5C's Que Pasa

We had planned to do the traditional 40 minute gondola ride despite the high cost but it just didn’t appeal to either of us.  There was boat after boat after boat and it just seemed so very commercial and certainly not romantic.  Even before we left Canada for Venice, as we watched this webcam,  which is on the same canal as and just before the Bridge of Sighs, we began to wonder if it was the right thing for us.

Gondoliers are easily found in Venice and some areas seem to be overrun with them.

One day as we were searching for the location of the building I will talk about in this post, we saw bumper to bumper gondolas.  Most were mere inches from each other.  In fact we did see two collide on two separate occasions.  We stood in this spot for about 15 minutes and decided that it was not for us.  Seriously, it reminded us of a Disney ride.  Not worth the 80 – 100 euros for 40 minutes.  It wasn’t the cost, we would have willingly paid it, but the portrayed experience was dismal and not what one reads about in all the Venice travel information.

This was taken the day prior and at an earlier time of day, the gondolas were lining up, bumper to bumper.  I do have to say that it was a great location to watch and listen as almost every third boat had an accordion player and a singer.  A great location to just stop and watch the parade and listen to the music.  Good thing we came the day ahead as it was 6 or 7 different bridges with some odd back and forth to find the place….um the palace.

The white building on the left is called the Palazzo ( or Palace ) Barbarigo Minotto and is owned by a Countess or a Contessa, a title of Italian nobility used in Italy.  This particular Contessa lives in another Palazzo in Venice and rents this home out.  Sadly this one is slowly sinking into the Grand Canal.

At the moment the Musica @ Palazzo is occupying this palace…. www.dictionary.com/browse/palazzo1. an impressive public building or private residence; palace. Origin of palazzo. < Italian: literally, palace.  Per Wikipedia……..

…..Musica a Palazzo is a cultural association of classical musicians who, since 2005, have produced opera performances staged in the Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto, a Venetian Gothic palace facing the Grand Canal. The piano nobile of the palace, with its backdrop of frescoes by Tiepolo and sculptures by Carpoforo Tencalla, is its main performing space.^[1] The performing style follows the 19th-century Italian practice of “Salotto Musicale” (Musical Salon). The operas are performed without a stage, with the audience becoming part of the scene.^[2][3]

The program alternates famous operas, such as Verdi’s La traviata and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville,^[4] with Duetti d’amore, a selection of love duets from La bohème, Tosca, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto and other popular operas.

When I had checked the Trip Advisor top ten and the operas came up, it was a given.  We actually booked the opera and the date before we left Kelowna.  The price was of no matter to me as this was a primary and most important thing to do in Venice, at least for me.  I love opera and my Mom had sung with the Edmonton Opera Association and I had attended umpteen performances growing up and long thereafter and still do and had even sung in the children’s chorus in Carmen.  The cost to see this opera in Venice, actually the word is to experience this opera, is 85 euros each.  Well worth every penny.

We ( actually I ) had chosen to see La Traviata.  Sorry but I could not get this to come up in a link.  The above depicts the opera we saw and how it was performed in three different rooms of the Palazzo.  I love how this opera was first performed at the Teatro La Fenice in 1853 which was only two blocks/alleys away from our apartment and we passed it each day.

Ready for our very special evening, dressed in pearls, diamonds and rhinestones.  The Palazzo is just behind us, where the two tiny yellow lights are.

The scene of the first act.  Guests are seated wherever they can find a chair.  If you come early as we did you can actually be a part of the act.  To the extreme right of the photo next to and just above the candelabra ( real candles by the way ) is a mirror in which Violetta looks at herself and sings about how pale she looks.  I was sitting right next to the table that the mirror is positioned above.  Of course we had no idea how close to the action that we would be.  The floor was decidedly slopping to the right of the room and if you look closely you might detect that the ceiling it tilting very much to the right.  The door to the left did not close properly and hung at an angle.  We did feel like we were sloping as we sat in our chairs.  No wonder the  Italian Contessa moved to another home and is renting this one out.

