Funny faces

If you keep your eyes open on your walk around Catania you're bound to see some funny faces,

Swallowtail

Insects are a big thing in our house right now. Lots of digging in the dirt and going on backyard 'nature walks' searching for creatures. When little friends are over, this is the favorite activity and will go on for hours. If no insects are to be found, the nature walk may morph into plain old dirt play or sometimes an artifact hunt. All finds, whether animate or inanimate, will end up in glass jars that are dutifully labeled and put in the 'laboratory' for later study.  

The swallowtail was my discovery: I was home alone and followed it around the verbena bush it so loved for awhile. It didn't seem to mind. Not a common butterfly for our yard, in fact, this was this first swallowtail I have ever seen here. 

On the way

Last week Etna erupted and I (and my son), for the first time, saw the lava shooting out from the crater with our own eyes. Billowing Etna smoke is not a new experience. But gurgling lava is! It was an impressive site. 

We have no view of Etna from our house and it seems that recent eruptions have always occurred at times when I was just not in the right place at the right time. 

This time was different. 

As I auto-piloted it home after an afternoon playdate in the park with friends, I looked up absently, a driver's automatic gaze, as we rounded the corner just before Ognina. It only took a second for my brain to register that the bight orange glow and black cloud of ashy smoke I have been craving to see for years was right before my eyes - an Etna eruption. 

In my excitement I hollered out to the 5 year old: "LOOK!". The reflexes kicked in and I pulled the car over to the side of the road where we had an unobstructed view of the wonder. The other cars drove by as if nothing out of the ordinary was taking place (for them nothing was, I'm sure). 

From the side of the road the boy's dinner time hunger pains were completely forgotten. From this angle we could concentrate on the movement of the lava, that we realized with more amazement, we could see even from this distance. Undulations, the wave-like flow of lava spurting, higher, lower, amorphous, burning hot. 

"Imagine what it's like up there right now!"

Witnessing this spectacle felt like a rite of passage, like becoming a member of the island club. "Now we've seen an eruption". As we eventually continued on our ride home I felt satisfied by the fulfillment of a long held desire, the wonder of it all, better than fireworks, better than a surprise party, better than a soccer match, better than....?

Oasi del Simeto

When I asked the 5 year old if he wanted to have an adventure at a sandy beach this weekend I knew he'd say yes. Any chance to spot sea creatures is a temptation he just can't resist, not to mention running barefoot in the sand. In fact, that was the first question he asked after we'd gotten in the car, "can I take my shoes and socks off when we get there?"

His second question was about our exact destination and just how long the drive would be. You see, he's no lover of long drives. Never has been. I told him we'd been to this beach once before when he was really little, but I didn't mention we had gotten quite lost trying to find the place -- even with my never get lost hubby doing the navigating. Instead, I described a sandy beach with tons of shells, maybe some good bird watching, hardly any people, and a river that meets the sea. "It shouldn't take too long to get there, it's just over there". I was pointing in the direction of the strip of sand we could barely see in the distance on this very clear day. That would be the playa. The Oasi del Simeto, a natural reserve, is just beyond it. There are no direct roads that will take you to the point where the Simeto river meets the Ionian sea, you have to get as close as you can from either side and walk there. But I had a GPS and I was sure we'd be there in 30 minutes. 

Exactly 20 minutes later, as we drove over the bridge that allows you to peer down over the pretty river Simeto, I announced we were almost there. At this point I made the grave mistake of ignoring the GPS due to the large yellow sign with Oasi del Simeto written on it pointing in the opposite direction. I really should have known better - one should NEVER, I repeat NEVER trust signage in Sicily.

Let's just say we had a little detour and on our wild ride through industrial Catania we remained patient and determined. The 5 year old sweetly took to singing the refrain from a popular song -- devi stare molto calmo (you have to stay very calm) - while I tried to get  my bearings. During our meanderings he also spotted what appeared to be stork nests with storks in them on top of some electrical towers, a good sign we were in the vicinity of the oasi. When it finally dawned on me I should just go back to following the GPS rather than continue to drive around in circles, we ended up exactly where I wanted to be without the help of a single sign. 

The unlikely access to the beach that we wound up at is from a small community of beach houses. It's quite a dramatic entrance. We could hear the crashing waves but we couldn't see them since there is a strip of dense woods full of pine and eucalyptus trees that you have to walk through before you get to the beach.

We emerged to Mimosa trees and blue waves. 

Just a little bit of a sea breeze. We were lucky, it can get uncomfortably windy here. 

Right away we noticed the shells, so many shells. The shells mingle with strange trash washed up from the sea. Both the shells and the trash seem like treasure out here, at least to the 5 year old. 

A short walk down the beach and we found where the river meets the sea. The tide was low and there was a strip of sand separating the two. Mount Etna billowed in the distance. Schools of minnows lingered in the shallow water at the river's edge. Pants came off along with the shoes and socks as the 5 year old waded in for a fishing expedition. 

Here, away from the waves, the air was still, the sun warm. The only people we saw were two fisherman who walked by without a sound. 

A great place for some peaceful sandy fun. I promised we'd remember to bring the fishing net next time.

Genova wrapped in yarn

Genova has been yarn bombed and continues to be! I was enamored by the unexpected splashes of color in the form of granny squares, sea life, and flowers scattered throughout the city, especially around the port. All this yarn added a funky, quirky dimension to the city and was in sharp contrast to the old streets and buildings that characterize this extremely well preserved historic city. We saw signs posted in various locals hosting free knitting and crochet workshops - community outreach and collective creativity - what a fun initiative!

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