Week's End (And A Few More Italy Pics)

We've been home for a week now,
and I've got to tell you that as far as time zones go,
I am still somewhere out over the Atlantic.


I am about 3 hours ahead of the rest of the Atlantic coast...
and if I don't soon get back on schedule,
I will be 4 hours ahead when Daylight Savings Time Ends.
This week I have woken up between 3 and 4 AM each morning.
(Of course, then, bedtime rolls around between 8 and 9!)
You cannot imagine how much I can accomplish before 6 AM.


But seriously... this has to stop!


While the south east portion of our country braces for Hurricane Matthew,
we in PA are enjoying beautiful blue skies and 70 degree days.


And although I am glad to be right where I am....
I am truly concerned for those who

will have to weather this hurricane...
as well as those who already have.

What a world we live in...
beautiful, yet treacherous at times.


I am happy to share that our three free-ranging turkeys are getting along famously.
We are in the process of trying to train the three of them to return each evening
to the turkey pen.
At this point it is a nightly parade...
and not without a bit of humor!


I am also happy to report that I have had no floggings by our three randy roos...
hoping things stay that way, too!

Before we talk a little more about Italy.  I wanted to show you some of this year's caterpillars.
I often hear "tales" about caterpillars and their ability to predict what type of winter we will have.
I don't put much stock in that, really.
However, this fall... for some reason, we are not having the typical types of caterpillars.
(usually we see mostly brown and black fuzzy caterpillars)
This year the majority are like this...


or this...


any idea why?
Got any caterpillar wisdom to share with me?

Having taken over 800 photos in Italy, there are many I want to share with you...
but some deserve an explanation.

Apparently, Naples' Toledo subway station has been dubbed 
one of the 15 most beautiful subway stations in the world.
(do yourself a favor and check out the rest)
Take a look...


That blue pool in the ceiling is a light tube that brings light down from street level.
Amazing, isn't it?


And this magnificent elliptical, marble staircase, hidden away in an obscure corner of 
a building in Naples...


Or this sculpture adorning the inside of a glass-domed mall in Naples....


The funny thing is... these breathtaking sights are commonplace
in this country whose cultural roots run so deep.

There are amazing Nativity artists in Naples, Italy.
Apparently it is famous for them.
Here is one of them at work...


They create amazing scenes with tiny moving parts.
For instance in the lower right corner there is a baker who is pulling loaves of bread
out of an oven...he moves back and forth with the bread on his bread peel.
So many hours of work go into each nativity scene.
This artist's son created the human figures for the scenes.


Those were just a few of the obscure highlights of Napoli.
Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Lovely photo's Bev, as usual. Thanks for sharing the Italy experience. If you are anything like me, although you would have loved it, you will be glad to be home. There's something nice about normality. I'm sure your body clock with adjust shortly. Have a great weekend at home. Kind regards, Louise S, Cheshire UK.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
you are on my schedule! those nativities are incredible.
Unknown said…
In the south the wooly worms are actually pretty accurate predictors of the weather. They have 13 segments just like the 13 weeks of winter and black bands indicate cold and snow. All white means severe winter. The worst winter we have had in the last 20 years was preceded by the white worms in our area. Lisa G in TN
Lynne said…
No caterpillar wisdom but I sure like seeing all the critters . . .
Piggy, turkey and other animal shots too . . .
The Naples, Italy photos . . . gorgeous . . .
And the nativity artist . . .
Wonderful . . .
Jennifer B. said…
I would be cautious with the white caterpillars. I believe they can cause bad rashes and reactions in some people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/venomous-canadian-caterpillar-spotted-in-pennsylvania/
Bee Haven Bev said…
Thank you for the warning. I read up on them after I had already held one.....no rash, though.
This N That said…
Sleepy piggies..nice pics..Starting all over again with your nightly turkey trot..Glad things are friendly in the fowl department..I know nothing about Caterpillars..Italy is magnificent..what beauty and history..So glad that you got to experience it..Have a good weekend..
Amazing... I hope to get there some day...

Anonymous said…
Dont know if this is wisdom ,but never handle a caterpillar without knowing what kind it is. Some can give you nasty side effects.

Annie v.
Katmom said…
simply said (Italy pics)... AWESOME!