We saw churches (there are, I read, sixty of them), castles (or at least crenellations), lots of alley-streets, a few dogs and cats, some tourists (but it could have been worse), balconies, gated courtyards, and a few piazzas and salitas (“little rooms,” or openings smaller than a piazza).

When a cloud settled atop the city, we ducked into a Caffé for coffee and a sandwich, emerging when we felt the temps warm a bit.

One souvenir store we ducked into had a small shelf of Kodak 35mm print film above the cash register; I wondered what the expiration dates were on the boxes.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Seats eight

Luck is fleeting, ephemeral, and sometimes local.

Meteorological rainbows passed over us in waves last night, with the last, shown here, abandoning us by the wee hours. The Guru stood watch, with our basement refuge ready.

Tornadoes visited people to the west and north, and, since some hit urban/suburban areas, whew, the damage is extensive. Here, the street now is half-dry.

Here on our little street, we are lucky and fine, if a bit tired.

Posted at 6:15 AM | 1 Comment »

Rained much of the night. By early mid-morning, the road had dried, yet the clouds lingered, adorning the skies with roiling shades of grey, as is common across the Great Plains.

Posted at 9:31 PM | Comments Off on Clouds in a lather

I’ll pass on the “fudge” covered potato chips incorporated into the Fallon tribute flavor.

No, it’s this morning’s pollen count. (Sniff, sniff—and that’s after today’s ration of loratidine.)

Meteorologists say there’s a big storm coming through tonight, so that should bring that number down. However, it’s not all coming up roses, since the storm is predicted to bring wind, too….

Posted at 1:53 PM | 2 Comments »

These daffies are in the front yard, a legacy of the border from our old walkway. I need to transplant them…. Photo from before the rain.

Winter rains arrived today, and I’m glad. I don’t feel quite so cooped up and trapped by winter’s short days and inclement weather, so having a bit of the life-giving precip seemed rejuvenating. (That’s an unfortunate circular argument; maybe it seemed timely? Something.)

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Bicolor beauties

Weird weather all day, and the worst is pending momentarily.

Posted at 5:51 PM | 1 Comment »

I thought someone had declared today go-to-the-park day ’cause we saw so many people there. People and dogs. Cops on motorcycles. People on in-line skates and bicycles. People napping on blankets, playing with kids, dogs, other people. Mostly, folks were strolling. Like the Guru and I.

Posted at 4:48 PM | 1 Comment »

We did have snow overnight. I took this at 5:30 am (perhaps even earlier than KW emerged), and the melt-dripping was already nearly a sound-symphony.

So…not frozen. City not paralyzed. Just some strange light from the snow reflections as dawn crept in on little polar bear-cub feet.

Posted at 8:43 PM | 1 Comment »

To catch up since yesterday’s post was terribly early, weather issues arose, and we changed our plans to scoot a day early from the Midwest ahead of the…(pause)…pending…(pause)…snowpocalypse.

Thankfully, KW, GG, and Mouse could change plans and accommodate us, and we joined them for a too-short evening of high spirits and excellent lasagna. Thanks so much!

All too early, we tore ourselves away and headed off into the darkness, (of course) with our night-person at the wheel (yawn).

Today, we arose to brilliant sunshine sparkling across fresh (almost but not quite new) snow, belying the weather system to the west and moving east.

Once again, we turned our collective (personal plus vehicular) noses southward and motored toward the Ohio River.

The Guru suggested a diversion to visit the infamous Golden Lamb Inn, Ohio’s oldest hotel and Ohio’s longest still-operating business. We found it terribly quiet, which meant we could check out all but one of the guest rooms, as well as all the dining rooms, and the pub. I found the light streaming in the windows dramatic, and difficult to photograph in keep-moving snapshot mode.

As you can tell from this trundle bed. Photographed through glass. Which didn’t help.

We made another detour mid-day in Cincinnati, but perhaps the Guru will write about that. I enjoyed it immensely. Short version: the television business is continuing its revolution, and I’m very glad that some excellent people are able to stay in place and wisely guide its ethics, aesthetics, and community involvement.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Scurrying in advance