Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) made a series of expeditions across Japan during his lifetime, sketching landscapes, cityscapes, and the nation’s historical and religious landmarks to prepare for his prints.
As I looked at these prints, I realized I had visited many of these places when I went to Kyoto in 2011, and when I was teaching English outside of Tokyo in 2017. Where I have pictures of the places from these prints, I have included them along with the print.
Kinkakuji Temple was first built as a villa in the late 14th century, but later was reconstructed as a Zen Buddhist temple in 1420. This print, created in 1922, captures the scene before a young monk burned down the three-story pavilion in 1950.
iKinkakuji Temple in Snow, from the Series Views of Japanese Scenery, 1922 by Kawase Hasui
Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto, 2011
Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto, 2011
Kiiyomizu Temple, literally, “the temple of clear spring,” was built in the 8th century atop a small mountain on the eastern side of Kyoto, offering a bird’s-eye view of the city. Here, Hasui depicts a temple hall leading to a vast veranda, where a lonely woman holding an umbrella gazes beyond the foliage-covered hills.
Rain at Kiyomizu Temple, from the series Souvenirs of Travel II, 1921 by Kawase Hasui
Kiiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, 2011
Kiiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, 2011
This print illustrates a shaded empty lane, where a lone woman in a kimono walks away from the viewer, recalling the former glory of the area as a home for powerful feudal clans.
Shimobonda Town, Kanazawa, from the series Souvenirs of Travel II, 1921
Asano River is one of the largest rivers in Kanazawa. The first bridge over the river was built in 1594. This print illustrates a picturesque view of a single man walking across a bridge at sunset, while a flock of geese frolics in the water below. Two years after Hasui produced this print, a disastrous flood washed away the bridge.
Asano River in Kanazawa, from the series Souvenirs of Travel 1, 1920 by Kawase Hasui
Lake Ashinoko, which translates as “lake of reeds,” was formed about 3,000 years ago following a volcanic eruption at nearby Mount Hakone. It is one of Japan’s largest and most scenic lakes, surrounded by hot springs, temples, shrines, and villas. Lake Ashinoko offers the best views of Mount Fuji when the weather permits. In this print, Hasui illustrates a snow-capped Mount Fuji soaring between the hills, with cedar trees and a glimmering sky reflecting in the water while a fisherman sails across the lake.
The day was very overcast when I was there, so I sadly had no views of Mt. Fuji, although I was able to see it on another trip.
Lake Ashinoko in Hakone, 1935, by Kawase Hasui
Lake Ashinoko, Hakone, 2017
Kikyo Gate, from the series Twenty Views of Tokyo, 1929, by Kawase Hasui
Otemon Gate, the main entrance of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, opened to the public in 1968. Located at the city’s center, the East Garden occupies 52 acres and features gardens, a pond and a castle. In this spring scene, Hasui illustrates the outside of Otemon Gate, showing the willow trees lining the sidewalk.
A Spring Evening at Otemon Gate, 1952, by Kawase Hasui
Otemon Gate, Imperial Palace, Tokyo 2017
The Meiji Shrine was built in 1921 in memory of Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) and Empress Shoken (1849-1914). Encompassing 170 acres, the shrine is known for its combination of forests and an iris garden. Here, Hasui depicts purple and white irises in the foreground and visitors strolling around the garden.
Iris Garden at Meiji Shrine, 1951 by Kawase Hasui
Iris garden (not blooming) at Meiji Shrine
In this print, Hasui illustrates the corner of Asakusa Temple, on the eastern side of Tokyo. We see a huge stone lantern, and women in kimonos gathering inside on a rainy morning. The intricate details, from vibrant umbrellas to blooming flowers and yellow trees, reveal the artist’s expertise in depicting seasonal variations.
Rainy Morning in Asakusa, 1930 by Kawaase Hasui
Clear Sky After Snow, Asakusa Kannon Temple, from the series Twenty Views of Tokyo, 1926
Asakusa Temple, Tokyo, 2017
Kasuga Shrine is a Shinto site built in the capital of Nara in the 8th century. According to Japanese mythology, a god of thunder traveled on a white deer to Nara, followed by several treasured gods now enshrined here. After 1,200 years, the building has remained the same, with its vermilion columns, white walls, dark cypress-bark roofs, and surrounding green trees. Wandering deer, who inhabit the shrine and the nearby mountains, are believed to be sacred messengers of Shinto gods (kami).
Kasuga Shrine in Nara, from the series Souvenirs of Travel II, 1921 by Kawase Hasui
Kasuga Shrine
deer of Nara
deer of Nara
deer of Nara
Rain in Nara (Tower of Kofukuji Temple), 1951 by Kawase Hasui
Tower of Kofukuji Temple, Nara, 2017
I saw a couple of other random pieces of art, then headed to my daughter’s house so we could leave for Charleston early the next morning.
Olpe (Pitcher), ca. 600 BC
Untitled (2004-7) by Jun Kaneko
Chloe, 2016, by Jaume Plensa
Robinson House
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 2019
(All information came from plaques at the exhibit.)
Last December 15, we went into D.C. to visit Union Market, as well as a couple of museums. We’d heard of it but we’d never been before, and we enjoyed the visit. It was a cool place with a lot of modern hip eateries. We tired a couple of great ones, TaKorean and Arepas. Yum!
Union Market
Christmas tree at Union Market
Union Market
Union Market
Union Market
Union Market
Union Market
Christmas tree at Union Market
tacos at TaKorean
We also found the Latin American market nearby, La Cosecha. There, I found a beautiful necklace and some earrings from Peru. I convinced Mike they’d make a great Christmas present for me. 🙂
We slept in a bit and ate a breakfast, whipped up by Mike, of scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese, apricot juice, a sliced nectarine and espresso. Before leaving for San Gimignano, we walked around the ancient manor of Fulignano, in which our apartment was housed, leaving our Airbnb by 9:40.
manor of Fulignano
manor of Fulignano
pool at the manor of Fulignano
pool at the manor of Fulignano
It was supposed to be cloudy all day and around 65°F. We hoped it wouldn’t rain. We drove along a dirt road lined with cypress trees, rolling hills, vineyards, and beautiful Tuscan homes. We could see in the distance the hilltop town of San Gimignano, with its many towers.
on the way to San Gimignano
San Gimignano from afar
San Gimignano, 54km SW of Florence, is a hilltop town with 14 medieval skyscrapers. At the height of the Guelph-Ghibelline conflict (from the 12th to the 15th centuries), there were over 70 towers built partly for defensive purposes. They offered safe refuge and were used to pour boiling water over attacking enemies. The towers also bolstered the egos and flaunted the wealth of the owners, who competed to build the highest tower.
The plague of 1348 and the subsequent population decline dealt a severe blow to the trading economy of San Gimignano. The crisis led the governors to submit to Florence in 1353, but this didn’t help as the city suffered further decline and neglect. In recent years, the beauty of the town and its architectural and artistic importance have led to economic and cultural revival.