There are no photos allowed during the performance.  This was not a proper full first act but mostly the arias with minimal props.  It was truly lovely having the female lead soprano and the male lead tenor directly in front of you.  You could not help but be caught up in the moment of the music, their voices and the fact that they were just a few feet away from you.  Something you never experience in a real theater.  It was mesmerizing to say the least.  Then Violetta came to the mirror and sang her heart out as she saw her pallor and wondered if she was ill.  Of course I knew the story and somehow I seemed to understand the words as she sang them, mere inches away from me.  If I had moved I would have touched her gown.  Pure enjoyment.  Then Violetta decides to throw her sorrows to the side and the tempo and her voice pick up as she pours champagne into about 6  or 7 glasses.  She then begins to distribute the champagne, all the while singing, to the audience.  She gave me her third glass. I was overwhelmed.  She then held up her glass, looked at me and offered a toast, I toasted her back and so ended the first act. So very very emotional as I knew that she was faking her happiness for the benefit of her guests attending the ball in that first act.  I was speechless and close to tears.

Intermission was in yet another room of the palace but we we too emotional to take photos.  Champagne was being offered to everyone.  I had not one but two more small glasses in addition to my very very special first glass.  I was floating and totally happy with the evening. There was no way it could get better.

The second act was in yet another wonderful room. We were late to to enter and sat in the second row.  This was good as I could better listen to the voices, observe the drama, acting and facial expressions, not to mention the singing and the overall interaction of the singers.  In this act Alfredo’s father, Giorgio, ( baritone ) was added to the scene.  As I had written earlier I have attended many operas and a few La Traviatas.  I have to say that this Violetta was the very best ever.  I was beyond impressed.  This particular scene was so emotional  with tears running down her cheeks.  You could see the raw emotion that she was experiencing as she sung.  And then the savage end to the act  as Alfredo flung his gambling earnings at her feet as he humiliates and denounces her in front of her guests…us in the audience.  I think that anyone who had never attended an opera before could not help but be moved.  Totally heart – stirring.

The third act takes place in Violetta’s bedroom where she dies at the end of the story.  What is amazing is that we are in an actual bedroom in a Palazzo on the Grand Canal.  We were seated in the front row in the two seats just above the word ‘where’ in the first sentence.  It is not easy to see but the walls here did not meet the ceiling.  This Palazzo is sadly doomed unless a great deal of money is infused into the property.

I won’t go into a great deal of detail as to the story line but suffice to day that Violetta is ill and gets in and out of bed and collapses here and there, all  the while singing her heart out.  At one point she gets up from the floor and…from the internet…

Dr. Grenvil tells Annina that Violetta will not live long since her tuberculosis has worsened. Alone in her room, Violetta reads a letter from Alfredo’s father telling her that the Baron was only wounded in his duel with Alfredo; that he has informed Alfredo of the sacrifice she has made for him and his sister; and that he is sending his son to see her as quickly as possible to ask for her forgiveness. But Violetta senses it is too late (Violetta: Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti – “Farewell, lovely, happy dreams of the past”).

So as she sings this farewell aria, Violetta is acting and moving about…..suddenly she comes and stands before me and grasps my hands from my lap and holds them up between us as she sings, impeaching in my mind for me to understand her loss and how very alone she is.  She sings for a minute or two or three with my hands clasped in hers……as she starts to move away, with her eyes and her hands she implores me to help her.  At that moment there is no one in the room but her and I.  I am stricken that I can’t help her……so very very slowly she slips her hands away from me ( which are held mid air between us ) all the while imploring me to help her.  I keep holding my hands out to her as she backs away…..I am in the moment, a part of the act.

Shortly thereafter the act ends. Tears are streaming down my face.  I have a severe pain in my heart.  My mind flits to my mother and back to the moment.

I am in Venice.  Magic has happened.  I can’t stop crying.  In fact as other audience members come up to say how fortunate I was or to congratulate me all I could do was cry on their shoulder.  It took me a few hours before I settled down.  I told that Colin that I could die happy.  Now that was a magical evening.

This Canadian Contessa was more then impressed to have been a part of this enchanted evening in a Palazzo owned by the Italian Contessa.

Tuesday June 6th started with our visit to the Doge’s Place.  We had no idea what to expect nor how long we would be there.  It did take the full morning.  We had pre purchased museum passes for 25 Euros each.  This covered the entrance fee to the Doges Palace which is 20 Euros plus covered the entrance to many other museums that we did visit.  The reason we pre purchased it was to avoid having to line up to buy tickets and the line was long.  The other trick I had read was to go to a less busy museum and activate our passes.  In our case we went to the Museo Correr ticket office to turn in our voucher to get our passes.  That is why I had climbed those stairs I had shown in the last post twice.  But having activated our pass on Monday we could go to the head of the line and enter the palace immediately.  You can only use the pass once to enter a museum.  However had we known that we were going to the Museo Correr on Monday afternoon I could have avoided one climb.

