My Trip

It is so nice to be missed, I missed all of you too, my dear Internet friends. Our daily chats were gone so abruptly! I was hoping to post all the way through but my phone and the Internet issues made it difficult. I decided to just stop stressing over it and fix it when I got home. I noticed once I entered the states the emails that wouldn't post all posted! AHHHH So much happened and I don't want to bore everyone with the details but it was a wonderful trip, dreamy, and perfect in every way. I am going to post all of my fairly good sketches, skipping the ones that have mostly writing and journaling, in this one post. I will be posting my photos on facebook and flickr if you are interested. If anyone is so inclined to paint one of my photos please help yourself, then share with everyone. I tried to journal everyday, I am glad I did since each day was so packed with activities I doubt I would of remembered anything if I hadn't. We have never been to Europe so if I get a bit excited or overly wordy please forgive me, I think it might have been our trip of a lifetime. The hospital that is taking care of Jennifer wouldn't release her until tomorrow so it is Friday and I am cleaning up the loose ends of our vacation in preparation for my trip back to reality.

Pict 1, is the Piazzo Navona and the Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini( see photo in previous post). This square is lined with wonderful resturants, gelato stands and artists selling their wears. It is a hub bub of activity and we loved it.

Pict 2 Palentine Hill- We did the Colosseum, Palentine Hill and the Roman Forum and my feet hurt. This sketch is a part of the ruins on Palentine Hill which is part of Augustus' quarters, bathhouses. I loved the way they trimmed the pine trees, it showed off their structure perfectly.

We started the museum tours and I have lots of pictures of them but not sketches. I am going to skip to the farmhouse. My brother and his friend Helen met us in Rome and then we all went together out to the Tuscan hills where they rented a farmhouse, we stayed with them for a few days before leaving for Paris. It was such a wonderful adventure. The owners had 40 acres of olive trees and made their own olive oil. When we arrived in the kitchen sat olive oil, their homemade wine, perserve, and fresh eggs from their chickens. The farmhouse over looked a valley and Montepulciano, the village across the valley. Everyday we took our rent a car out to a neighboring village and explored. Such fun!!

This is the farmhouse, so many things to sketch and paint, I could of stayed busy for a month! Then it was on to Florence for a night and then to Paris. It was so hard to say good bye to my brother and Helen, we had such fun with them. We were half way through and I had to keep pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

In my sketchbook I would paint something and then journal around the object. I am not sharing all of those pages since there is so much journaling. I did want to share these pages because I loved them. One is of the old water barrel that they used back when to get their water down in the creek, then the oxen would haul it up the hill. The other is of the poppies and view. These bright orange/red poppies were in bloom everywhere in Italy.

We arrived in Florence and spent the night in a beautiful Palazzo. An old palace converted to a hotel. We went and saw more museums and statues which were all amazing, this is one of the lion statues outside of the Ufizzi Museum.

Florence is known for its florentine gold so I had to buy some!

Next Paris!