Upon parking in the town around 10:00, we went into the late-13th-century Chiesa de Sant’Agostino (Church of St. Augustine), the second largest church in town after the Collegiata. It is owned by the Order of Saint Augustine. Inside, Benozzo Gozzoli’s 15th-century fresco cycle (1464-65) depicted scenes from the life of St. Augustine, whose work was valuable in developing early Church doctrine. Augustine, like many saints, sinned often before finding God, but instead of suffering through deprivations and martyrdom, he focused on the reconciliation of faith and thought.
entering San Gimignano
a courtyard in San Gimignano
chiesa de Sant’Agostino
chiesa de Sant’Agostino
chiesa de Sant’Agostino
inside chiesa de Sant’Agostino
inside chiesa de Sant’Agostino
inside chiesa de Sant’Agostino
inside chiesa de Sant’Agostino
inside chiesa de Sant’Agostino
inside chiesa de Sant’Agostino
We walked past the Duomo di San Gimignano and the Palazzo Comunale.
Duomo di San Gimignano
The 13th-century Palazzo Comunale has always been the center of the town’s local government.
Palazzo Comunale
towers of San Gimignano
towers of San Gimignano
We went into the Musei Civici, where we climbed the 54-meter tall Torre Grossa, or Great Tower, for views of the town. The tower was built in 1311.
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
view of San Gimignano from Torre Grossa
Then we wandered though the second floor of the Musei Civici, where we found paintings by famous Renaissance painters, Pinturicchio and Benozzo Gozzoli. In a small room off the stairway, we encountered risqué frescoes by Memmo di Filippuccio (1288-1324) depicting courtship, a shared bath, and the wedding of a young androgynous-looking couple, but I somehow missed taking photos of those. The main council chamber held a 14th-century Maestà by Lippo Memmi.
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
paintings in Musei Civici
We went into the Romanesque Duomo di San Gimignano, also called the Collegiata di San Gimignano, full of fine colorful frescoes covering nearly every part of the interior. It was consecrated in 1148. Bartolo di Fredi’s 14th-century fresco cycle of Old Testament scenes is on one wall; the opposite wall shows the Life of Christ by 14th-century artist Lippo Memmi.
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
Duomo di San Gimignano
The Renaissance Capella di Santa Fina, and fresco cycle by Dominico Ghirlandaio, illustrates the life of St. Fina. The small girl had a terminal disease and repented of her sins, one of which included accepting an orange from a boy, by lying on a wooden board tormented by rats. At the moment of her death, yellow violas blossomed from the board.
Capella di Santa Fina
After visiting the church, it started raining, so we sought refuge in a cafe, where we enjoyed coffee, salty pastries, and a blueberry pastry with powdered sugar. When the rain let up slightly, we ventured out, bought umbrellas at a small shop, and wandered around under cover.
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
lavender shop
lavender shop
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
We walked through the Plaza della Cisterna.
Plaza della Cisterna
Plaza della Cisterna
San Gimignano
In our rambles, we stumbled upon the highest point in town, the medieval Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano, a fortress dating from 1353, with a wonderful view over the town and the countryside.
Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
me outside Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
me outside Rocca di Montestaffoli San Gimignano
Back in town, we dipped into a few shops. We bought two black and white photos of little Fiats in the Italian countryside and a leather journal. Mike bought a very stylish black Italian jacket and two nice Italian shirts.
towers of San Gimignano
We left San Gimignano to drive to Volterra around 2:00.
After visiting the Joslyn Art Museum, I went to the Old Market in Omaha, an area of redeveloped warehouses on brick streets with boutiques, clothing stores, bookstores, an artists’ cooperative and gallery, antiques stores, brew pubs, bars with live music, florists, coffee shops, record stores and live theater.
The Old Market in Omaha
I happened upon the Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile: Omaha’s Ultimate Store. It had every crazy thing you could imagine: movie posters, old diners, pencils and pens as a kind of 3-D wall decor, half cars, signs, fenders, m&m characters, popcorn vendors, an Elvis wax figure/mannequin, a pink Cadillac, albums, jukeboxes, table jukeboxes, pinball machines, candy, ice cream, lunch boxes, gumball machines, Cookie Monster, A Hollywood Pinball & Arcade Museum, metal signs, beer cans, old LIFE magazines, movie reels, trolls arranged by hair color, an old fashioned food truck advertising roasted peanuts, carnival pops, jelly beans, red vinyl counter stools, green apple rings. It was a museum of all kinds of things that no longer exist in the world, vintage things, and I wondered who would buy that stuff. It was all for sale.
Elvis and pink Cadillac
trolls
an old fashioned food truck with roasted peanuts
diner
There will be a $5.00 Charge for Whining
Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile
Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile
half a Volkswagen at Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile
Don’t Resist YIELD to Candy
Fender & nose at Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile
m&ms 🙂
diner at Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile
pencil wall “paper”
pencil wall “paper”
Elvis and pink Cadillac
Elvis and pink Cadillac
gumball machines
Cookie Monster
Hollywood Pinball & Arcade Museum
signs
Route 66
beer cans
LIFE magazine
movie reels
cute sign
dining table
trolls
trolls
gumballs
I also walked past an ice cream shop and another fun shop with quirky iron yard ornaments.
Ice cream shop
Iron decor at a garden shop
Iron decor at a garden shop
Iron decor at a garden shop
Iron decor at a garden shop
Iron decor at a garden shop
Wandering around the Old Market, I stopped into shops that caught my fancy. I found a hat maker, and as I was hoping to find a hat, I stopped in to try on a few. As I have a super large head, most women’s hats don’t fit me; they just perch on the top of my head precariously. I tried on a man’s Large hat and I liked it quite a lot, but it was $69, so I didn’t buy it.
In one cute little shop, City Limits, I bought a postcard that said “NEBRASKA…where you can hear the corn grown!” with a tractor pulling a huge ear of corn. I got a good laugh out of that. I was sorely tempted by five journals, but I couldn’t make up my mind, so I didn’t buy any.
Old Market
Old Market
mural near Old Market
Old Market
Old Market
Old Market
After walking all around, I ate a very early dinner at Upstream Brewing Co. I had an American Wheat Beer (with a hint of lemon and a “clean finish”) and a Firecracker Shrimp Pizza: Shrimp, tomato sauce, cream cheese, jalapeños, mozzarella cheese, onions and spinach. Normally $12.25, it was $7 because it was Wednesday night, and the draft was $3 rather than $5. I sat on the patio in the shade with a cool breeze. It was very pleasant, although it was way too early (3:30-4:15) for dinner!
Upstream Brewing Co
Firecracker Shrimp Pizza
What a fun and busy day I had in Omaha, but I was exhausted after all the places I went: Boys Town, El Museo Latino, the Gerald Ford Birth Site, the Joslyn Museum, and the Old Market.
The next day, I would leave Omaha in the dust as I made my way up the east side of Nebraska.
After leaving Greve in Chianti, we drove to Panzano in Chianti, halfway between Florence and Sienna, in Tuscany. A sculpture in a little pool cheerfully greeted us. I said to Mike a line that he hears quite frequently, “Ho fame,” or I’m hungry.
