Window Shopping in Cortona

 

My blogging friend Olga, has enjoyed my pictures from Cortona so much that she was inspired to make some Tuscan Soup.  Thanks for the recipe Olga.  I made your soup in the crockpot.  I like chunkier soup so decided not to blend it and the flavour was delicious. 

I promised Olga some special pictures and I thought she might enjoy these.  Come along and wander with me - you never know what you might find in Cortona.  

Maybe we'll do a little window shopping together... 

When you've finished here if you would like Olga's recipe stop by Olga's Home and Garden Blog.  She shares wonderful recipes and it's always a treat to visit Olga. 

All of the photos can be enlarged by a click...

Thanks for your visits and comments.  Hope that you have a wonderful week.

Sunshine Always!  Sheila

Sisters

Lunch with my sisters...at Buchart Gardens near Victoria - what could be nicer?  This picture was taken almost 3 years  ago but the memory is wonderful.  That's why I love pictures...for the memories.  I wish I lived closer than a two day drive to visit with my sisters but with my computer I can travel back in time and visit my sisters easily. While we were away at a reunion last weekend, my son installed the latest version of IPhoto on my MAC and I have been busy organizing my photos into folders and then watching many types of slide shows with background music.  I'm still learning how to navigate the new system so I may be slower than usual visiting your blog pages, but I just wanted to say I will be back to visit asap.  Hope that you're enjoying the wonderful weeks of August.  Sunshine Always - Sheila

The Flowers of Summer

Within the next few weeks we'll wake up to see the first frost so it's time to enjoy the flowers of summer.  These are some photos I took in Italy and the collage is of flowers in my yard.  I'm enjoying my deck more than my yard these days though.  There are grasshoppers by the millions who are munching on our rows of lettuce, swiss chard and raspberries.  The carrot tops and beet tops have been stripped by some deer and the wildlife too close for my liking.  Yesterday the farmer was filling up the water tank from the pond across the way and he watched a black bear cross the road.  The night before he had to slow his pickup and wait until a cow moose decided to leave her spot in the middle of the road.  She eyed the truck for awhile and then took a step into the ditch and watched the farmer as he drove by.    Hope that you're enjoying the final weeks of summer. 

The following pictures are for Pat.  She commented on her wonderful blog, Mille Fiore Favoriti that New York has a population of 8 million so these signs I snapped last summer while waiting for the ferry to Gabriola Island are obviously out of date but the comparisons are certainly worth noting,  Click to enlarge the signs. If you haven't already discovered Pat's wonderful blog about living in New York City, just click here. You will soon be fascinated with the wonderful pictures of the amazing sights of New York City.
Pat I sure hope you get a chuckle out of these statistics!

Celebration in the Piazza

Cortona is within walking distance of Le Celle, a monastery founded by St Francis of Assisi 800 years ago.  We met some friends from Austin, Texas and decided to hike there one Sunday afternoon.  Once we arrived at Le Celle, the peace, beauty and solitude was tangible.  Soon after we had visited the small chapel outside the cell that St Francis stayed in, we began to see vehicles arriving in great numbers.  We were already aware that there would be a 800 year celebration in the piazza that night but soon learned that a procession was forming up at Le Celle and then the people would be walking over the mountain to the Bascillica of Santa Marguerita and then descending to Cortona.  At 3 pm we were starting to think about walking back to Cortona when I said I wished we could hitch a ride back.  Like magic, my daughter caught the eye of a man who opened his van doors when she asked"A Cortona?"  and off we went. 

At 6pm we joined the throngs of people who gathered to celebrate this very special occasion in the piazza.  We couldn't understand the history that was  being recounted in Italian by a most enthusiastic Friar but we enjoyed hearing the music as the pilgrims arrived and it was wonderful to people watch that evening.  Here are a few of the people pictures I captured that night. People of all ages and walks of life were gathered and it was fascinating to meet some of them and just be part of small town life in Tuscany.

I'm off to join the group at Mary's Little Red House for Mosaic Monday - another gathering of friends...please click to enlarge my mosaic and photos.  Buena sera!