The Palazzo Ducale / Doge’s Palace with the San Marco Campanile / Bell Tower to the left with three of the five domes of the Basilica di San Marco peeking up behind. This photo was taken across the water from the top of yet another bell tower that I will tell you about in a few days.

The following was taken off the internet….

One of Europe’s most beautiful and easily recognizable buildings, the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) was not only the center of government during the Venetian Republic but also the residence of the Doge. The Doge’s first palace was a wretched gloomy wooden fortress with massive defensive towers, and after several fires, the castle was converted into a Byzantine-style palace. The one you see today was built mainly in the 14th century, and the façade overlooking the Piazzetta dates from the first half of the 15th century. Although the palace is now a museum, unlike most museums, these paintings were created especially to decorate the Doge’s Palace, not added later. Its art works, interesting history, and iconic beauty make it one of Venice’s major attractions for tourists.

The Porta della Carta, the palace’s main entrance, is the link between the Doge’s Palace & St. Marks Basilica created by the brothers Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon in the mid-1400s. It is considered one of the two most perfect examples of Venetian Gothic.  The previous sentence was taken from the internet.  I just can’t imagine people climbing up this staircase in all their finery.  We were not allowed on this staircase.

The Doges Palace was the seat of Venice’s government for nearly seven centuries.  Doges were elected for life from within Venice’s aristocracy.

The splendor was overwhelming.  So much detail.

In all of the museums we visited each room had information as to what you were seeing, often in several languages.  Here in the Doges Palace the information was on large info boards.  Most other museums it was on a card that you could carry with you in that particular room as you strolled about.  It was a bit crowed at times but much better that paying for a guide or having to pay for a tape with earphones.  Each painting was also identified.

The rooms were enormous and opulent.  The fellow in the burgundy shirt is reading an information board.  This photo is by me.

It seemed that each room outdid the previous.  We were able to see private rooms that had only been open to the public for two years.  The men in the white cloaks in the paintings were previous doges.

The photos on the ceilings were incredible.  One could easily spend a full day here.

Everything was large.

Gold and more gold.  Photo by me.

The majority of the paintings anywhere we went in Venice were of a religious nature.  Photo by me.

This is the Grand Council Hall ( 1419 ).  We went through two floors  in the palace and saw all the government offices, many personal rooms, all decorated with gold and painting after painting.

The painting above between the two doors and above the Doge’s throne is called Paradiso/Paradise, painted by Jacopo Tintoretto between 1588 and 1592.  It is the longest canvas painting in the world.  We were allowed to sit on the original benches around the room and take it all in.  By now we were getting a bit weary.  So much to see and so very much to try and absorb.  After a while the paintings just start to blend together and the grandeur becomes commonplace.  We did continue but a bit more quickly through the various council chambers, the weapons display from over the centuries and the maps of the times.  We took a bit more time in the prison area. We actually walked along the corridors of the prison and saw the graphics left by some of the prisoners.  I think we were both too weary to take any more photos.  It was very moving and sad.  Of course those that had money could buy food and eventually buy their way out of prison.  There were the elite cells and those for the poor.

The famous Bridge of Sighs.

….one of the most famed of all Venetian icons, Ponte dei Sospiri – the Bridge of Sighs. The graceful curve and delicate stone tracery of the enclosed Baroque arch bridge connecting the Doge’s Palace with the first floor of the prison belies its grim story. It was through the stone grillwork of this bridge that prisoners caught their last glimpse of Venice as they were taken before the judges for sentencing, thence to prison or worse. The sentences given by Venetian judges were known to be as unmerciful as the laws of the Republic…taken from the internet.

Photo by me.

What the prisoners looked through….

…for their last view of Venice.  The last two photos by me.

This is a great link to get an idea of the Doges Palace without being overwhemled.  After several hours at the Doges Palace we took a vaporetto/water bus over to the district of Cannaregio and the Ghetto.  The plan was to stop for lunch but we walked for another two hours before we finally stopped.  I believe that I told Colin that he could carry on without me but I had to stop for some food.

Campo del Ghetto Nuovo & the Ghetto.  Here we are walking through the original Ghetto where gates were closed at night so the Jewish community was locked in.  The history of this area is fascinating and worth your time to Google should you be traveling to Venice.

During the 16th to 18th centuries upper storeys were added to house new arrivals, synagogues and publishing houses.  There was no room to spread on this island but up.

The Jewish community stocked and funded Venice’s commercial enterprises by day while at night they were restricted to the gated island of Ghetto Nuovo.

We finally got to stop for food and wine.