Panzano in Chianti
Panzano in Chianti
We found a lovely place to eat, Oltre il Giardino, under an arbor of wisteria, with magnificent views of the valleys of the Pesa and Greve Rivers. We sat for a long time, huddling against a chilly breeze, drinking “Terre di Prenzano” Chianti Classico, and eating Ravioli ricotta e spinaci a burro di salvia (Ravioli ricotta and spinach with sage butter) and risotto zucchine e ricotta. The pasta and wine did not seem to affect us, except to make us feel relaxed and satisfied, almost ready for a nap.
irises and wisteria at the restaurant
our view over Chianti
Mike under the sky of wisteria
floral bouquets
ravioli
wisteria arbor
me under the arbor
It was such a pleasant and charming place, with the wisteria dancing in the cool breeze, and the sun gleaming from blue skies over the rolling green hills below. It was as if we were drifting in a dream.
wisteria arbor
view over the countryside
wisteria arbor
wisteria arbo
inside the restaurant
After lunch, a short stroll along Via Govanni da Verrazzanno took us to the Old Town Panzano Alto, still partly surrounded by medieval walls. The town’s 13th century castle is now almost completely absorbed by later buildings.
Old Town Panzano Alto
Old Town Panzano Alto
Old Town Panzano Alto
Old Town Panzano Alto
Old Town Panzano Alto
view from walls of Old Town Panzano Alto
view from walls of Old Town Panzano Alto
view from walls of Old Town Panzano Alto
view from walls of Old Town Panzano Alto
The hilltop church in the old town, The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta), was rebuilt in the 19th century on top of a medieval building. It incorporates what was once a tower for the long destroyed castle.
walking to The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta)
The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta)
The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta)
inside The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta)
inside The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta)
view from the steps of The Church of Santa Maria (Santa Maria Assunta)
walking back through the old town
walking back through the old town
walking back through the old town
the new town
the new town
a butcher shop in the new town
a butcher shop in the new town
a butcher shop in the new town
As we left the town of Panzano in Chianti, we pulled over to take pictures of the countryside with its neat lines of vineyards and cypress trees.
Views of Chianti from outside of Panzano in Chianti
Views of Chianti from outside of Panzano in Chianti
After leaving to Galleria dell’Accademia, we headed for Florence’s giant iron-and-glass covered central market. On our way, we stopped at an Italian men’s shoe store; Mike bought a pair of nice leather shoes, which he had to lug around the rest of the day.
We went directly to the upstairs portion of Mercato Centrale to its sprawling food court with trendy little stands and restaurants. The market had an aura of Florentine elegance, with its bountiful Tuscan cuisine. I took some photos of the cute toilets and the butchery shop for my son, who was at that time working for a butchery.
Mercato Centrale
Mercato Centrale
bathroom at Mercato Centrale
bathroom at Mercato Centrale
Mercato Centrale
We got a small snack to begin our grazing for the day at Selezione Formaggi di Qualità Dal: prosciutto, bread, cheese and olives.
prosciutto, bread, cheese and olives at Mercato Centrale
Outside, the San Lorenzo market lined the streets, with mostly leather goods, scarves and trinkets. I accidentally stepped on a painting some guys had laid on the ground. Oops!
We stopped by the Basilica di San Lorenzo and went into its pretty cloister, but we didn’t go inside the church. Filippo Brunelleschi designed the basilica in 1425 for Cosimo the Elder, but he never lived to see it finished. This was the burial site of the ruling Medici family, who made their money in textiles and banking.
San Lorenzo Basilica
cloister at San Lorenzo Basilica
cloister at San Lorenzo Basilica
cloister at San Lorenzo Basilica
Mike at the cloister
me at the cloister
streets of Florence
We then strolled over to Basilica di Santa Maria Novella which was by the train station and not much to look at. The lower half of this Dominican church was completed mostly in the 14th century and its pointed arch niches and marble patterns reflect Gothic design. About 100 years later, yet another architectural style was added.
Santa Maria Novella
We were tempted by a gelato shop but managed to control our appetites. We paused again briefly at the Duomo.
gelato
the Duomo
the Duomo
At another little sidewalk cafe, we had a tomato and mozzarella sandwich, a bowl of Tuscan soup (tomato with lots of bread) and a Limone Schweppes. It was fun to eat and watch people walking by. We saw two couples divided by gender: the men frowned over a large unfolded map trying to decipher it; I imagined speech bubbles floating over their heads – “Thought is life” – while their wives stood obliviously chatting, relying on their husbands to figure it all out.
Chinese tour groups sallied past, led by guides waving yellow flags. A young man walked by dressed as if from 1920: linen shirt, vest, fancy shortish pants, bow tie, straw hat. It seemed as if he came from another century or like someone from right out of The Music Man; maybe he was a poet or writer. Another man walked past decked out in plaid blue pants, a blue shirt, a flowered blue scarf and a blue puffy jacket.
After lunch, we poked our heads in briefly to Bartolucci Florence, a shop dedicated to to wooden toys, and in particular, Pinocchio.
tomato and mozzarella sandwich
Tuscan soup
me as Pinocchio 🙂
Down the road from the cafe, I saw the Pandolfino sign, so I dragged Mike down to look at a shop I’d seen earlier that had been closed. It was still closed and a sign said it opened after 3:30.
The Basilica di Santa Croce beckoned at the end of a big square. The 14th century Franciscan church holds the tombs of great Florentines: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Galileo Galilei, Niccolò Machiavelli, and composer Gioacchino Rossini. It has a busy 19th century Victorian neo-Gothic facade and faces a huge square ringed with tempting shops. We didn’t go inside, sadly missing the frescoes by Giotto in the chapels right of the altar.
Santa Croce Church
Santa Croce Church
postcards in Florence
We found the little scarf shop I’d seen on the first day, Massimo Ravinale, with silk Italian scarves, and I bought two – one for $75 and one for $36. Both were exquisite. The prim and dapper salesman insisted on wrapping them in cellophane and wanted to put them properly in a fancy box, but when I refused, he insisted on a lovely bag. He was obviously frustrated, but I had to carry them all day and I didn’t want the additional burden of a box. He probably shook his head after I left: “Americana…”
We rambled our way to the Arno River and debated whether to cross and climb to the Piazzale Michelangelo, with its bronze statue of David. We decided finally to go for it; we crossed the Ponte Alle Grazie, the bridge east of Ponte Vecchio, and climbed ever upward for views over Florence from the famous Piazzale.
From the lookout, we had marvelous views of Florence and its surrounding hills.
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
Mike at Piazzale Michelangelo
Mike with a Fiat at Piazzale Michelangelo
After enjoying the views, I walked uphill while Mike sat on a bench. I took a couple of photos of San Miniato al Monte, another beautiful church whose green-and-white marble facade is crowned with a 12th century mosaic topped by a gilt bronze eagle. The church is a fine example of Romanesque architecture and, dating from the 11th century, is one of the oldest churches in Florence.
San Miniato
We sauntered downhill, stopping at a rose garden, Giardino delle Rose, and an iris garden, Giardino dell’Iris. We enjoyed the collection of more than 350 kinds of roses and 2,500 varieties of irises along with a magnificent panoramic view. Within the garden was also a refined Japanese garden.
