21 April

“Marker for the way of St. James”

From my journal:  “We took our breakfast to a small country church in Baziege, laid out a blanket, and waited.  Latte, brioche, prosciutto and apples helped us pass the time. 

I spoke to a traveler my age who opened up to me.  She was walking the Camino because her gossip had led to the ostracizing of a woman and that woman had committed suicide.  She had begun the journey in Arles and intended to go all the way to the cliffs.  She said if she could not change how she felt when she arrived she might jump.  This conversation upset us. 

I spoke to her about having been the victim of lies and that I, like the woman, had choices.  I moved.”

[Discussing dreams:]
“Around thirteen billion cells in the occipital cortex fire off with every image we experience, whether or not the image reaches consciousness, and whether or not the image is of endogenous or exogenous origin.  The fact that something has caused at least thirteen billion cells to fire off in the brain must be appreciated as wondrous.”  Brugh Joy

“On to Toulouse. . . La Ville Rose . . . The Pink City.  Sketched the Hospital La Grave.”

From my journal:  “We stayed on the East side of the Garonne in a pensione near the Universite Toulouse.  On our way to dinner I did this sketch [below] of the hospital from Basilique Notre-Dame.  We had a wonderful roast chicken dinner — like my own cooking! Heaven.

Toulouse is a gorgeous city.  The lights and the waterways and the pink brick.

Not knowing French has been a problem.  [Let me explain, because I don’t know Italian either but I can understand more due to living near Mexico.]  The ‘Canal du Midi’ is a great example.  We saw waterways, rivers, etc. [on maps], but had no idea of this spectacular canal.  We could have taken the canal — it would have been a different trip from Montpellier!  Wish I’d known!”

“Where your love like Heaven!”  Cat Stevens

“Heard today.  Home Home Home.  Young again.  Brings it all back!”

Moleskin 8×11 watercolor journal, De Artramentis Document and Super5 ink,
and Daniel Smith, Holbien and QoR watercolors.

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