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The last few weeks have been a learning experience. This is just a short look.

The temperatures are hot and here you stay cool with the water and the beach. The shade and the wind also create cooler temps. The streets are empty in the hottest times of the day as people retreat for siesta. At night there are many people walking in the cooler temperatures. It seems like a regular way of life.

I’ve had the opportunity to learn how to use so many different things, from keys to front doors to coffee pots to stoves and washing machines. So many things are a learning opportunity. Even asking for items in Italian at stores and bus stations is an adventure. Learning every time as I’m exposed to new experiences.

Walking out the door, knowing I will be experiencing these moments, takes courage. I don’t know how I will always succeed. Overall, it works out and I enjoy the walks and the sights and what I am learning of the history of this beautiful part of the world. Those first steps take courage.

I’ve learned of a new favorite poet. Her name is Maria Costa. A few of her poems are in this video. Her books are unavailable, though I hope to find one. Her poems are profound. She lived here in Messina, in a house that used to be on the beach. It is a preserved house. A UNESCO site. I met there with people who are working to preserve her words and her home. Then I found her poems online. Here is one:

I have met people from Slavic countries living in Messina as I reached out to a Sicilian mosaic artist from Belarus when I learned of her work in the streets of Messina, Irina Belaeva. Due to her inspiration, I hope to create a tile mosaic one day to leave as a gift to this beautiful citta.

These are some of the treasures I’ve found in Messina. Another treasure: the beautiful old buildings that I hope can be preserved. I saw this one last night along the waterfront. It is in such need of care and looks like it has had a prominent place in the history here. I don’t know it’s story and hope to know more as I wander these streets.

Of course there are the most iconic structures too and so many churches (chiesa’s) They are majestic and beautiful. And wrapping it all up is the treasure of my son Conor’s music. In this video, I’ve chosen to use his song for his group Cosacchi that’s called “Steady”.

Living in Messina, Sicily – A Day to Day Experience

This is my second week in this beautiful city. I am trying to immerse myself among Italian speakers so I can learn the language better. I do think I am improving. Ciao. 🙂 I can communicate better than I thought I would. I am staying in quaint B&B near Antico Centro, a block from the Duomo with the mechanical show at noon every day. There have been fireworks the last few nights on the hill by Chiesa Montalto. My purpose has been to live through the seasons here in Messina as my Dad’s Great Aunts and Grandfather and their parents did many years ago and to discover as much as possible. I don’t expect to meet family but I know I am crossing paths that they crossed so many years ago.

I discovered that it is important to try to have a purpose for each day. There is an artist from Belarus in Messina who has made sidewalk mosaics. When I saw the story, I was so impressed, I reached out to her and we became friends. It is nice to know another person in this large city. I visited the large cemetery in Messina and was overwhelmed with the expanse and may visit another time. I visited the museum and was so impressed with how much art has been preserved, many of the artworks adhered to wooden boards that have withstood time. Again, it is an expansive museum and I will return to see it all. I hope to help Irina leave a little art here in Messina too over this next year. She has a project with a poet society for Maria Costa and I attended their meeting and it was good to see and hear this history. I hope to find a book of Maria Costa poetry somewhere soon. Her poetry tells the story of Messina’s strength, beauty and fortitude through so much adversity.

From Wikipedia:

Costa 1926 – 2016 lived all her life in the neighborhood of Case Basse (Deep Houses) in Paradiso (Paradise, a village of fishermen near Messina). In her poems, most of which are written in the Messinese dialect, she defended the cultural heritage of a town which was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1908.

Her verses are gathered in different volumes, such as Farfalle Serali (Evening butterflies) (1978), Mosaico (Mosaic) (1980), ‘A prova ‘ill’ovu (The egg examination) (1989) and Cavaddu ‘i coppi (Cups Horse) (1993).

Video production has changed through the decades in so many ways.  It continues to change today.  If you plan a career in this industry, it is good to prepare to frequently familiarize with many different brands and formats of camera, editing equipment, storage systems, lighting, audio equipment and other necessary tools of the trade.  Currently Sunny Wonder Media is using Avid Editing 5.5 Media Composer and Sony HD cameras that record to SD Cards to tell stories in various communities.  The road to this equipment has been long and windy and is rapidly changing with various formats and upgrades.  To become more mobile and keep up with changes in technology, we are looking toward 4k cameras and Adobe Premiere mobile editing.  Fortunately, once you learn how to produce effectively, creatively and conveying qualities and emotion, as the tools of the trade change, the work you produce only gets better.

As a member of the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, I was offered an opportunity to travel to Antigua West Indies and document an experience of giving and exchange. This is a compilation of some of my favorite moments during this experience.

Such an active and event-filled few days in a beautiful area with gracious and spirit-filled people I had no idea existed before this experience.

As St. Patrick’s Day 2013 is just a few days away, here is a segment from the 2012 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seattle. There is a little bit from, I think, every group in the parade.

It has been a family event for us since I was very young and my Dad and my son have played the Irish Anthem and the Stars and Stripes at the start of the parade for a number of years together. This segment showcases a little bit of their trumpet work as well as the diverse variety and fun of the parade. Thanks to the Irish Heritage Club and so many other groups for their hard work putting this event together every year.

I produced a short video for the 2013 Verity Cartwheels for a Cause Contest to benefit Kiwanis Camp Casey.  Voting ends today at 5pm.  There are some very worthwhile causes in the competition.  Here is my entry:

My segment features the SLC Lacrosse Team doing cartwheels and a great cartwheel line from the Newport High School Gymnastics team.  I hope it does well and will share any results I find out.