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
Giardino delle Rose
I wanted to go back to the shop near Pandolfino, but we were all turned around and getting irritable with each other. Finally we sat down near the Bargello Museum and found the street on the map. We went to the shop and it was still closed, despite the posted hours that said it should be open. Maybe it was closed because of the Labor Day holiday. It was so frustrating.
Exhausted, we started our long walk back to the apartment. We passed a crazy looking man wearing a furry coat below his knees, grimy fur cuffs around his ankles, and a bunch of stuff jangling around his waist. A girl with dreadlocks wearing dappled leggings that matched her dog climbed on a bus, carrying the dog.
streets of Florence
streets of Florence
We walked past the Jewish Sinagogue with a Moorish design, which housed the Jewish Museum of Florence, but we didn’t go in.
Sinagogue & Jewish Museum of Florence
We continued the long slog back to the apartment, stopping for a beer and two little sandwiches (one spinach mozzarella and one with smoked salmon and greens), and a bathroom break.
We sat on our terrace and had wine and crackers with cheese and prosciutto and enjoyed the warmth and sunlight. Mike make an excellent dinner of Tagliatelle and green beans and pesto. We had a side dish of cooked prepared spinach.
Mike on our “Terrace with a View”
Mike went out to get us gelato at Badiani, opened in 1932 by Idilio Badiani as a dairy and gelateria. The Pomposi family took over in 1993, renovating and expanding the space into a Florentine artisanal gelateria. Mike got himself a cup of strawberry and chocolate mousse and me a hazelnut stracciatella, a gelato variety with chocolate flakes. A perfect treat for our last night in Florence.
After a breakfast of blueberry yogurt, granola and raspberries in our apartment, we went out in hopes of catching the #11 bus into the historic part of Florence. Because it was Labor Day, buses weren’t running on a normal schedule so we had to walk the long haul after all. We stopped at a cafe for croissants and coffee.
the long haul walk into historic Florence
pretty tree
the long haul walk into historic Florence
equestrian statue of Cosimo I
We had 10:15-10:30 tickets to Galleria dell’Accademia (Accademia Gallery) and we were able to get in right after arriving. Luckily it wasn’t too crowded. The gallery has a collection of Florentine paintings dating from the 13th to the 18th century. They were beautiful, but honestly, they all seemed to blend together.
The museum houses Michelangelo’s David, the statue of the biblical shepherd boy ready to take on Goliath (or after he’d already taken him on). In 1501, Michelangelo Buonarroti, a 26-year-old Florentine, was commissioned to carve the large-scale David from a single block of marble.
In the Bible story, the Israelites were surrounded by barbarian warriors led by the giant Goliath. The young shepherd boy David stepped out to fight him, armed with a slingshot. He defeats Goliath. Seventeen feet all, he is the symbol of divine victory over evil, a new Renaissance outlook.
Scholars debate whether this representation of David is before or after his victory over Goliath. His sling is barely visible as though to emphasize that he owed his victory not to brute force, but to his intellect and innocence.
Michelangelo’s David
Other unfinished works were nearby, including statues giving support to the crippled tied in a rope in the Gipsoteca Bartolini gallery.
statues giving support to the crippled tied in a rope in the Gipsoteca Bartolini gallery
In the Nineteenth Century Hall, we found the Gallery of Plaster Casts by Bartolini and Pampaloni. The gallery presents the various types of celebratory, private, or monumental sculpture. The portraits (busts and medallions) belong to a fundamentally private dimension, which Bartolini explored with psychological sensitivity.
casts for sculptures at Accademia
casts for sculptures at Accademia
casts for sculptures at Accademia
casts for sculptures at Accademia
There are many religious paintings in the Gallery. Crucifixion with Four Angels, the Virgin, and Saint John the Evangelist was done by Jacopo di Cione. This is one of the rare works with a blue background instead of a gilded one. The background is still abstract and symbolic (blue was the color of divinity) and is still far from the naturalism of skies in Renaissance painting.
Crucifixion with Four Angels, the Virgin, and Saint John the Evangelist by Jacopo di Cione
Massacre of the Innocents, Adoration of the Magi, Flight into Egypt was done by Bottega Di Jacopo Di Cione. The panel depicts three episodes from Christ’s childhood. The intent was to present the holy stories to the faithful with clarity and simplicity.
Massacre of the Innocents, Adoration of the Magi, Flight into Egypt by Bottega Di Jacopo di Cione
Virgin of Humility and an Angel was done by Don Silvestro dei Gherarducci (1360-1365). The title portrays the Virgin seated on the ground, often on a cushion, instead of on a throne as in a Maestà. The Virgin is almost always depicted holding the Christ Child, offering him her breast. The painter was a Camaldolite monk at a monastery in Florence, where he also painted illuminated manuscripts.
Virgin of Humility and an Angel
paintings at Accademia
paintings at Accademia
paintings at Accademia
paintings at Accademia
paintings at Accademia
paintings at Accademia
Coronation of the Virgin with Angels and Saints is a polyptych, a painting made of multiple panels united in a single complex by the frame. When divided into three parts, it is usually called a triptych. This one is from the Santa Mari di Le Campora monastery in Florence.
Coronation of the Virgin with Angels and Saints
Coronation of the Virgin with Angels and Saints – detail
This piece bears the name of Jacopo Cambi, the embroiderer who stitched it. This decorated the front of the main altar in Santa Maria Novella church in Florence.
Accademia
Saint Yves administering Justice (1405-1410) by Maestro di Sant’ivo depicts Saint Yves of Brittany as he administers justice to the poor, the orphans and the widows. The saint gives all his attention to the poor, ignoring the flattery of the rich. Canonized in 1366, Saint Yves is portrayed in jurist’s robes, which recall his activity as an ecclesiastic judge, and his commitment to protecting the rights of the weakest.
by Rossello di Jacopo Franchi (1377-1456)
Accademia
Incredulity of Saint Thomas with Prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, by Giovanni di Francesco Toscani (1419-1420), illustrates a page from the Gospel where Saint Thomas meets the resurrected Christ, not recognizing him until he places his hand into the wounds.
Incredulity of Saint Thomas with Prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, by Giovanni di Francesco Toscani (1419-1420)
Accademia
Accademia
Accademia
Finally, we saw musical instruments in the Collection of Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici (1665-1713), son of Cosimo III. He combined a passion for art with a passion for music, collecting one of the most extraordinary collections of musical instruments in Europe over only a few years. These pieces are exhibited alongside 17th-century paintings depicting musical life at the court of Ferdinando.
musical instruments at Accademia
musical instruments at Accademia
musical instruments at Accademia
We left Accademia at 11:30, where we were released into the fresh air of Florence.
Here we are, another week of stay-at-home orders, the last Saturday in May. Welcome to my ninth cocktail hour, a virtual world where we STAY HOME and enjoy a beverage. I offer you Cheers! À votre santé! 乾杯/ Kanpai! Saúde! Salud! May we all remain healthy, safe, financially afloat, and hopeful despite the barrage of bad news.
