Year of the Roofs

Man, I just can't seem to get away from this . . . my leaky roof in Milna, Slavko's new roof in Solin, and now . . . helping with Lori's new roof on her horse barn . . . the best news is after Slavko's and after Lori's, we had some spectacular barbeque . . .

Slavko Sends Haiku

The green frog 

In your water meter 

The blob is dripping slow  

(Ed.: Photos are not my leaking water meter! but of the paleolithic cave of Kopacina, that Slavko and Nada recently visited, now secure behind iron bars as yet another archaeological excavation is underway.)

PAhurds Say: A-h-h-h-

Tim and Lynne get away for a romantic weekend, Tim's birthday and mini-vacation at the Atlantic seashore.  They send these photos of sunset over the Atlantic and of their beach house.

Slavko Captures the REAL ME!

Clever guy, Slavko.

Emails these photos that he took last week in Solin.

Can't argue with them.

Dateline Milna: Nick of Time

In the nick of time (JIT), with only days before I leave, Jozo shows up
before I leave to make some repairs to my roof. Roof repair was the
single big reason that I came here this year. Hopefully, for $200 USD
this will hold things until I add another floor to my place and then
replace the whole back roof.

Ivo looks on and gives his tentative approval.

Dateline Milna: So Much to Do . . .

. . . so little time . . .

so . . .

I slip out the back way,
behind my house,
up the stony walled path,
through an olive grove,
down an abandoned cistern slope,
past the village ballote ball courts,
and up beyond the old village of Podhume . . .

I follow a flock of sheep
deep in to the hills

I find a hunter's stand for wild boar, high in a dead pine . . .

the next day I am on the mainland, in Solin,
helping Slavko roof his new house,
helping to drink his homemade wine and
eat his roasted lamb,
watching ballote at Greben,
matching Jako, the master mason,
drink for drink,
("Zivio!")
sleeping with geckos
showering outside the next morning
as the sun came up
and the bura blew,
in water as cold as snow-melt
beneath ruins of a 7th century
church and mausoleum.

Now, to work,
finish the roof repair,
clean the house,
wash the sheets,
thank the neighbors,
take a breath . . .
then . . .
another
and . . .
another . . .

edison eye - "Phantoms" - danse macabre- eros

so i squeak in
a world away
not even listed on the mailing
but the Baron hangs me anyway

and Christine buys a work.

(What a sweetie!)

and what the hell.
What the hell.

Almost Single Digits Now

Warm, sunny days. Shirt-sleeve weather. Occasional rain.

Milna is shutting down for the winter, however. The Models Bar,
Bobs'n'Babes, Gallerija Kate, Galicija (steak house), Gajeta restaurant,
Fontana, Fjaka, Pinta . . . it's getting hard to find a meal here!

Julia's note: progress on barn and more

Lori and John have been busy! Lori can send photos once she has a chance.

(John has our camera.)

I dropped by both farms on Sunday and it was 'horse city' on McLean Road.
Horse people in and out, Lori training, feeding, etc. Lori found a couple
more treasures - a photo of gramps and an original card of Mimi's.

The Hurd/Wolden horse facilities are getting very close to being useable!
It's amazing how much they've accomplished in a short time. The barn
interior has five stalls, with a sixth, temporary stall coming. The paddock
area has three shelters, each holding two horses. There is a road running
along the property line between the Wolden's and Lori and John's place to
the paddocks. They have to finish the walls, gates, and fencing and
basically it will be ready, at least to get the horses over there and finish
later. They plan to put in a water system next year and some other things.
Maybe put a new roof on the other half of the huge barn in November. That
area will be for storage and the middle is for shavings (the area they
already put the new roof on is where the horses, tack room, etc. are). Also
sanded and refinished a cabinet that used to be in the kitchen on McLean Rd,
then went to the gun room, then the horse barn and now will be part of the
new tack room. They've laid a good foundation for the horses with sand and
gravel and shavings, etc. And eventually plan to make a little extra $ from
horse manure (as we know, they make full use of 'horse' trading, a little
entrepreneurship and recycling!).

It will be very nice once it's completed. And they'll be glad to have a more
normal schedule. As it is, John has about ten boats to build and they are
more-or-less on hold until the horses are there, which will make life less
complicated.

Julia

Pressing the Grapes

Yesterday was a gift. Sunny and warm as Ivo, Spiro and I pressed wine
at Murvica, mid-way down the south side of the island near Bol. The
setting there is unreal: behind, blue skies, white cumulus and the
towering grey-blue walls of limestone and dolomite; before, the open
channel and Hvar; amid vineyards still heavy with fruit slanting down to
the sea, only the faint sounds of the waves on the beach below audible.
Rock, sky, sea everywhere.

Always the opening of the spigot on the fermentation tub is a wonder to
me. The dark red wine bursts gushing out, bucket after bucket, seeming
as miraculous as water from a stone in the desert. Then comes the mild
work of pressing the remaining pulp for the rest of the new wine.
(Mild 'cuz Spiro did all the hard stuff.)

Later, although it was the 2nd of October, I went for a swim. Amen.