Breakfast was served around 8:30 and it was outside on one of the terraces under an umbrella. It is a stellar day weather-wise and we visited with the Australian couple who were working and studying in England. They spoke of their day and they were heading to Cinque Terre and then on to other adventures from there. So we said our goodbyes as Steven was taking them to the train station and their time at the iRomiti had come to a close. Lucky me. I felt something in my trousers stinging me and I went up to the room to have a look. I pulled out a pretty good sized stinger, but saw no evidence of the evil-doer, but I had a pretty good sized red spot. Whatever it was abandoned ship in fear of the repercussions. Understandable.
Knowing I would live to see another day, I got ready for my glass class with Lindsay. First she explained the torches and showed me the tanks mixing oxygen with propane. Her giant tank of oxygen would only last her one week if she worked everyday. So that was interesting to know that my own personal set up would be affordable, but challenging. Will need to do some research. She introduced me to the tools we would be working with and what each of them did. After that she did a demo and shortly after that I was on my way to making my first marble. I know that sounds silly, but that is the start of many beautiful things. Learning the behaviors of the glass, letting gravity work for you and not against you, and just letting the process unfold. After my second marble we then practiced putting glass dots and lines on the outside. It was just practice, but the ideas of what could come from these short lessons would be endless. After this she did a demo on how to take a straight piece of glass into a circle and at that we stopped for lunch.
While I was in class this morning, Steven had taken Guy out for a drive. (He threatened to not bring him back) But alas he did and they went out and about for over an hour. Steven pointed out interesting facts about the area and the road going down and coming up wasn't nearly as bad today with someone confident behind the wheel. With that said, a tiny gas truck with a little tank on the back made it all the way up here. Shocking actually, but they assured me after going up and down a few times my anxiety would be gone. I'll just trust them on this. I'm still having Steven drive us down tomorrow.
Speaking of Steven, he prepared a lunch of prosciutto, pasta with a lemon cream sauce, bread and salad. My photos of our food here have been limited only because I didn't want it to seem like I was being judgmental in any way. Knowing Guy is in the restaurant business always makes people feel like we are going to do some kind of comparison or critique, which isn't the case at all - ever. We love food and the way they prepared everything, especially the lemon sauce today, was wonderful and fun to watch (and eat). Hence no photos, but trust me, it was all totally photo-worthy. - After lunch we helped to clean the table and Lindsay cleaned up as I took a short break, transferring funds from Guy's bank account to mine so I could pay them via PayPal tomorrow. I built in a little cushion to make sure I had enough money when I got the bill. ;) *insert evil laugh here.
Back to the shop Lindsay again demonstrated the making of a glass link and then after two failed attempts I finally had a link of my own. I kept practicing and she showed me how to link them all together. It looks impressive and was fun. I went on to make three more circles and then hooked them all together with a circle at one end and a marble on the other. A final exercise in putting all of the processes I learned today in one artistic piece, but it was great fun and I can't wait to show it off. Lindsay was working on a few things of her own and I would occasional see that she was watching me. When she would say "Are you winning over there?" I took it that I was doing something wrong and she'd correct me. :) She is sweet. She let me make mistakes but when it was obvious she'd remind me of the correct way. Of course my circles aren't round and my marbles are crooked, but I felt totally accomplished today with a satisfaction of conquering another glass technique that I hope to continue at home. We put them in the kiln and the annealing process will take overnight and may not be done tomorrow. Even tho the heat can ramp up quickly to a mere 600 degrees, the process coming back down will be slow and intentional. She'll mail them to me if they aren't ready in the morning.
After the class I sat with Guy at the pool. He swam, sunned and read a book today after lunch. He is so patient with me and my crafty shenanigans, but he knows how much I love learning. He again was patient as I told him everything I had learned today and showed him photos of my projects. AND I went all day without burning myself but put a big ole blister on my finger as it accidentally bumped into a hot end of my last project. That blister sits right next to the one I got from my curling iron two days ago. They make a nice couple.
Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant, the il Molina Vecchio, and Steven and Lindsay went with us. The sweet British couple walked to the town earlier and had already started eating before we arrived. They were at a table for two, but Lindsay said they had gotten engaged while they were here, only two days ago, so if they want a romantic evening alone, then so be it. They were excellent company last night and we appreciated our time with them. So for the food. Delish! It was very traditional to the area and we were excited to give it a go. I did get photos tonight. ;). For starters they brought out about 8 different dishes. Just enough for the four of us to have a taste. My first course was ravioli type stuffed pasta filled with cheese and walnuts in a butter and possibly sage sauce. Minimal sauce like the way I like my butter sauces. Just enough so that the pasta isn't sticking together. Guy had meat filled ravioli with a meat sauce. It was hearty. We did go for an entree as well and Guy had grilled trout which he said was amazing and I had somewhat of a zucchini quiche, only it had more of a cornmeal texture vs. an egg texture. It was thin and square and I was so full I could hardly finish it. Dinner took over two hours and we visited and enjoyed our evening with conversation ranging from politics to bats. Steven drove us up the hill (he could probably do it with his eyes closed) and we were back in our room thinking about how lucky we were to have had this destination on our itinerary. What a unique experience filling us with life-long memories.
I'm not sure I could live here full time. It is gorgeous, the property has been refurbished exactly as I would have done it myself and it would be a simpler life with lungs filled with fresh air and an unhurried schedule, but it feels quite remote for me and I suppose I'd opt more for a more populated area. But maybe because it is new and the surroundings are not familiar, it seems more isolated than it really is. On the flip side, Guy and I heard a noise last night and I told him it sounded like wind chimes. Actually he found out today that it was the local heard of goats that have bells on. When I heard it again tonight and knew what it was, even though I couldn't see them, it was a surreal feeling of peace and tranquility. That is something that I don't experience very often. So I guess I agree with someone who posted about this place online saying it is a bit unexplainable. That is true.
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