Here’s my Covid-19 diary for the last week. I’m still doing my project for May, which is to take a different walk every day, draw a map and write my thoughts for the day. I’ll now have a resource for when I want a new place to walk. 🙂
Saturday, May 23: I finished reading a collection of short stories by Alicia Erian, The Brutal Language of Love. I’m reading a lot more short stories this year; I bought them many years ago when I was writing a lot of stories myself.
Tonight, after listening to the sad WTF podcast by Marc Maron about the death of his girlfriend, Lynn Shelton, we searched for one of the deceased filmmaker’s movies, the 2011 Your Sister’s Sister, and enjoyed watching it after having Mike’s famous fish tacos on our screened porch. Finally, we had a sunny and warm day!
Saturday, May 23
Lake Newport
Lake Newport
irises
Free Library in Reston
roses are red…
Lake Anne
foxglove
azaleas
pretty pinklets
Sunday, May 24: We listened to the Seventh Sunday of Easter church service from Holy Comforter in Vienna. I found Jackie Thompson’s sermon calming and hopeful. She talked about the “in-between place” we find ourselves, much like the experience of the disciples in the time between Christ ascended and Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to them. She said there were three things we could do during this “in-between time” in our lives: 1) Pray, even if you don’t feel like it, even if you think you have nothing to pray about. Pray in communion, even if only on Zoom. Pray for guidance, for patience, for thanksgiving for the front line workers and helpers. 2) Strip down our lives and look at what we really value. 3) Live in hope, in expectation, that better times will come.
We took a long walk around Burke Lake. So many people were out and about, even with the cool and gloomy weather. I found myself getting annoyed by people who obliviously walked two or three abreast in large groups, pushing us off the path if we wanted to maintain social distancing. I find many Americans are incredibly selfish; many just don’t care about other people. Sometimes I wish we could afford to get an apartment in Europe or somewhere just to escape what our country is becoming.
Sunday, May 24
Burke Lake
Burke Lake
Burke Lake
Burke Lake
Monday, May 25: Today is Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May. It honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It was another gloomy day in northern Virginia. It didn’t feel at all like the normal kick-off for summer.
Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day
Dunn Loring Woods
Stonewall Manor
Dunn Loring Woods pool
Tuesday, May 26: I was finally able to set up a Zoom appointment with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist for Friday morning. They insisted on the video appointment even though I told them I already tested negative for COVID-19. I think it’s a waste of time to see another doctor over Zoom as they can’t take blood tests or do a proper exam.
Tuesday, May 26
flowers near Lake Newport
International Children’s Garden
Aldrin Elementary School
Buzz Aldrin Elementary School
Brown’s Chapel
empty tennis courts
Wednesday, May 27: Today, we had our regular Spanish class by Zoom. It was finally warm enough that I was able to sit outside on my screened porch. For dinner, we got Mexican takeout from Anita’s. They had refunded the amount they charged us for our botched order on Cinco de Mayo, so we felt confident in trying them again.
Since the one ENT doctor would only see me by Zoom, I called another allergist to see if I could make a face-to-face appointment with a doctor. I was informed the doctor is still staying home, but I could see a nurse practitioner. I need to know if I do in fact have allergies, and if so, what am I allergic to? I want to find a treatment that will work, because no treatments so far have done anything to relieve my symptoms. If I don’t in fact have allergies, I will still need to see the ENT about other possible underlying issues.
Today we passed 100,000 deaths in the U.S., higher than any other country. The country is not united in mourning; in fact our divisions are greater than ever. I blame our high number of deaths and our divided country on Trump and his Republican cohorts, who are doing an excellent job of Making America the Worst.
Wednesday, May 27
the gravel trail
ferns along the gravel trail
The gravel trail
St. Helena Drive
dogwoods in bloom
Little Difficult Run
Thursday, May 28: Today, as The Washington Post reported the U.S. now has 100,000 dead in four months, a front page article said there was a good chance the coronavirus will never go away, even after a vaccine is discovered. Experts say embracing that reality is crucial to the next phase of America’s pandemic response. The articles mentions there are already four endemic coronaviruses that circulate continuously, causing the common cold. Many experts see this being the fifth – “its effects growing milder as immunity spreads and our bodies adapt to it over time.”
Today, I finally was able to see a Nurse Practitioner at an Allergist’s office. After doing about 20 tests for allergens, all that came up were: cat dander (I knew about that), grass and dust mites. She prescribed a steroid nasal spray: ipratopium bromide nasal spray to add to my XYZAL and Flonase. I’m skeptical because grass allergies wouldn’t have started in early March, and I know the allergy meds I’m currently taking aren’t doing anything. But I’ll give it a try until I see her again on June 9.
Thursday, May 28
Fox Mill Estates
Pinecrest Swim and Tennis Club
Friday, May 29: Our country is unraveling. Since the police killing of an unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery, in Georgia and, later this month, of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests are erupting all over the country. Many are turning violent. Adding fuel to the fire is not only the systemic racial injustice that is built into the fiber of our society, but the out-of-control coronavirus pandemic accompanied by devastating unemployment, both of which disproportionately hurt people of color. In the White House, the criminal man-child tasked with leading our country shows zero leadership qualities, an utter lack of empathy, and a propensity to blatantly lie and spin things to cast himself in a positive light. Not only that, but for the last three and a half years, he has worked tirelessly to divide our country and to tout white supremacy. I lay all blame at the feet of this so-called president, and to all the minions and sycophants who continue to support him. If he is elected again, I will no longer want to be a citizen of this country.
On another note, this morning on a Zoom call, I saw an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. I told him everything I’ve been through. He said he’d have me come in for a Nasal endoscopy, a procedure to look at the nasal and sinus passages, on June 8. He honestly doesn’t think my problems are related to allergies because of the early onset. He told me not to bother to take the nasal spray but instead to take an acid reflux medicine because constant congestion can be caused by that. Again, I’m skeptical, because I haven’t had acid reflux since I was in my third trimester of pregnancy, and that was 27 years ago! He said it was possible to have the symptoms I have without having other symptoms of heartburn. I’m still holding hope that the endoscopy will reveal something.
As of today, Virginia will begin the first phase to reopen businesses and houses of worship. This phase eases previous restrictions on restaurants, fitness facilities, barbers and beauty salons, other retail businesses and houses and worship. Movie theaters, concert halls, bowling alleys and other indoor entertainment businesses remain closed. Restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries may serve dine-in customers at tables outside, at 50% of their normal indoor capacity. Tables must be spaced 6′ apart and no more than 10 people may sit at a table. A restaurant’s indoor bar area must remain closed. Disposable menus are required and servers must wear cloth face coverings. Fitness facilities can be open for outdoor activities only, and people and equipment must be spaced 10′ apart. Exercise classes are limited to 10 people.
Beauty salons, barbers, spas, massage centers, etc. are limited to 50% of normal capacity and customers must make appointments to come in. Customers and employees are required to wear face coverings. Businesses must keep a record of all clients served, including name, contact information, date and time of service.
Other retail businesses may open at 50% capacity and employees must wear face coverings.
Houses of worship may hold services at 50% of normal capacity. Congregants must sit six feet apart – except for families – and should strongly consider wearing face coverings. There are more details regarding every business reopening.
