Carnivale calf

Saw her as she was passing by ....
time to celebrate Carnivale.

Holiday lights - Via Roma

Looking down Via Roma during the Santa Lucia festival ...

Santa Lucia is the patron saint for Belpasso.

Her feast-day is 13 December.

She is quite popular in Sicily. 

She is also Syracusa's (south-east corner of the island) patron saint.   Every year Sweden sends a girl to Syracusa to portray Sta. Lucia during the festival in Sta. Lucia's honor.

Unique nativity

Nativity set in a tire at one of Belpasso's annual displays

Surprise ... surprise

A surprise storm came through last week (suspect it was the leftovers of the storms which caused s much damage while crossing the states) ... this is our balcony about 20 minutes after the storm started.

Lots of wind, flooding, roads damaged and businesses were closed for a few days to clean up.  The round dish is the cat's preferred water bowl.  Normally Indy constantly pesters us to let her out on the balcony ...

that wasn't the case until the snow melted away.

Sailing ... sailing ... I think

A tropical storm went through last week ....
less than an hour earlier, I had driven through this intersection
 and there was only a couple inches of water.
  Now just about every car in the photo has died due to water intrusion.

Another Carnivale float

The back of another float at the Aci Reale Carnivale this year.

Fresh orange juice!

Freshly squeezed tarocco (related to blood oranges) juice!  Good stuff!

The first year I was stationed here before, DS was only 8 that year.  He strolled into the kitchen while I was squeezing orange juice and asked what I was doing.   I told him I was making orange juice.

Instant response ... "No you're not!. I know what orange juice looks like!!"
Took some convincing ... but he finally tried the juice .... and liked it.

Here comes the carriage!

This 18th century carriage is coming up to the procession's starting point.  

The dignitaries will be picked up in a minute

... then the procession will officially begin.

Coachman

A coachman awaiting the start of the St Agatha procession.

He is dressed in 18th century style attire.

Maltese Knight

St Agatha is the patron saint for the city of Catania

and her feast day is 5 February.

DH and I saw this Maltese Knight while waiting for the procession to start.

The Knights were one of many groups in the procession.

Birra ?

this is why I generally carry my camera ...
the tray was just sitting on the counter, waiting to be used ...
I like the glasses and bottle of wine in the background

Hello Birdie ...

Magpie (bird) looking (and finding) bugs ... lots of bugs.
Magpies are super common  here and in southern Spain ...
Indy hates them ... they like to dive bomb her

Calcio rules!

Sign at the Belpasso Calcio Club (soccer club) office

Sunrise on Groundhog Day

woke up really early this morning ... watched the sunrise while Indy drank bird-flavo​red water (from the bird bath)

"People of Liberty"

Posted in the main piazza here in Belpasso ...
 Berlusconi was the Italian Prime Minister until recently.

Store shelves on Saturday

Cold shelves in a local store ... trucker strike is having quite an effect.

Gas strike - day #7

A friend waiting for gas during this week's trucker's strike .... DH and I heard a rumor last night that a gas station (not the station in this picture) we go past most days got a delivery last night and was going to open at 7:00am this morning (he's normally not open on Sundays).  So we were up and on our way by 5:30am to sit outside his station and see if the rumor was true.  Another friend joined us in line ... and a few others that drove by joined the line as well.  It was TRUE!!  At 7am, he opened -- there were only about 5 cars in line at that point .. but everyone started calling to let others know gas was available.   The attendant said he got about 2000 liters of gasoline last night ... DH heard this afternoon that the station we gassed up was empty by 9am.

Etna's gift

Etna's ash and grit covers our terraza.

Etna's cooking again!

Etna's off and going again!

Lots and lots of ash blowing around ... 

it shows here as the gray  covering the left and middle of the photo.

Ho Ho Ho in Nuremburg

Santa and Rudolph DH and I saw while visiting this year's 

Nuremburg Christmas Market.

He gave candy to the kids whether or not he was given money.

We stopped by to watch him every night we were there

Ho Ho Ho ... Merry Christmas everyone!