Blog Archives
sun/fish
Fish and a wedge of sun in a street market in Palermo.
When I was a kid, my family took several long road trips to Mexico; we used a Sanborn’s guidebook that noted all the things of interest along the way. And if there was a note about a town (even if it was off our route) that was having a market on the day we’d be there, my dad would turn off the highway for a visit. It was always interesting to see all the things that were for sale, from an entire dead-but-not-butchered-pig, to a few meters of embroidery thread wrapped around a piece of cardboard, to plastic shoes, to jewel-toned soft drinks in glass bottles, to books.
It seemed like the details of our visits to Mexican markets had been lost in my memory. But only a few steps into their Sicilian cousins those memories came back; I was once again a shy blonde kid on the cusp of being grown seeing things that felt mysterious and enticing.
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 1.17.2025
market needlework
My mom made all of my clothes (except for my Girl Scout uniforms and swim suits). And while I absolutely did not get her abilities for or interest in sewing, I appreciate the art involved.
And maybe that’s why these clothes (which were hanging from a metal panel that had a bit of a makeshift look to it) at a Sicilian market caught my attention. But, really, though, why would anyone overlook that delicate pink and white edging on that sleeve?
La Vucciria Market
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 8.30.2022
cleaned fish
Just the night before, these fish had been swimming around in the Mediterranean. And when I saw them, they were being cleaned (quickly, by someone with a lot of practice) before maybe heading across the market to the man wearing a red apron frying up platters of fish.
La Vucciria Market
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 8.30.2022