I’ve already made an appointment for next Monday, June 1 to have my hair straightened as it is chaotically wild and out of control. I also have scheduled a haircut for next Thursday. I’ll be so happy to feel human again!
I was finally able to walk at Meadowlark Gardens today as they are now open, except the Visitor Center and restrooms. It was nice to be able to walk there again.
Friday, May 29
Meadowlark Gardens
irises
Meadowlark Gardens
gazebo at Meadowlark
Meadowlark Gardens
Meadowlark Gardens
iris
iris
irises
Meadowlark Gardens
Meadowlark Gardens
ducks
Meadowlark Gardens
gazebo
water lilies
peonies
peonies
peonies
a glass frog
liriope
The Korean Garden
Meadowlark Gardens
The Korean Garden
The Korean Garden
The Korean Garden
The Korean Garden
The Korean Garden
Meadowlark Gardens
Meadowlark Gardens
Meadowlark Gardens
As of May 30, the U.S. has 1,747,087 COVID-19 cases and 102,810 deaths. Virginia has 42,533 cases and 1,358 deaths. Worldwide cases number 5,952,145 and there have been 365,437 deaths.
For June, I hope to do a daily practice (and I emphasize PRACTICE) of small watercolors. If there are any worth sharing, I’ll share them at the end of June. I also hope to add a bike ride each week into my exercise routine. 🙂
******.
I love this song, “Range Life” by Pavement. It plays in the final episode of the TV series, Flaked with Will Arnett.
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In the midst of all this, what can we do to make the most of our stay-at-home orders? I’ve created a page where I’ll share different ideas I’ve come across of ways to cope during the coronavirus. It is here: how to make the most of a staycation... or how to cope during the coronavirus #Stayathome orders. If you have any positive ways to get through this, I invite you to share: bits of humor, projects, what we can do to help others, how to keep our sanity, TV shows or movies to watch, books to read, exercises to do, etc. Please feel free to express your emotions during this trying time as well. I’m sure we can all relate to any and all emotions you are feeling.
I wish you all the best during this crisis. Stay at home, and stay safe, healthy and always hopeful.
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I’m going to write a cocktail hour/diary about this challenging time, but I’m only going to write one during the month of June, on Saturday, June 27. I invite you to share your own experiences with what we’re going through right now, either in the comments below, or in your own blog post, which I invite you to link below. I’ll try to keep writing this as long as we are suffering through this together. I hope that we will get through it unscathed, sooner rather than later.
After our morning at the Uffizi, we walked across the narrowest part of the River Arno on the Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge. It was built in 1345 to replace an earlier bridge destroyed by a flood. The first shops here housed butchers, grocers, blacksmiths, and other merchants. In 1593, the Medici grand duke Ferdinand I installed goldsmiths and jewelers. The bridge has been devoted to these two trades ever since.
I wanted so badly to buy a small painting of Florentine houses on a hill with pencil drawings on one side and Leonardo-style backwards writing on another side. The artist wanted 65€ for the smallest painting and Mike wouldn’t go for it. Of course, if I had been on my own, I wouldn’t have hesitated. I guess Mike protects me from my worst inclinations!
Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio
We walked across the bridge and got in the line for the Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace, but as soon as we were admitted, we ended up bypassing the palace and going directly to the Boboli Gardens. The Pitti Palace was originally built for the Pitti family around 1460. After it was sold to the Medici in 1549, substantial additions were made.
Giardino di Boboli, the Boboli Gardens, began to take shape in 1549, when the Pitti family sold the palazzo to Eleanor of Toledo, wife of the Medici grand duke Cosimo I. I found the gardens boring, as well as under-maintained. I guess I’m most enamored of Japanese gardens. I didn’t find much appealing in these formal gardens. The landscape designers seemed too intent on taming nature. Because the garden sits on a hillside, it does offer some sweeping views of the city.
Piti Palace
Piti Palace
Piti Palace
Boboli Gardens
Piti Palace from Boboli Gardens
Boboli Gardens
We exited by the Belvedere Fort and thought we were heading toward the Piazzale Michelangelo but we accidentally went down the wrong street: V. Di San Leonardo, a residential community; the road had walled-in homes and gardens on both sides. It seemed to go on forever, all uphill, and we finally had to admit we were lost. We met another guy who had WiFi (we didn’t) and he pointed out on a map where we were.
We passed the Chiesa di San Leonardo, a medieval “pieve” (church), restored in the 20th century.
Chiesa di San Leonardo
interesting motifs
By this time, we were hungry, tired and irritable, so we backtracked down the same road and down a steep hill to the river, where we stopped for lunch at the first place we found, Signorvino.
River Arno
The lunch spot was an ultra-modern wine bar with views of the river. We both had white wine. Mike had plain tortellini and I had a pasta like penne with asparagus and pesto. We were famished!
Penne with asparagus
flowers along the way
Ponte Vecchio – again
After lunch, we followed Rick Steves’ Renaissance Walk in reverse, starting from Piazza della Signoria down Via de Calzaiuoli, which is the main axis of the city; it was part of the ancient Roman grid plan that became Florence. Around 1400, as the Renaissance was underway, the street connected the religious with the political center.
In the center of the plaza is the equestrian statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna.
equestrian statue of Cosimo I
The Palazzo Vecchio is the palatial Town Hall of the Medici. The fortress was designed to store treasures and to keep out looters and rioters. The Fontana del Nettuno, or Fountain of Neptune, is made of marble and bronze. It was commissioned in 1565 and designed by Baccio Bandinelli, sculpted by Bartolomeo Ammannati and other collaborators. The bronze sea-horses are the work of Giovanni da Bologna, often called Giambologna.
church in Piazza della Signoria
Palazzo Vecchio
Fontana del Nettuno
Fontana del Nettuno
We walked past the Orsanmichele Church, originally an 8th century oratory and later, in 1290, an open-air loggia (covered porch) with a huge grain warehouse upstairs. The arches of the loggia were artfully filled in during the 14th century and two stories were added above; at century’s end, the building became a church. The fourteen niches in the exterior walls are filled with statues dating from the early 1400s to the early 1600s.
Orsanmichele Church
Then we walked to the Duomo, Florence’s Gothic Cathedral with the third largest nave in Christendom. Its neo-Gothic facade (from 1870) is covered with pink, green, and white Tuscan marble. The church was begun in 1296 but it wasn’t consecrated until 1436. After generations of work, the facade was finally completed in 1870 in the neo-Gothic style to replace the uncompleted original, torn down in the 16th century.
Florence’s Duomo
Florence’s Duomo
Florence’s Duomo
Florence’s Duomo
The Duomo’s claim to fame is its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446). The dome rises 330 feet from the ground. It’s made of four million red bricks laid in a novel herringbone pattern, held together with eight white ribs, and capped with a lantern.
