Nothing like Fresh Tuscan Pee Spray (urine-ee-oo)

Up nice and early this morning and I MADE BAGELS! Got some flour at the Coop yesterday- its super fine flour- not quite for pasta, but close…so between that and the wanky oven, and the greek yogurt I’m assuming is yogurt because it had greek writing on it….I wasn’t convinced it was going to work out, but it did! Yes I am a freak who brought baking powder and everything bagel seasoning from home in my luggage. I can only imagine the conversations in security when they scan our luggage….”what is that powder in there….and why are there wine glasses and fairy lights in that one? And is that a portable toilet and a bag of large washers????” I’m sure we keep them entertained…
During breakfast Nicole and I talk about all the days we have left and all the things we want to buy, and all the gelato we want to eat (Tuscany has the BEST gelato- the salted caramel is insane, and the chocolate like cold creamy cake batter). Gary on the other hand only talks about the weather and how difficult it will be to get our luggage into the places we stay. Its like an obsession. We can be in the middle of a convo about world hunger and Gary will just randomly chime in with “I think if we were willing to pare down on our toiletries, hang all our dirty laundry out the windows of the car, whittle all the leather you girls bought into underpants and shave our bodies completely we’d be able to get all luggage into the hotel in Amalfi in one trip……we decide the luggage will get to the next stop fine. We will use Gary as a conveyer belt and roll his body down the hill. Easy peasy.
As we leave for the day- we all start to make our way to the car- but then Chris is the only one at the car- because we have all gone in different directions, Nicole to check the temp of the pool- Gary to take a picture, me to see if the reception is open for a nice bottle of wine to bring with us. Chris points out that we have always said a group of Muppets is called a “stagger of Muppets”….however that must be the evening group of Muppets. The morning group of Muppets is called a “scatter of muppets”. You get a group of well rested Muppets and lord knows where they will end up. The need to be leashed.
We spend the day in Volterra- a nice 30-45 min drive through the Tuscan countryside. We go to a market (its market day in a different hill side town every day in Tuscany- and today is Volterra) and get a rotisserie chicken and fries as we always do at the market for lunch tomorrow… and then shop our way through the town, eating pizza and buying alabaster and a few spices for dinner. Back to the car with a bottle of wine from a local vineyard and a view to finding a spot for a quick pour. We pull off the road onto a dirt pathway and find ourselves in a perfect valley- and at an abandoned villa. We pull in and pour up- giggling and chatting. And then the inevitable happens, Nicole decides she has to pee. I am designated as the blanket holder – and both car doors open, me doing my job and holding up the blanket so that none of the many many people here in a valley at an abandoned house can see her (insert rolling eye emoji here…). Its all good until I realize that I can feel her pee spray on my legs. And the more I scream about feeling the pee spray the harder she laughs, and the harder she pees, and I’m now urine drenched- and I obviously will not be touched for the rest of the trip given I’m married to Mr. clean. I’m almost worried I will be ceremonially burned when we get home. The things you do for your sister.
We meander our way back to the villa, stopping for supper supplies- tonight is Bacon Carbonara- a definite favorite  and all gather at the pool for a nap and another bottle of wine.
Dinner is served and enjoyed with Andrea Boccelli playing. The rum is gotten into- and we know its time to go to bed when Gary starts to mess up quotes. This is the usual cue. This time he tries to say the most recent of sayings we are overusing- “you can lead a muppet to water but you can’t make it think”….which he slurringly turns into- “you can leave a muppet in the water but you cant feed a horse”. Yup. Bedtime.
Up early again the next morning, we finish our breakfast and leave for the Fiat – but on the way out, Nicole THROWS herself at the ground. I have never seen anyone go down like that! There is a really weird step at the entrance of the villa, and we are talking non stop like usual, and next thing I know Nicole is on the ground. And she penguin-ed it…keeping her arms at her side and only just at the last minute sticking her hands out ever so slightly in hopes of catching herself. We all rally around and help her up- she’s twisted her knee pretty bad so now she waddles even worse then she “Drover naturally” did before- and given my natural waddle also- we may just knock each other out if we walk next to each other and get going too quickly. We will have to be separated for the day.
We decided to explore Chianti for today- opting for the steeper hills, sangiovese grape vineyards and olive tree fields. The other option was the Crete Sense drive- with its wide open fields and lone trees. Equally as beautiful- but chianti wins- so off we head- in the direction of Greve- pretty much the center of Chianti. We have packed a pretty great picnic, and I have all my art supplies. I’d love to be one of those artists that just needs a cup of dark coffee, a piece of paper and a few lose hairs to paint with…but that’s not my style- taking up a ton of real-estate in the trunk just in case I want to sculpt, weave baskets, oil paint or make textile art. Its ridiculous, but I find it very comforting to have allllllllll my supplies with me. I mean, I’m exaggerating- but its every watercolor I own that’s for sure.
We drive along and at first I take a lot of pics, but eventually, I realize that I need to just enjoy the moment through my own eyes, not the screen of my camera. Its interesting the difference between when you first begin to travel and when its become a priority. At first its like new love, you spend all your time worried it could be over at any moment- you are so in love and filled with happiness that you immediately have a preoccupation of what it would feel like if it disappeared- marking every milestone and celebrating every moment with the agenda of progression into more. As time goes on though, you realize it isn’t going anywhere- it will always be there…your love is strong and sturdy. You don’t think about the loss often, because its almost too unfathomable- opting instead to experience things together and have your shared memories-realizing that these will be something to pull from in darker times if you allow it to sink in. Travel has become the same….the first time we traveled internationally, it was to Italy- and I remember buying every purse I saw, every trinket I liked. I took pictures of everything I found pretty, every person we met, kept the corks of every bottle of wine. Hell I still have unopened bottles of olive oil from the wineries we visited- long since gone off- so preoccupied with the idea that it could be the last time I visit- that I need to have mementos of every memory – something to spur the feeling of those moments….now? Now I drink the wine slower, remember the conversation-not the bottle. Use the spices I got at the market while I’m cooking here- instead of bringing them home to recreate something. I realize it will be here- all of this fodder- when I’m available to come back- and I’ll always make myself available to come back. Old loyal love- not young puppy.
So we drive for a while, and then try to get lost. Take a road that looks narrow and well traveled, but by vespas and feet, not busses and rental cars. It works and we find ourselves in a valley of olives and grapes, tall cypresses and gnarly fruit trees. Nicole and I almost yell- STOP THE CAR in unison when we see the perfect spot, me for a watercolor session, her for a walk among an olive grove. While the others set up our picnic of market chicken from yesterday-aioli, pecorino and olives- I set up a blanket on the grass and situate myself for the perfect painting view. Out come the watercolors and the new fresh coldpress paper- and I begin. I lose myself in the groves, the lines of the fields and the purple mountains in the background, the tall long meandering strings of dark green trees. I could paint the entire scene with different saturations of only 2 colors. Chris brings me wine and a few wild flowers for my kit. I’m exactly where I want to be- would be at a loss to think of anywhere else- only-if pressed-able to come up with a short list of who I’d love to share it with, my 3 muppets at the top- Traveling to celebrate, and traveling to forget…remembering that every important thing we’ve celebrated or forgotten has been done in Italy for the past 10 years.
I finish my painting and join the others for the picnic. We giggle our way through a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of wine. And as the clean up begins, I sneak away for another quick paint against an olive tree while Nicole and Gary go for a walk….Chris watching me paint. He loves to watch me paint-often my sidekick when I break out my watercolors outdoors.
We drive home- well, Danny Ricardo drives home- dear lord…Chris is definitely pretending to be an F1 driver- driving like Hurry from Nepal in 2019- preferring his Muppets shaken not stirred…we convince him to stop at Verrazzano Winery for a quick “please don’t make me puke” break. This is a favorite stop every time we come- he was the first to map Nova Scotia- and the shop keepers here are always excited to hear we are from Nova Scotia when we stop- NS written on all the t-shirts.
We stumble upon a market in another town on the way home- and gelato and flowy italian clothes are the buy! (I treat my body like my visa on Vacation—kind of a “we’ll sort it out when we get home” situation).
A stop at the market for supplies and we are off to home- I make Bolognese right away so it can sit for the rest of the afternoon in the oven! Tonight’s dinner will be amazing- by our standards anyway- even if the italians would think it was swill haha. All the Tuscan ground meat and cream- an amazing béchamel for the top. Then its off to the pool to do a little more painting for me- I’m on a roll  and just as I sit under to pergola in the heat- the thunder starts. There is no single thing I love to paint to more then the sound of thunder. A little rain patter and the scene is complete. I paint a nice one for Gary (he is my only art collector- he tells me he loves my paintings…I’m not sure he’s telling me the truth- could be a kid situation where he just keeps them on his fridge and tells people that his little sister in law did it- isn’t it cute!!!). who knows.
Dinner is had and a plan is hatched for a trip into town for some gelato. The gelato place is open until 11pm- so off we go- a nice 10 minute walk to the town. The light is just fading- the shops are all closed- and we get to see the town as the locals do. The bus tours all gone, and the locals come out to get their town back- enjoying the quiet and each other. The icecream is the perfect end to the rich Bolognese and we sit at the fountain in the center of a perfect square.

