Siracusa, Sicily. Friday April 27. 3:30am

Siracusa Sicily. Friday April 27. 3:39am. 

Tuning OurInstruments 

Dear Trail Friends,

Chris and I left Orcas 8:30am on Wednesday because our ferry schedule was changed due to an injured ferry (damaged propeller). We had lots of errands to do on our way to Seattle: dropping my car at the Subaru dealer for engine repair work (on Monday of the previous week, a day of heavy rain, my brand new Forester hit a puddle in the fast lane and spun wildly out of control, whirled and lurched across the slower lanes of traffic and into the ditch beside the road. Miraculously there was no collision, it did not flip over, and I was able to drive away. But the impact was huge so I took it in last Thursday to look for subtle damage. Alas, there was damage to I believe the cam case seal and oil was leaking. The repair required an expensive because labor intensive removal of the engine to reseal the cam case - so we decided to leave OSilver, our new car, there as we headed for Sicily), stopping at Costco to get new lightweight rain jackets, at AAA for an international driver’s license, at Goodwill to leave off several bags of books and clothes and other re-useable items, a stop st Walmart’s in an unsuccessful search for a “lock lace” device for my new shoes (I had unfortunately left my well broken in hiking shoes behind and brought only the new larger pair, not yet broken in and intended for future hikes in which I would need bulkier warmer more cushioned socks than my new snug shoes could tolerate), at Althea’s orthopedic shoe store in Everett to explore a new lace hole and possible heel pads for the new shoes, a voyage through rush hour Seattle traffic, and final arrival at Chris’s daughter Sandy’s house in Seattle. 

We went out to dinner with Sandy and her partner Betsy and their daughter Sara, and celebrated Sara’s decision to attend Washington Stste University at Pullman. Betsy has roots in Sicily and we loved sharing an Italian dinner and the fantasy that they will go with us in imagination. Sandy, Chris and I ordered the Sicilian Blood Oramge Prosecco cocktails (which turned out to be ordinary orange but were no less wonderful for that. 

Photo 1 shows Chris and daughter Sandy toasting with their (bloodless) Sicilian orange prosecco cocktails. 

We got up at 5:00am Wednesday - luckily Chris set her alarm because I had set mine for 5:45 when I meant to set it for 4:45) and got an uber to the airport. We had more time than we needed at the airport - international checkin and baggage check is much more efficient than it used to be - and our flight left on time 8:30am, arrived in Philadelphia on time, and we made our way to the flight to Rome smoothly. It too departed on time. Chris was initially disappointed that it was on older plane with no outlets for recharging iPhones but I had brought my recharger that I use on the trail and we truly appreciated the fact that the older plane had more leg room. 

Our flight arrived on time in Rome and we made our way relatively smoothly through baggage claim and to the other terminal to catch our plane to Catania, Sicily. That flight too was on time and we arrived in Catania where we met Angela, who will be the local guide for our tour. She drove us to our hotel in Siracusa where we met Lucia who has been the local tour organizer. Lucia wanted to meet later that evening (Thursday) to discuss a few issues on the tour (particularly regarding how to balance accommodating dietary restrictions of group members with giving other group members a chance to eat real Sicilian food). Not having slept at all on the flights, I was annoyed by the proposal. I just wanted to rest and not have me or Chris have to deal with practical tour details. 

  But in fact getting together with Angela and Lucia and Toni (our American tour organizer) turned out to be the first highlight of the trip. We met in the spectacular apartment Lucia is house-sitting for a friend who collects art - very interesting and provactive contemporary art with images that suggest Adam and Eve, the Minotaur, Christian icons and more. We drank wine, nibbled local cheese, salami, grape tomatoes, olives and crisped bread, and I felt the trust and harmony among the planners and guides develop in a way that reminded me of how Chris’s mother used to say that it is important to tune your instruments as you begin a conversation. I like imagining that it is part of the special wisdom of people in the hospitality business that you create occasions to cultivate warmth and trust. I also like imagining that it is part of the Sicilian culture, especially the role played by wine and good food in creating the mood. 

Photo 2 shows (left to right) Toni, Angela, Lucia and Chris. There was a lot of talking with hands and I enjoyed seeing how Toni talks with her hands and thinking about that as perhaps passed down through the family from her Sicilian roots. 

Afterwards, Chris and I had a simple dinner sharing a first course of Norma di Mare (pasta with eggplant and swordfish) and a second of sea bass with pistachios and a side of very fresh and perfectly cooked spinach. 

I am loving the way my Duolingo playing at learning Italian helps me say little things like “grazie mille” with confidence and recognize a word or two as I hear people speak and read signs. I have often heard that locals appreciate even small efforts to speak a few words of their language. But I had no idea how much those small efforts add to my own pleasure. There is a real pleasure in tuning the instruments - creating warmth and trust between human beings. Io parlo molto poco Italiano - imperfectly and awkwardly but still it tunes me a little to the music of the language and the culture. The pleasure it brings surprises me. 

And may I say how surprised I am by the pleasure of writing this blog to you? I woke up at 1;30am and by 3 realized I was not getting back to sleep. 

As I began this blog it seemed dense with boring detail. I felt insecure and self-critical. But by the time I arrived at the tuning of the instruments story, I was feeling the warmth and trust I described. It is funny how telling the story of an experience and sharing it also shapes it. Thank you for joining me, you few hearty souls who made it to the end of this post, because these feelings we are conjuring together comprise such a precious reality. Our world needs as much trust and warmth as we can manage to cultivate, one small tuning session at a time. 

 Thanks for walking with me and for tuning instruments with me. 

A domani.