We didn’t climb up into the dome, with its “dome within a dome construction,” an octagonal form of inner and outer concentric domes. The outer shell is covered in terra-cotta tile, while the inner dome is thicker and provides much of the structural support. Completed in 1461, over a decade after Brunelleschi’s death, this dome was the largest since ancient Rome’s Pantheon.
the Duomo’s famous dome
the Duomo’s famous dome
Neither did we climb the 270-ft. campanile, or bell tower, with its 413 steps. It was begun in 1334 by the painter Giotto.
The Duomo’s Campanile
The Duomo’s Campanile
Neither did we go into the Baptistery, the octagonal building beside the Duomo, or the Duomo Museum.
Baptistery
Finally, we went to Piazza di San Marco, where we caught the No. 11 bus to a stop near our apartment. I knew where we were when I spotted the Pizzaman sign out the bus window.
We relaxed a bit in our apartment, having olive crackers, cheese and prosciutto, and white wine. It was too cool to enjoy the terrace.
We made reservations to go to Osteria delle Tre Panche when they opened at 7:00. They had long tables in a very tight space and Mike was hemmed into the corner. When he had to get out, he had to ask four strangers to move. What a tiny place. The restaurant was in high demand and was noted for its truffles. For a starter, we had Crostini toscani – chicken liver pate with bread. I ordered Tortelli di pecorino di fossa al tartufo: “Fossa cheese” ravioli with fresh truffle. The truffles were thinly sliced on top of the white pasta. It was delicious, but I forgot to take a picture. 😦
Mike ordered an Insalata Andrea (salad with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, grilled vegetables, potatoes, avocados, and grilled chicken). We shared our meals.
We sat next to a young lady from California who was ending her 3-month study abroad in college. She spent all her time traveling everywhere, but she was ready to return home. She ordered the same dish as I did, so I asked if I could take a picture when it came. She said yes, but we left before her dish was served.
We also enjoyed a dessert with some kind of chocolate mousse and pudding and cherries (I think). Of course, we had wine.
Osteria delle Tre Panche
inside the tiny Osteria delle Tre Panche
Back on our cold terrace, we had another glass of wine and enjoyed a lovely sunset.
On Sundays, I post about hikes or walks that I have taken in my travels; I may also post on other unrelated subjects. I will use these posts to participate in Jo’s Monday Walks or any other challenges that catch my fancy.
Here we are, another week of stay-at-home orders, the next-to-last Saturday in May. This is Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.; the holiday is observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It usually marks the official beginning of the summer holidays, with picnics, outdoor activities, and pools opening. This particular Memorial Day will herald in summer without the usual fanfare, at least in Northern Virginia, where we are still in lockdown.
Welcome to my eighth cocktail hour, a virtual world where we STAY HOME and enjoy a beverage. I offer you Cheers! À votre santé! 乾杯/ Kanpai! Saúde! Salud! May we all remain healthy, safe, financially afloat, and hopeful, especially as countries around the world and some U.S. states begin to open back up.
jalapeno cucumber margaritas
our irises
peonies
peonies
Here’s my Covid-19 diary for the last week and a half. I’m still doing my project for May, which is to take a different walk every day, draw a map and write my thoughts for the day. I am so ready for this project to end, as it’s way too time-consuming to do these journals every day. However, I am determined to see it through to the end.
Wednesday, May 13: I’m still doing my Spanish classes on Zoom. I was feeling very depressed today, wondering when this will ever end. We were supposed to leave for Chicago this evening.
Wednesday, May 13
W&OD
mural near the W&OD in Vienna
W&OD bike trail
Trail Users Note
LOVE
Thursday, May 14: We should be in Chicago today. Illinois, and especially Chicago, remain one of the hot spots for COVID-19, and the state is still locked down, so it is good we cancelled our plans. Another 3 million people have filed for unemployment bringing the total to 36.5 million in 8 weeks.
I started a second round of antibiotics today; this time I’m taking Doxycycline Hyclate. It feels like poison.
Thursday, May 14
peony blooming
peony bud
pretty in pink
Governor’s Run
house on Sarah Joan Ct.
Sarah Joan Court
house on Sarah Joan Court
My friend Karen’s old house
Vale Road
Friday, May 15: Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia announced that Virginia would enter Phase 1 of reopening, but not Northern Virginia, which has more coronavirus cases than the rest of the state. He will reevaluate Northern Virginia on May 29.
Today, I finally walked the labyrinth at Church of the Holy Comforter. I love labyrinths and have been wanting to walk it ever since I found out they’d built it. It might have been peaceful and contemplative if not for the landscapers with their loud lawnmowers and weed whackers. I then walked over 3 miles in Vienna, past the first house Mike and I bought after we got married. The house has really gone downhill, as the yard is a shambles and looks like a jungle. I walked past my old friend Julie’s house. When my two boys and her two girls were little, they were all best of friends. I also walked by Nancy McBrien’s old house. She was killed at age 41 in a horrific car accident on the George Washington Parkway in 1996 when two dueling drivers went out of control. My walk was like taking a walk down memory lane.
This should have been our second full day in Chicago. 😦
May 15 – Holy Comforter Labyrinth walk and Vienna (my old neighborhood)
Labyrinth at Church of the Holy Comforter
Church of the Holy Comforter
McBrien’s old house on Beulah Rd.
Wolf Trap Elementary School
Message from Wold Trap
Beulah Rd.
Message from Wold Trap
House on Druid HIll Lane
House on Druid HIll Lane
trail at the end of Druid Hill Lane
trail at the end of Druid Hill Lane
trail at the end of Druid Hill Lane
House on Druid HIll Lane
Drive Like Your Kids Live Here
House in Vienna, VA
our first house, all unkempt
garden in front of Holy Comforter
Saturday, May 16: I’m so depressed about not being able to travel anywhere for who knows how long. I’m getting older and I don’t like having a year or more taken out of my life. I hope by the time I finish this May project of mine, where I walk a different path every day and do a journal page, that northern Virginia will start opening. The first places I’ll go when the time comes: hair salon for haircut and hair straightening, and a spa for a massage. Massages always help me feel better, and as I’ve been sick for so long, I look forward to therapeutic healing. I also look forward to getting back to Pilates. I doubt restaurants will open, but if they do, I’ll go and observe social distancing rules.
I’m on the third day of this antibiotic and it feels like poison. I have headaches, nerve pain in my face and mouth, and nausea and ear pain. Plus, I seriously doubt this round of antibiotics will help my problem any more than the first round I took.
I finished reading The Looming Tower today. I’ve been reading it for a long time, and though it’s not exactly current, it was interesting to read about the the long years of anti-American sentiment harbored by Osama bin Laden and others who brought about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It also showed the bungling by the CIA and FBI and how the two ego-driven organizations could have stopped the attacks had they cooperated. It was an excellent book.
This would have been our third full day in Chicago. 😦
May 16 walk
murals at the end of Cottage St.
murals at the end of Cottage St.
murals at the end of Cottage St.
murals at the end of Cottage St.
murals at the end of Cottage St.
house on Cottage Street
Dead end off Cottage
Cottage St.
house on Cottage
house on Cottage
one for demolition
house on Cottage
house on Cottage
Sunday, May 17: Our church decided to do a Zoom meeting for the service today, but it failed because Zoom was overloaded with graduation ceremonies. I liked the services best when they were prerecorded on YouTube and we could watch them at our leisure (and in our pajamas).