Another intriguing canal.  They all looked different depending on which district we found ourselves in.

The rest of this day proved to be the most special and moving part for me but alas this post is long enough.  All will be revealed in the next post.

 

 

 

 

Once we arrived in Venice, I did a first day post with a brief synopsis of our trip to Italy .  Click here for that.  My plan was to take notes so that I could recall where we had been, and what we had seen etc.  Things moved way too fast for that.  We just seemed to flow through the day and walk and walk.  Now looking back at my photos ( which are no where near the quality of Colin’s ) but give me an idea of what we had done in one particular day, I am overwhelmed.  How could we have possibly done all of that in one day?

Fortunately we had a very broad daily outline on paper, a sort of wish list of to do’s.  For Monday June 5th it only showed that we were to go to the Basilica.  Looking at my photos ( never mind Colin’s ) I had a better outline of what we had done that particular day.   It makes me tired just looking at them.

Piazza San Marco on Sunday our first night in Venice.  Photo by Colin.  Actually please assume all photos are by Colin unless I say I took it.

The first post as per the link above doesn’t quite explain that we were up for 31 hours before going to bed.  Colin did doze off and on on the flight from Toronto to Venice and I slept a full 15 minutes.  Just long enough to get a sore neck.  From now on we will try and fly out of Vancouver to Europe, much shorter and less of a time difference or we will stop somewhere for a few days to catch up on the jet lag before moving on.  So as per that first post we wandered about in a daze.  After those two spritz at the bar Sunday evening, where we met some wonderful fellow travelers we stopped at St Mark’s Square to listen to one of the three bands playing.  We walked from one to the other and suddenly there we were jiving in the square. We were the only ones dancing but a few others did join in.  Awesome moment.  From there we went straight home and to bed with our first night in Venice completed.  The next night we got lost and wondered around in circles for over 30 minutes.  Such is the beauty and mystery of Venice.

This band provided the swing music that we danced to.  It was always our intention to come by one evening and sit and enjoy the music until we discovered that a glass of wine cost 18 euros.  So instead most evenings we enjoyed the music standing right behind the patrons sitting at the tables

No need for an alarm clock.  A multitude of church bells ring both on the hour and the half hour. They don’t just chime at 7AM but toll on and on.  The sounds of the many church bells will be with us forever.

Venice is made up of step after step. I now have new muscles in my calves.  We had to climb two or three of these and always down the other side, no matter what direction we took,  just to get anywhere from our apartment. We loved seeing what we observed on each side of the bridge as we climbed.  Photo by me.

Monday morning was our day to tour the Basilica. Dress code required long pants for gents and sleeves or a cover up for ladies as well as having knees covered.  We had pre purchased online a go to the head of the line pass for 11:15 AM.  In all of my  research I had found only one mention of the fact that the Basilica interior lights were only turned on between 11:30AM and 12:30PM.  The lights made a huge difference and everything came to life.  My guess is that they don’t want the lights to damage the interior paintings. Of course one can’t take photos inside the Basilica.  Needless to say many did.  Being who I am, I was not hesitant to tap folks on the shoulder and say no photos and point to the signs….yes that means you with your cell phone.  If we could not take photos, nor can you.  What we saw was beyond phenomenal. There is no charge to go into the Basilica itself but if you wanted to go into three extra areas ( the treasury, behind the alter and the museum to see the original four horses ) you had to pay, it came to a total of 10 euro each for all three areas and it was worth every penny.  The free Basilica tour was moved along and you were out within 15 – 20 minutes but we were able to take our time.  From the museum located way high up ( the stairs were very difficult for me, uneven hand cut stones, some very high, some very narrow and others deep ) but there was a hand rail, it was a challenge and I did it there is so much to see both inside and outside on the balcony  From up top there was a view of the entire interior of the Basilica.  We saw the lights go off, so glad that we had booked for that particular time that the lights were on.  So very special to see the ancient paintings with the light gleaming off of them as well as the gleam of the gold painted walls.  This level led to a rather large and unexpected museum as well as an outdoor view to St Marks Square.  By now I was rather done in but it was early in the day.  By the way going down those irregular steps was no easier than going up.  You can Google photos of the inside of the Basilica if you wish.

A Googled interior photo.  The paintings, the gold walls, and the Pala d’Oro located behind the main alter ( it contains St. Marks’s sarcophagus ) which is studded with 2000 emeralds, amethysts, sapphires, rubies, pearls and other gemstones.  Truly magnificent.