After our ice cream, We end up at the next square, a form of amphitheatre meant for important artists and meetings. But if you find out you have these acoustics…there is only one thing you can do. Quote the marriage speech from the Princess Bride. which i do. Loudly. To the delight of my muppets, and the despair of all those around us.

We look at our pics from the day- Nicole designating which pics I can post and which I cannot. Things get awkward when I say- “I got the nicest pic of you and gary….” And go to show her the pic….as I’m scrolling though I find one of me walking down a pathway…and I pause- I kind of like this one…and she says loudly “NO NOT THAT ONE- I look WAY to fat in that one.”……. now she’s limping on both legs. And she’s no longer my sister. And she’ll be paying for that one for a while. She spends the walk back to the car begging for forgiveness….saying awkward things like-“but I’m just saying FOR ME I THOUGHT IT WAS BIG.” Shes busy digging a hole- and I’m enjoying her scramble too much to let her off the hook…I couldn’t care less- but wow is this gold. YEARS of payback! WINNING!!
We slowly walk back to the car, grabbing a walking pizza slice- and limp back home for bed.
Today gave me ALL the things that I needed from our return to Italy, and we’re only 3 days in. Off to bed to watch the F1 race in Miami (the only reason we are allowed to turn the tv on). Tomorrow is a free day, which means we will all roam around until Nicole tells us it time to do the things.
Until the next leg of the adventure peepes 