Two friends chronicle and compare their families' adventures when one moves There (to Bologna, Italy) and one stays Here (Cold Spring, NY, USA).
Autunno/Inverno 2013
“At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world: Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening.” –Annie Dillard
Contrary to Ms Dillard’s beautiful words (which the lady in that right-hand column over there sent me because we share a love of being outside), I find that I live in nature that can be so striking that it stops me in my tracks, commanding me to pay attention to it because it is ready. On Tuesdays, I’ll share photos of those moments when I have no choice but to stop, focus and listen.
To get started, here’s a look at how our countryside and town changed from September through December.
(Click on pics to enlarge.)
September wine harvest.
Fall crept in slowly. In Casalecchio, the Piazza’s trees were just turning yellow in late October.
The wheat fields around our house looked like a martian landscape after the October harvest.
Chicken crossing at the end of the road leading into the vineyard. Late November still looked pretty green!
In mid November, after a busy 2 weeks away from home, we found we had a beautiful bright persimmon tree in our side yard!
Grape vines in December. No snow yet (kids are peeved about this) but the hills are often fog-covered (not as fun as sledding apparently) and the weather is pretty mild, mostly in the 40s, with the occasional jump into the 50s or dip into the 30s. (Photo cred: Erik Sundquist)