Taken from the outdoor balcony of the Basilica. The Doges Palace is behind us.  My eyes are closed against the sun.

The replica of the four horses stands to Colin’s right and the clock tower to his left.  Photo by me.

We decided that lunch was next on the agenda.  We stopped at the Museo Correr  restaurant for a lovely luncheon.   That gave us the energy to tour the museum.  After 3 hours we were rather worn out but kept on going. It seemed like this place would never end.  In fact it covered the short end and one of the long lengths of  Piazza San Marco/ St Mark’s Square.  So much to see and learn.  What we were exploring had once been the home to Napoleon at one point in time.  So much history in this tiny area of Venice.

A lot of stairs to get up to the Museo Correr which is also known as the Royal Palace of Venice.  These are the stairs that guests ( ladies in their wide dresses ) would have to walk up to attend a ball or just to visit with the owners at the time.

A typical ceiling in one of the public rooms. The private rooms of the family were similar but just a tad less grand.

The ballroom.

The library. These manuscripts and books are all originals and priceless.  Many of the books were hand written.  So very much history.

A selfie in the mirror of one of the Imperial rooms only opened to the public in 2012.  I believe this was the sitting room of Empress Elizabeth.  We also saw her boudoir and bed chamber.  Remarkable.

After many hours we fled the museum ( there was more to see but our eyes were crossing ) and started walking, wondering how far we could go.  We ended up in the Rialto area, one of the most popular areas similar to St. Mark’s Square.  I was too tired to walk up the steps of the Rialto Bridge so I stayed put with a spritz in my hand while he moved on and explored.  Meanwhile I befriended a couple from London ( this was the day of the London Bridge stabbing ) and here we were standing at the foot of the Rialto Bridge admiring the Venetian beauty.  Of course they had been to Venice many times.  Europeans are so fortunate to be able to travel such short distances and enjoy so much culture.  While chatting they gave me some suggestions, one of which triggered a memory.  It was only a few blocks away.  We had no idea we would end up here on this day so I did not have my notes of to do’s for the Rialto area.

My photo from the place I stood sipping my spritz while Colin climbed the Rialto Bridge.

A shot Colin took half way up the Rialto Bridge.

We were headed to a very posh department store which reminded of me Neiman Marcus and Harrods.  The link will show you the exterior and dome spires.  You can take an elevator to the top floor and then walk ( of course ) up another flight and be on the roof top.

Some spectacular views or Venice from high up.  Great shot Colin, it looks like a painting.

Colin likes my photo as it incorporates the famous Rialto Bridge.

The other direction.

I took this photo of the Basilica which was to our backs as we faced the grand Canal.  I loved the view over the various roof tops.

From here we started looking for a perfect spot for dinner which was elusive.  Somehow we ended back at Piazza San Marco where we found many choices and settled on a special meal of day restaurant ( or just for dinner ) which included a spritz and a two course dinner with salad.

It had been a long day, we also enjoyed a 1/2 litre of white for me and red for Colin.  The  primo pasta dish was delicious as was the secondo of fish.

By now we were very tired and wandered back home.  I had stopped navigating and we got lost…we did eventuality get home.

A day time photo of where we lived.  Just another door in one of a thousand alleys.  Colin is waving on the left.  We often came home midday in order for me to change my walking shoes.  My feet and ankles did swell every day but that never stopped me.

Here is the link to our apartment complete with photos.  Click here for the Airbnb link.  You then have to click on the link at the top left of the site to view photos.  Our cost was $1307.00CAD for 6 nights.  At the moment it is showing @ $144.00CAD per night rather than the $217.00CAD per night we paid but our price did include a $75.00 cleaning fee plus the Airbnb service fee.  We were more than happy with our stay at Enrico’s apartment. I can’t imagine a more perfect host.  It was wonderful having a full home to spread out in not to mention the elevator.  Needless to say we will be staying there on our next trip to Venice.  We did save $550.00CAD by staying here rather than the three star hotel that I had originally booked and that extra money purchased our museum passes, our 7 day unlimited transportation and our to and fro on the airport boat plus a few spritz’s here and there.

No idea what I did yesterday morning but it was computer related.  I fear that I am becoming addicted to this machine.  Meanwhile Colin got busy cleaning the inside of our home.  This is the first moment that has been free to clean.  Remember all the cobweb covered boxes we brought inside from our crawl space just before we were evacuated.  Not to mention all the spiders and other critters that were attached 👿   I finally got up and started to help.  Mid afternoon we headed out to a clients home in Peachland for a showing of Toller Cranston’s art.  In his final years he settled in San Miguel in Mexico.  He was a Canadian figure skating legend who died at 65 in January of 2015.  I have read and seen photos of how wonderful his home was.  I was so involved in the moment that I neglected to take photos of the art.  Afterwards we went out for dinner and then I had an early bedtime.