Today, I finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. What a charming book to have read during the pandemic to take my mind off of the events of the world.
Today was another gloomy day and the temps were forecast to be in the 60s for the next week. I’m ready for sunshine and warmth! This has so far been the coldest May we can remember.
This would have been our last full day in Chicago.
May 17 walk
empty school buses parked at South Lakes High School
Langston Hughes Middle School
path off South Lake HS
chalk art
chalk art
chalk art
chalk art
stream
Reston National Golf Course
floral bouquet
Reston National Golf Course
more chalk art
Monday, May 18: The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up over 900 points today based on speculation about a possible vaccine showing promise in early stages, created by Moderna. However, the trial was based on only eight participants and no supporting data or studies have been released.
Today was my oldest son’s last day at the butcher shop in Denver where he’s been working for two years. He quit, so he can’t collect unemployment. He wants to start his own personal training business, online or in person, a dream he’s always had. He wants to spend time developing that, while working gig jobs to support himself and taking online classes. He was miserable in his job, and the timing of the pandemic was making him feel utterly trapped. I guess there is never a good time to make a big change like this, but sometimes, changes simply need to be made. I hope he has success, though I imagine it will be challenging.
We would have flown home from Chicago today.
May 18 walk
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
playground roped off
bench not safe
Franklin Farm (western side)
Franklin Farm (western side)
Tuesday, May 19: The Fairfax County Park Authority will beginning reopening parking lots and all 427 parks in the park system for the Memorial Day weekend. The parks will be for limited use in accordance with safety guidelines from the governor’s office and the CDC. Sadly, all facilities and restrooms will remain closed.
As of today, we have 1,508,957 COVID-19 cases in the U.S. This is less than 0.5% of our population. We have 90,295 deaths which is 0.02% of the U.S. population. Apparently 647,000 people die in the U.S. of heart disease annually, or 0.2% of the population. Of course all lives are important, but I wonder, is it worth it to keep the economy closed indefinitely, putting many at risk of losing livelihoods, not being able to eat or keep a roof over their heads? Not to mention mental anguish, domestic violence, alcoholism and drug addiction, and other fallout effects of the pandemic. I am in a real dilemma about this.
On one hand, the measure of a great society, I’ve read, is how well it treats its oldest citizens. So we should do the right thing and stay at home. Right? But. I am one of the elderly, so I think I have the right to say that this isn’t the way I want to live my life.
Under the dire economic situation, people can’t feed or support themselves and their families. People may die of hunger and be turned out onto the streets. Also, systemic racism and poverty make the poorest people most vulnerable to both the disease and to the economic downfall. It is all a real dilemma and I don’t envy lawmakers and governors having to make these decisions.
May 19 walk
Fairfax Cross County Trail
Fairfax Cross County Trail
stream crossing
Difficult Run
Difficult Run
Difficult Run
ferns
ferns at a slant
Wednesday, May 20: I had another Spanish class by Zoom. In the evening, Mike and I got take-out from our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Enatye. I am so ready to be set free, although I would proceed cautiously in all interactions.
While I’ve been doing my walking project, I drive 10-15 minutes from my house to take my different walks. I’m always surprised by how many people are out and about. I wonder, where are they all going? Few businesses are open, parks are closed, so what is happening? When we drove out tonight, I insisted we drive through Reston Town Center. It feels like people are flower buds all closed up and ready to open, to unfurl, at any moment. There is more of a bustle in the air, a pulsing energy just under the surface, like everyone is preparing to burst out into our alternate reality. I wonder what it will look like.
May 20 walk
crossing under the Dulles Toll Road
Along the W&OD bike trail near Reston
Along the W&OD bike trail near Reston
Curbside Beer to Go
Washington & Old Dominion Regional Park
Yield
Sunset Hill Commuter Lot
Thursday, May 21: It looks like people are getting our local pool ready for a Memorial Day opening. Northern Virginia is still in Phase 0 (lockdown except essential businesses), and the governor will re-evaluate next Friday (the 29th). Maybe people are assuming the best. I can’t imagine pools opening, but who knows?
We are watching the Masterpiece Theater series, World on Fire. Every time I watch it, I feel grateful that we didn’t have to live through World War II. What a horrible time that was for our world. The pandemic is a relatively mild catastrophe, although it is still a dire time.
Thursday, May 21
Waples Mill School
Waples Mill School
Oakton Swim & Racquet
Oakton Swim & Racquet
Friday, May 22: Trump called on governors to open places of worship this weekend and he will “override” them if they don’t. It is questionable whether he has authority to do this, and even if he does, individual churches can decide to remain closed, and people can also decide not to attend. Our criminal president doesn’t care a bit about prayer (he said we need people to pray, but people can easily pray at home), but is trying to kowtow to his biggest supporters, Evangelical Christians. He never fails to disgust me every time he opens his mouth.
I got drenched on my walk today. As I got to the furthest point from my car, the skies opened, and I was wet through and through. When will the gloom and rain end? It seems determined to hang on through this entire pandemic.
Friday, May 22
Upper Glade Trail
a pretty little gate
Hunters Woods pool
As of today, the U.S. has 1,601,434 COVID-19 cases and 95,971 deaths. Worldwide, the pandemic has infected 5,235,452 people (0.067% of the world population) and killed 338,612 (0.004%). What a strange, surreal and unsettling time.
I’ve always loved this video by the Turkish Platonik, the song “Yakup.” I will never stop dreaming of travel…
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In the midst of all this, what can we do to make the most of our stay-at-home orders? I’ve created a page where I’ll share different ideas I’ve come across of ways to cope during the coronavirus. It is here: how to make the most of a staycation... or how to cope during the coronavirus #Stayathome orders. If you have any positive ways to get through this, I invite you to share: bits of humor, projects, what we can do to help others, how to keep our sanity, TV shows or movies to watch, books to read, exercises to do, etc. Please feel free to express your emotions during this trying time as well. I’m sure we can all relate to any and all emotions you are feeling.
I wish you all the best during this crisis. Stay at home, and stay safe, healthy and always hopeful.
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I’m going to write a cocktail hour/diary about this challenging time either weekly or bi-weekly on Saturdays, depending on how much I have to share. I invite you to share your own experiences with what we’re going through right now, either in the comments below, or in your own blog post, which I invite you to link below. I’ll try to keep writing this as long as we are suffering through this together. I hope that we will get through it unscathed, sooner rather than later.
My path less traveled. Rediscovering self after surviving the abuse that almost sunk me. Goal of strengthening and thriving on my adult legs. 👣🙏🏻 #recovery #forgiveness
This blog is for those who wish to be creative, authors, people in the healing professions, business people, freelancers, journalists, poets, and teachers. You will learn about how to write well, and about getting published. Both beginning and experienced writers will profit from this blog and gain new creative perspectives. Become inspired from global writers, and find healing through the written word.
Explore, discover and experience the world through Meery's Eye. Off the beat budget traveler. Explore places, cultural and heritage. Sustainable trotter.
shareable tales of Meery is Meeryable
~ wander.essence ~ 
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