I was only away from my life in Florence for two weeks. For the first time in the twenty years that I have owned my delicious flat here, I went home to NYC and came right back. My cameo appearance in the Big (frozen) Apple is a tale to tell, but I am saving that for two weeks from today, when I will post a full explanation.
Two weeks ago I gave you the rundown on my not so triumphant--and totally exhausting--return to New York and the debacle in JFK airport. Fortunately, travel over this past weekend was much easier and my arrival back in my sweet second home a delight.
Here is what sleety, snowy New York was like when I left it:
I came back to Florence via Munich, and with a quick hop over the Alps:
Landed in Tuscany:
And arrived to this:
Sunny Italy INDEED!
I give myself no quarter when it comes to jet lag, so I accepted an invitation to go out for a Saturday night treat, a rare outsider's visit to an Italian tradition, an event at a social club. All over Italy, and still until this day in any close-knit community of Italian immigrants world-wide, you will find organizations--with their own real estate--where the members can meet for mutual support and fun. (My grandfather and my father's eldest brother were members of such societies in New Jersey in the Forties and Fifties. A cousin in Australia is a very active member of one right now.)
So, just a few hours after arriving in Florence, I took short walk...
...to a meeting place and then after a quick drive, my friend Nicoletta and I arrived at Circolo Silvano Corti. The evening, priced at 15 euros (!), began with a spectacularly delicious four course meal--an antipasto of twelve different items, followed by three different pastas, and/or many pizza choices, and a white and dark chocolate dessert. Local (Tuscan!) wines and beer included.
The event ended with lively concert by a group of ageing Italian rockers who call their band XXL, pronounced in Italian eeks, eeks, ellay, and signifying the size of their t-shirts these days. Delightful. What a way to re-enter my Vita Fiorentina!
And now, last, my reason for this lazy blog post.
I am on deadline for Vera and Tolliver #4. I must have it ready to submit by May 10. I set myself a daily word count goal and am now about 14,000 words behind schedule.
I am here:
Referring to my research materials if I absolutely must:
Trying to up this total as fast and as well as possible:
Wish me luck.
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Good luck! We are also on deadline so we can both write in the bush! Not much Internet though!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michael. We’ll both be in First Draft Mode. No worries for me about the lack of Internet. Being in the bush will charge me up. As long as your solar collector will charge my laptop, I’ll be good to go!
DeleteRight with you on the Drive to Deadline. Mine's February 16th!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck to you with that deadline, dear friend. Drive on!! Stay well!!
DeleteGood luck with the deadline! ou can do it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much,Triss. I will persist! Excelsior!
DeleteYour return to New York via the "Bomb Cyclone" (in Minnesota we refer to it as Thursday) sounds awful. The return to Florence sounds absolutely divine. If you need a personal assistant to aid in whatever your endeavors might be I am readily available. I'll make up some cockamamie excuse to my wife which she won't believe for a moment. Will work for food. Am I right to assume those temperatures are actually ABOVE zero? I'll even make up words for you since you are dragging a bit there. If this sounds like shameless begging coming from my shivering fingers that's because it is. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Jono, now I absolutely do need some help, but I’m afraid that what I long for is someone to do mundane tasks, like going to the farmacia to buy some arnica cream to stop the elbow pain that comes from working long hours at a desk that’s too high. Or maybe you could saw an inch or two off the table legs to make it the right height.
DeleteNot enough to keep you busy, and then all you would have to do is spend days seeing fabulous art and architecture, eating great food, drinking great wine and coffee, and walking around in the 60 degree weather.
I can take care of all that! Really!
DeleteYou barely lighted long enough in NYC to get snowflakes on your feathers. There must be a law written somewhere that we can’t be in the same town at the same time. :( BTW, at 1000 words per day Vera, Tolliver, and you will all enjoy your time together. :)
ReplyDeleteMy brother, if I don’t keep up the pace, I’ll have to write 1000 words a day for each of us.
DeleteThanks for the snippet from your screen shot, but now I'm dying to find out what happens after Vera falls from the tree toward the jaws of the German alligators. What a cruel, cruel cliffhanger!
ReplyDeleteWell, EvKa, I’m not sure what you saw in that imaginary screen shot, but I defend myself by saying we are books away from Vera’s fall. I can confirm that, since the WIP takes place in a British Protectorate in 1914, there will be Germans. Do remember that it is Africa, so all the alligators will be crocodiles!
DeleteWhew! Good thing I brought THAT one to your attention then. You'd hate to go to press with that kind of snafu in the book! Just, please, for God's sake, put some clothes on the poor woman. This is supposed to be an historical mystery, not an hysterical bodice ripper...
DeleteWhatever you’re smoking, EvKa, I want some!!
DeleteI'm so glad you arrived safely and had a wonderful welcome evening to boot! Good luck on the deadline, and enjoy Florence!! I so long to visit you in Italy someday! (Believe it or not, although I've long wanted to visit, I've actually never been to Italy.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. This year, Japan 🇯🇵 . Next year, Italy 🇮🇹
ReplyDeleteWhatever sent you back to Florence it was worth it.
DeleteI am starving now and craving Italian food after seeing that menu for 15 euros with 12 items in an antipasto, three pastas, etc. Too tantalizing!