Today was more cleaning but outside.  Colin is a whiz and has high energy, I don’t.  I admit to not being of any help today.  It was nice to get the rest of the debris off our patio and to have it power washed.  I had to interrupt his cleaning spree so that we could attend a celebration of life.  Sadly in the last three months we have had three deaths on our street.  Today was for one of the very special ladies.  Of course I cried but not only for her but also for the girls.

When I went to bed last night I asked Colin what he was doing as he was on the computer and he said ” I’m looking at my girls”.  I have cried a few times this weekend and always for our girls.

When we returned from Venice Sunday we wondered why the streets were wet.

At first we thought that it had rained but then not all the streets were wet.

Others were quite wet. Turns out it is ground water. The ground is so saturated that the water is rising.  The lake remains at a normal level.

This is the official word per our park management re why our flood happened.  However the rising gournd water is just an extra problem to be dealt with.

While we were away about 2/3’s  of the RV’s stored in the parks storage area had been asked to move out.  The ground water was flooding the area.  That is our RV at the back.

We visually checked it out on Monday and by Tuesday morning it was looking very grim. We realized that things were serious and we needed to get our RV out of storage.  Colin contacted the park manager and set up a meeting for Wednesday at 1PM.  We wanted to take our RV out as we need to get it set up to tow the Jeep and we need the steering looked at as well as a few renos we had planned to get done this summer.  It was in the repair shop when we took it out in early May as we needed it to live in while we were evacuated from the house so everything had not been completed.

Early Wednesday morning two truck loads of large stone were dropped onto the wet mushy goo of the storage lot.  It did nothing, the tractor even sunk.

Don, management in the red and Ron, maintenance with the gum boots, very very strongly urged us to NOT take the RV out.  If we did it would be at our own risk and expense as well as the tow truck to haul it out of the soft muck.  They were positive that we would sink down to our chassis and the rocks would chew up the under carriage.

Of course we would be responsible for all damages to our RV.  Two independent engineers had been by to assess the situation earlier that day and they both said the same thing.  That eventually the ground water would stop.  One said it would take six weeks and the other said at least two months.  I asked Don why we had not been contacted to move our RV and he admitted that it was his mistake.  Meanwhile we have no RV for at least 6 – 8 weeks.  There go our plans to travel to Banff and Jasper for Canada’s 150 birthday celebration.

If we drive the RV out we will likely sink into the soft muck.  The ground water is under all of the storage area and is overflowing into the streets.  We may even create a sink hole if we move it.

Since Wednesday the water has risen even more and is getting closer to our RV.  The gate to the storage area has been closed and chained shut. Not even cars are allowed in since Tuesday.  It has been very stressful for us as we are extremely concerned re the safety of our RV.  We really should have been told to remove it earlier.  It is one of the heaviest vehicles there.  Nothing we can do at this point but I have to say that we are concerned that if the water does not stop then we may never get our RV out.

The wind has not stopped blowing for several days. Fortunately the rains that were predicted never came.  Two days ago we had the first sunset since we returned from Italy.

We have had a trickle of water coming down our street since we returned.  Today it became a bit more steady.  I am standing on our driveway watching the water come down towards us, the lowest spot on the street.

The tree on the right is on our property and you can just see the wetness on the pavement in the shadow of the tree.

Lots of things to be concerned about because of the ground water.  Colin left yesterday morning to shoot a project for a client in Williams Lake.  I am so thankful that he will be back sometime tonight. In addition to the water issues our landline phone went out sometime yesterday morning and I did not get service until late morning today.  I don’t have a cell phone so I had to disturb a neighbor for an hour yesterday to get thru to the phone company for repairs.  They said they would come on Tuesday.  Of course that was not acceptable and someone did come by this morning. but only after my many requests.  As they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  It was was very strange to not have phone service for over 24 hours.  Fortunately I still had internet.

I am seriously beginning to wonder if my life will ever settle down to something more normal.  I feel that I have been on a roller coaster since early January on the Isla.  I truly missed my girls yesterday ( I miss them everyday ) but fortunately I was so worn out that I was in bed by 9PM.   Tomorrow is another day and meanwhile the wind and white caps on the lake continue and Colin is only a few hours away.