(10-09-2012, 04:22 AM)Lycen Wrote: Definitively getting something out of it, and please do write as detailed as you wish. I for one am not in a rush, would be most interested in hearing all the subtle "things"!
DJL Wrote:I believe it may have been built before the turn of the millennium, the first one.Am I being thick headed or does that mean before the year 1000? For some reason the concept screams out for attention .P
Thank you for sharing
Thank you Lycen for your interest and I would be more than happy to answer your question.
As it has been difficult for me to grow a "thick skin" I have developed a bit of a sense of humor to be able to maintain my bearing and keep my sanity through a lot of things. I do hope that comes across to some degree in my story. I understand that that may not be the greatest tool when trying to recall a factually accurate account of a situation but I'm writing this as a dynamic account, both from a logical perspective and an emotional one. How I experienced things is just as important as what I experienced. Separating one from the other takes away so much.
In Italy everything is ancient giving it that "old world charm". There is an undeniable nostalgia that envelops the spirit at every turn over there when coming from a place in the world where rarely do I ever see a building more than 100 years old. Its something that mainstream American culture forgets, so often, to have an appreciation for. I’ve traced my lineage back to Dutch-Irish, Scandinavian, and Native American (Chickasaw & Kiowa).So while I don’t know if anyone in my ancestry ever set foot in Italy I do know that there became an understanding in me of how influential that part of the world was in shaping the modern world.
So do I "know" that where I lived was built before 1000 AD? No. I will gladly concede that. But to give you a sense of the area I will tell you that I went with one of my friends to look for a place when he was moving off base. As we did not speak Italian very well we took a translator to meet a landlord. In the tour of the small square abode the translator said, ”He says it’s a one bedroom, one bath, built around the year 600, with a remodeled living area and kitchen.” All in a nonchalant manner without missing a beat. That’s mind blowing to think about. We both stopped and just looked at each other. Our entire country was barely over 200 years old. This quaint little hole in the wall, with its 7 foot ceiling, was 1400 years old.
The intersection that became the final resting place for my car was the turn off to go to my house and the only way to really get there. The road narrowed as it went through the community to one lane but had to support two-way traffic. Many times a passenger bus would be coming through and they didn’t get out of the way, you did. We would have to back up, up to a quarter mile, to let the bus through. That section of the road was so narrow that people’s front doors to their houses had to open in. if the doors opened out then they would have been sheared off by passing cars, literally. One of my roommates owned a ‘84 Chrysler 5th Avenue. The fact that that beast of a machine still had side mirrors is probably the most conclusive proof that guardian angels exist that there is.
I hope that clears things up a bit for you. Thanks for the question. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more. Light and Love.