Monthly Archives: October 2022
number 88 and a wall-heart
So many things going on in just one frame…I’ll just stop writing now and let your eyes wander around.
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 8.30.2022
the modest maiden
One thing about aimless wandering through an unfamiliar city is that the history of the places you’ll wander past isn’t something you’re necessarily aware of.
Here’s an example – we found this fountain because we turned down a dark passageway and there it was.
I liked the modest maiden, so I made her photograph.
When I sat down to write this post, I looked up the location on a map and discovered it’s the Fontana Pretoria. Further research led me to this fascinating bit of knowledge: The fountain was originally built in 1544 in Florence, but was sold, transferred, and reassembled* in Palermo in 1574. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the fountain was considered to depict the corrupt municipality of Palermo. For this reason – and because of the nude statues, it became known as Piazza della Vergogna (or Square of Shame). In 1998 a five-year restoration project began.
So anyway, that maiden’s been modest now for nearly 480 years.
Fontana Pretoria
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 8.29.2022
*Mostly. Some parts of it went missing.
goat trio
It turns out to be a surprise to everyone (myself included) that I really took to making photos of people while I was in Sicily.
photographed 9.6.2022
goats and a dog and Vincenzo
After we played with baby goats and looked at grown-up goats and tasted cheese, we got to watch the Vincenzo and his dogs lead the goats down a mountain and up the other side to the place where they’d spend the day grazing.
As an aside – my mom grew up in the part of Texas where ranchers raise a lot of goats. She had very fond memories of how cute baby goats are and had quite a few stories about their antics. After this morning with goats, I could definitely better understand her point.
near San Biagio Platini
photographed 9.6.2022
grooming essentials
I posted a portrait of a goat a few days ago. I mean, it wasn’t just any goat – it’s the breed (Capre Girgentane) that’s indigenous to the Agrigento provide of Sicily. We went to see the goats and to taste a variety of cheeses made from their milk. Naturally, while we were in the cheese room, I took the opportunity to look at what else was there. I have an interest in seeing what’s just past the obvious, in seeing the mundane things that have to happen in order for the main thing to work, in noticing easily-overlook details.
And that’s how I found this humble – and also beautiful, to me – scene. (I’d be lying if I said I noticed that footprint on the wall when I took the picture. As much as I think I’m a good observer of details, I am not THAT good…)
near San Biagio Platini
photographed 9.6.2022
One Day | One Image 