Well … this little piece was written for B&P’s Shadorma & Beyond where we are invited to use the “Lento” and to inspire ourselves with VACATION … I mixed forms to create this little story to a painting sent to me by Paloma last week entitled “Cat in the moonlight” by: Theophile A. Steinlen, 1900
Sitting under the “pergola”* sipping wine, I with my white you with your rosé. The wind gently rustling the leaves, a last streak of sun peeked through the darkening sky.
The children played tag nearby. Soon it would be time for dinner. Relaxing like this after a long day of trekking was the perfect way to pass the late afternoon. Soon though, we would be leaving this corner of paradise, summer vacation was drawing to a close. The children would be returning to school and we to our offices.
“E’ Pronto la cena! Venite tutti!”** the owner of the guest-house called from the terrace door.
summer ends
sipping wine under the arbor
crickets chirp
“Well, actually about a half an hour ago…I realized that everyone looked sort of strange and I didn’t understand the language and … ” her voice drifted off as she looked at the policeman in an evident state of confusion.
The policeman asked her to sit down.
“Why don’t we start with your name, signorina.” he looked at her carefully, she’d said she didn’t understand the language, but she’d spoken to him in Italian.
“Wilma Cummings,” she replied, again in Italian “My name is Wilma Cummings. And you officer, what is your name?”
“Mario Velasco.” he informed her. There was something a little strange about her, both in her phrasing as well as in her appearance, she looked like she’d stepped out of a history book. When did you arrive in Italy?”
“Oh! Last week. April 1st. Yes of course you’re right, we’re in Italy!”
“Yes ma’am, but we’re not in the month of April. It’s December. Do you remember if perhaps you’ve had an accident?” he asked but she didn’t look injured.
“No. I was going to visit Turin’s World’s Fair, that’s why I came in the first place. I got my ticket in March, my universal translator was installed the day before I left, and I’ve been having headaches ever since. Not to speak of a strange deja vu feeling. Maybe that’s the problem! Sometimes the translators do strange things”
Now he was feeling lost.
“Excuse me signorina Cummings, but there will be no World’s Fair as was planned, and of course it was to be held here in Rome, not Turin, but alas, the war … and I don’t understand what you mean about a universal translator.”
“Oh my … but this is 1911 right?”
Velasco shook his head, of course the woman had had some sort of accident or maybe she was just crazy … but on the other hand, she may just be a cunning spy for the English. He thought he’d better call his superior officer. And he began to pick up his telephone …
“Oh damn that agency!” she shouted suddenly “They’ve made a total mistake. Now I understand! Damn, damn, damn! I knew I should have gone to Malibu this summer!” She clapped her hands hard, activating the emergency re-entry mechanism, and she dissolved in shimmer of light.
Velasco stared at where the woman had been sitting, then lit a cigarette.
Next week will be our last conversation meeting of the old scholastic year. As we anxiously await for the weather to put on its summer clothing, so we can too, I thought that we might do a different kind of encounter. Instead of reading articles from a famous newspaper or an interesting post from one of the million bloggers who write over the world, I thought I’d as you my dears to write a few lines. Tell us about you, what you would like to do this summer, what you’d like to do with the knowledge you’ve acquired.
I’ll go first and you follow me!
This summer I’ve been thinking that it would be nice to go and visit places here in Trentino that I’ve never visited. The summer usually means a trip somewhere; Rome, Barcelona, Vienna, Puglia or why not Tenerife or the United States. We certainly don’t lack for beach resorts in Italy, from the Adriatic to Mar Ligure across to the Islands, places to wallow under the sun and just relax are no more than a few hours drive from our wonderful mountains. And yes, I think a week or two at the sea would be great! But for the most part, I’d just like to stay here in our beautiful region and enjoy it.
Soon summer activities will begin in Arco and Riva. The fairs, music festivals and sports events not to speak of firework displays are just around the corner.
We could go to Tenno or Ledro and that wonderful village of Pregasine. Our castle, how many of you have been up there recently, looks over the whole valley and from the top most tower, one gets the impression of being able to touch the sky! I personally love to watch the climbers scurry up the side of the wall, as I lay about at the pool taking in the sun, lazy lady that I am!
I may be lazy, but still once the sun starts shining I like to go to the lake with my bike…this year, I’ve decided to take advantage of the cities’ offer to use one of their bikes, so I needn’t come down from Bolognano, but above all I needn’t bike back up. In fact I’m not supposed to bike up hills! On the other hand, my crazy doctor also said it would be good for me to bike as well as swim and go Nordic Walking…mind all three! The best I could come up with was to take advantage of one of the bikes parked around town…one only has to pay a deposit, which is reimbursed once one returns the key they give you…et voila! Problem solved!
This is the new leg that has been added to the bike path from Arco to Torbole
And of course we have Lake Garda. Of course in the summer, it becomes as crowded as any beach does in Italy. But, biking down, there’s no problem with parking, even less walking. Carrying a picnic lunch and the necessary towel and beach shoes, one can combine sun bathing and a little sports. 🙂
Finally we can keep on biking or walking and go to Riva del Garda. Here the lawns await anyone who wishes to watch the surfers, or just sunbathe. The new bike and pedestrian paths are very useful indeed for both…no longer the problem of a cyclist running someone over!
And here we’ve just scratched the surface! The Castles to visit, the valleys to see and the refuges to hike up to. What of our museums, a day or two in Bolzano…or to the bathes in Merano. The medieval reenactments and pageants. Ah…and the week of the Notte di Fiaba in Riva del Garda (this year dedicated to Tom Sawyer!). So, I may go off for a week or two…but I’m happy I have our lovely region which offers me so much!
Now, I don’t say you have to write this much…I am after all your guide and so it was my duty to write a little more than you are expected to do. Just have fun, jot down a few notes and tell us your plans. Don’t forget to have a great day!
Just to take your breath away…this I will not be doing!
Well…on Monday We Drink Because We Are Poets decided on an original prompt: present a handwritten poem…well original for 2013 anyway! I’m afraid that between one thing and another, I forgot to send anything in. I think it was Freudian actually as I prefer to type than to write. Anyway, Sahm said I was still in time, so here is an old drawing I did many long years ago, I scanned it then wrote out a poem about the Black Cat’s Vacation…hmmm…should have been Black Cats’ Vacation, but who’s going to squeal on me…
This is the original drawing:
Well, as you can see, it’s pretty old and I framed it and wrote the title today with Picasa!
Noreen Crone-Findlay talks about the crafts she loves with her friend, Tottie Tomato. They'll be sharing tutorials, how to's and step by steps for spool knitting, crochet, doll making, small loom weaving, wood working, paper crafts and all manner of other fun crafts. This is a family friendly blog.
Carpe Diem's Tanka Splendor is part of the Carpe Diem Haiku Family. It's a weekly tanka-meme in which you can write and share tanka inspired on a given prompt every Saturday (mostlty, sometimes it will be on another day).
Noreen Crone-Findlay talks about the crafts she loves with her friend, Tottie Tomato. They'll be sharing tutorials, how to's and step by steps for spool knitting, crochet, doll making, small loom weaving, wood working, paper crafts and all manner of other fun crafts. This is a family friendly blog.
Carpe Diem's Tanka Splendor is part of the Carpe Diem Haiku Family. It's a weekly tanka-meme in which you can write and share tanka inspired on a given prompt every Saturday (mostlty, sometimes it will be on another day).
Bastet and Sekhmet's Library 