Card 06

Snow in Venice?

Sorry it is hot in Boston ... perhaps this image of the snow here will cool you off (?) Snow? April? Well, look again, it is flowers!

The apartment is simple but large and clean and light and with heat. The kitchen is definitely workable. The weather has been on and off. We did get to see some Venetian flooding and got to walk on the board walk. But mostly it starts off cloudy and misty and breaks in the afternoon with beautiful Adriatic sunshine. It remains cool 50-60 F.

We are walking and walking. Today the rain has been in place for three days, the water level has risen above some of the sidewalks, and they are installing the flood raised walks. Wheeee!

I have taken lots of photo's but painting on location is a challenge because of the uncertain weather changes so I have had to be contented to paint a still life of a Venetian pumpkin slice. Tonight however I will make a black risotto using cuttlefish and ink. The cheese man and bakery girl are very friendly to repeat customers here. It's not often they see tourists cooking. The cheese man sold JB cured horsemeat and told us to serve it with a little lemon and olive oil . It was very lean and good. It's a specialty here probably adapted from the Austrians. We have also tried mule hard sausage which I can't really say in very different from other good salamis.

Slowly but surely we are seeing all the sights, learning to avoid them on weekends when there is an increase in tourist for the day or weekend. They are mostly European- Italian tourists and many French. It's really very calm considering what I have heard it can be like.

Time for breakfast...a shower then a day of just hanging out and time to finish my still life.

Yesterday we spent walking around a little island called Torcello. There aren't too many tour groups here but lots of school children groups. This week is "Italian cultural week" so lots of the museums are free. The weather is improving but not as much as I would like to paint. I can't start one too late because would get never dry enough to take home. -- M