Monday, November 30, 2020

Memories for Monday


View from our apartment terrace when
I stayed in Florence the first time
I exhibited at the Florence Biennale.
There was a church right against
our building, and that's the Duomo
in the distance.
photo
Barbara Muir © 2009

Today was a very busy day and all of it was about art. But it was the background
to art -- discussing proposed pieces, organizing reference material, and picking up
materials in order to be able to create art.

We are in lockdown so everything has to be done over the phone, and by pre-arrangement.
Curb side pick up means you stand in a line and wait to get your supplies. I was lucky
today. A very helpful person and friend in the art store I go to, advised me on what to
get and arranged it all for me.

I’ve been thinking about my time in Florence Italy. The other night Steven and I sat at the
kitchen table in front of my computer, and I read him my blog about our first visit to Florence.

I decided that tonight I would share a quote from that blog entry from 2009, which had us
feeling so lucky, and joyous to have lived that experience. Plus we know that as soon as we
can we will be going back and visiting Paris and Florence, and enjoying the sights, sounds
people and the food there.

Here’s a quote from my trip to Florence for the Florence Biennale in 2009, and the picture
tonight is one of the views we saw on our apartment terrace in Florence.

"We were coming to the internet place at night before supper, but that meant we were
extremely hungry when we went for supper, after walking around all day. So now we're
 starting the day with the blog, and as I sit here the sun pours in from the little garden
behind the computer station store. (We had to go to a computer station store so I could
write my blog).

I thought I'd tell you what I had for dinner last night in the Napaloni, a wonderful
restaurant a few blocks from our apartment. By the way everything that matters (almost)
 is a few blocks from our house. So here's what I had. The server, Elam became our
friend the first time we ate there, and she brought us celebratory glasses of prosecco.
Then instead of the white house wine I was given a gorgeous Sauvignon Bianco. People
don't worry about glass size here, something I noticed in Europe the last time I was here.
The wine (both white and red) is served in large, graceful glasses. My salad last night was
fresh artichoke, thinly sliced, lightly drizzled with a dressing with a bit of lemon in it,
with parmiggiano cheese in wide thin slices covering the artichoke. Then I had zucchini
stuffed with a meat filling mixed with cheese, tomato, and mushrooms. (Mushrooms here
are like nothing you've ever tasted in North America -- they are beyond delicious).
For desert Steven had Tiramisu, (another surprise, completely different than at home)
and after I'd eaten half of his, Elam brought us a thin slice of the most delicious dark
chocolate cake I've ever eaten. That was dinner! "

Have a being happy in the present, enjoying memories of the past, and dreaming of
the future day. 

2 comments:

Evelyn Oldroyd - painter said...

Such beautiful memories❣️ I am so looking forward to traveling again too.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Evelyn,

Thank you so much. They are beautiful. I found myself zooming in on the photo,
trying to see more detail, worried about the cranes -- did they build high-rises? I hope not. Being in a place with so much history makes you see what a brand new country we live in. And we're addicted to new.

Love your work, and your comments make me happy!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!