SUMMERS'S END

It’s getting toward the end of the last weekend of the summer. We got up early and took a walk for pictures and then went to the beach early. The weather has been really decent, with temperatures ideal and just enough sun and finally, no wind. But clouds rolled in while we were at the beach, and the water reminded us that it had never really warmed up this summer the way it had the other three autumns we have spent here. Yes, this is really our fourth autumn here in Sciacca at Baia Ranella.
But as I said, it is approaching the end of family time here at the resort, so people are packing up, saying good-byes, making their last memories. Late this Sunday afternoon, it is loud out there, with the last bocce game of the tournament, the last soccer 5 on 5 matches of the schedule, kids running around screaming at each other, and couples and families walking and everyone waiting for the annual meeting of the condominium later today. I will sit this one out, having gone for a little while last year. They are mostly boring, but this year there will supposedly be a changing of the guard, so maybe there will be something more interesting to do and see. It is almost 7 and was supposed to start at 6, but you know the only one there on time would be Steve.
At the beach this AM, we watched the last sales by the African peddler that has been plying the beach with the same jewelry all summer. He is a friendly guy and will approach with a box of rings, and then open his case and spread out all his jewelry for you to see on a beach towel. I can’t imagine he makes much money doing this though his prices are pretty fair. But it’s funny to see the buying frenzy as he opens up his case and starts.
Also this morning everyone had a camera. We had our pictures taken several times with poses with all our friends. So I took a few shots of some of the photographers. Enzo and Melitto are pretty good, so maybe they’ll send some of their shots to me to post later. Everyone loves to pose for pictures here in Sicily.
Soon things here will be tranquil and boring again and the nationally televised soccer games that started today will consume everyone’s time and imagination. Forza Palermo!

FORMAL DINNER

Last night we attended the end-of-summer formal dinner here where everyone got dressed up and we paid $25 each to be treated to a formal sit down buffet. Impossible? Well. We went in an orderly (more or less) fashion up to the buffet table and helped ourselves while the music played and our official Baia Ranella singer sang her US oldies. Then on the big screen was projected the slides of the rest of the summer (which we had missed being away and all). Flowers were passed out to all the ladies, and a good time was had by all. We left early to get home to see The Sopranos (in Italian) on TV at quarter after midnight. They will not show it earlier so that anti-defamation people will not get too angry about the US depiction of Italians. Also shown very late are Sex in the City and Saturday Night Life (the last is in ENGLISH dubbed Italian, the only mainstream station show like that.). Sarah Jessica Parker sounds cute in Italian!

THIS WEEK IN SCIACCA

It seems like we never left! Everything is familiar and comfortable and we are sleeping for great amounts of time to make up for our lost sleep in the states. We have caught up with the newspapers and the magazines and the goings on of our friends. And the summer shifts into the end-of-season activities and we smile and know the noise will end soon. The other night we attended a play at the cavea (dance floor area) here, and we will participate in the covered dish supper tomorrow and the formal dinner Thursday. Last night we went into town to walk around, have excellent arnacine at La Grotta, and observe again the mating rituals of pre-pubescent Sciacca kids. We visited an art gallery and one of our favorite old churches, Santa Margherita, which usually has an art show, but this time it was just open to show the restoration work. Then we attended the last night of the first annual Sciacca jazz festival, and got tee shirts to prove it. The scene was the ex-convent of the Jesuits in the middle of town, a wonderful open-air spot. The music was awful (some singer with a bad operatic voice singing Beatles songs) but we have high hopes for the future success of the festival.
The dead garden is ok, because I got a cherry tomato plant back from Franco and Giusie upstairs and a nice basil from Paolo. Paolo’s flowers are gorgeous and his basil is like a jungle growth, overpowering his roses, proving that you CAN plant directly into the composted sheep fertilizer, which I thought was impossible. My hot red peppers are producing, and there are green peppers still on the vines on the patio. So I have enough growing to keep me happy as I look forward to the fall garden. Melons, pears, peaches, nectarines, and green grapes are all in season, so we have great fruit salads everyday. Steve is holding the cucuzzi that Paolo gave us, and thankfully, the huge amount of figs that Steve picked the other day got dumped back to Paolo’s house.
We had Sunday pranzo at Paolo’s yesterday with Maria and Alfonso, Ignatzia’s sister and brother-in-law, visiting from Staten Island. She is a fellow writer and is looking for a publisher of her book of reminisces and authentic Sicilian recipes. They are visiting friends and relatives here, and it is so nice to be able to finally meet Maria after corresponding with her for so long.
Everybody is mourning the cold summer with temperatures barely exceeding the 80’s and constant winds. I cannot agree. I think it is perfect, even though the sun is still too strong to do much when it beats against the front of the house in the AM. So I just do things in the house then and go out when it is a little less fierce. The beach looks awful with wind driven algae everywhere, so we have taken to going to the big beach at Capo San Marco.

MEXICO 2005

How wonderful it is to be home after almost a month! I slept almost all day yesterday after an entirely sleepless plane ride (well, I DID nap for 20 minutes or so a few times after the international flight). As I get used to my Italian keyboard again, I feel the breeze from an unusually cool day (70’s!) and the freshness of after-rain that is so unusual here in summer. Yes, it was a little welcome home present about 6:30 this AM, a real thunder and lightening storm. Since my biological clock is so off, I was up and wide awake at 5:30, so I got organized while I drank my coffee and watched the storm and I am ready for the summer season here after less than 24 hours home. I will also be ready for a nap soon!
We are slowly getting back into the social swing too. Paolo came over earlier to invite us to have “latte and biscotti” instead of coffee (milk and cookies) with he and Ignatzia and Giusy. I think they missed us! He mentioned that he wanted us to get together with his in-laws, Maria and Alfonso, from Staten Island. So we’ll go to the Sciacca market together with them tomorrow. We have seen most of our neighbors and friends by now and yesterday had to turn down dancing to a live band with an 11 PM dinner last night at our complex’s “cavea” (dance floor/recreation area). Thank goodness for earplugs. Tonight is live comedy theater there so we will probably go to that.
I am posting some Mexico pictures so that you can vicariously share the most laid-back vacation trip that we have ever had. I am sure Jr and Jo agree that it was all that we hoped it would be in terms of relaxation. The only real thing we did besides eat, sleep, and swim in various locations was an inspection tour to Tulum to see what damage our other time share sustained in the recent hurricane. What a surprise! We found the place totally in construction mode, with building going on on all three sides . The expansion is a welcome surprise, and we hope to enjoy our two bedroom unit with Jacuzzi on the terrace in January this year. The last 5 pictures are pf the Tulum resort Sunscape.
Cancun was so warm that all we did was slide in and out of the pool all day, and then up to our air conditioned apartment. The scenes you see of activity were enough to put hair on Steve’s head!

US TRAVELS

We went from Jane and Woody's fabulous cabin to the class of 1965 of Dunkirk High School's second 40th reunion, and then on to the Mancuso family reunion at the home of Andrea and Dave Caccamise. Her is just a sample of them all, along with a few shots of my favorite daughter, son, and other various relatives.