A hopefully brief time out

March 26, 2023

I reach for the iPad when I wake up to see the time and am pleasantly surprised to see its seven already. We never sleep that late! It’s good news for me - I’ve slept well for three or four straight days now, and it’s been over five days since I’ve had an arrythmia episode. I’m feeling almost normal.

More surprising though is early riser Rachael, who doesn’t stir until eight. That’s almost unheard of. When she does wake up, she shares the bad news that she feels terrible and has a very painful stomach ache. She has the proverbial cast iron stomach, and neither of us can remember the last time she complained of this. She tells me to go on down by myself for coffee and breakfast, and when she shows up almost an hour later it’s all she can do to down a container of yogurt.

We have a quite short ride planned for today, but by mid-morning it’s obvious she won’t be up for it. I do some research on options - Sciacca has a taxi service, so that’s one possibility. Also, there’s a coastal bus line - probably the same one we took from Marsala to Agrigento four years ago to bail out on a few days of serious rain. Today’s Sunday though, and the only daytime bus leaves Sciacca in 45 minutes. It would be tight getting to the bus depot on time, assuming they’d even let the bikes on.

Finally it occurs to me that we have two quite short days in a row, short enough that we could double them up into one longer ride. I dash downstairs to catch our host before she leaves for the day, and with Google Translate’s help I communicate that we’d like to stay over another day. It’s a no-brainer for her, as we’re the only guests in the hotel anyway. I cancel on today’s booking in Montallegro, Rachael goes back to sleep, and a couple of hours later I go off for a walk.

My primary destination is the waterfront, a part of town I haven’t explored yet. I walk down the staircase below Piazza Scandaliato, and when I get to the waterfront I walk out to the end of the pier, looking at fishing boats, keeping my eye out for birds, and looking back at the colorful Sailors Village.

At the base of the staircase are the ruins of the Sciacca pasta factory. I couldn’t find any history of the building, but there is an article that suggests there are plans to raze it and replace it with a five star resort hotel.

Walking out to the fishing pier, looking back at the Sailors Village, the quarter of Sciacca where its fishermen traditionally lived. An interesting fact: Dr. Antony Fauci’s ancestry is from Sciacca, and his grandparents lived in the Sailors Village.

Looking across the harbor to the Sailors Village.

An immature yellow-legged gull. Interestingly, their legs don’t turn color until they reach maturity.

The Sailors Village - decrepit but colorful.

Afterwards, I returned to land and wandered through the Sailors Village. It’s a bit of a maze, full of staircases to the upper level and dead end alleys, but not so large that you can really get lost.

Then, I walked east along the shore a short ways before working my way back up to the upper city and then to the room to check in on my sick friend. She’s better and lets a smile break out on her face now and then, but she’s still uncomfortable. Later she’ll try a bit of oatmeal, but it’s all she’s ready to manage. We’ll have to wait for the morning to see what’s possible tomorrow.

The view southeast. I wonder how far out we’re seeing here? It’s a pretty straight coastline for about fifty miles, all the way to Licata.

#128: Italian sparrow. An intermediate between the English and Spanish sparrow. I’m pretty sure these little guys were the ones making all the racket in the laurels last night.

Have I seen this colorful tree before? I don’t think so.

It’s an Indian Coral Tree. What an amazing color!

I wonder if the pod cover acts as a sail to promote distribution. There was another of these trees growing about two blocks away.

#129: White wagtail. It’s nice to be racking up a few new species, but I wish some of these birds would let me get close enough for a better shot.

A Sicilian wall lizard. We’ve seen hundreds of these scrambling across our path by now.

Waiting for a friend. This is only half of the shot I should have taken. Too late, I noticed the cat lying right behind his back.

#130: Great tit. Another mediocre shot, but one I was pleased to get anyway. He’s perched on the top of a rear view mirror and keeps going up to the roof of the car to peck at something.

We’ve seen the staircase leading to our hotel before, but the light is better this time.

____________________

2023 Bird List

128. Italian sparrow

129. White wagtail

130: Great tit

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	12
Comment on this entry	Comment	8

Rich FrasierGet better soon, Rachael!
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Keith AdamsHere's hoping Rachael's woes are short-lived.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Keith ClassenHey Rachael - hope you feel well soon.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Susan CarpenterI hope you’re feeling better this morning Rachael
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Suzanne GibsonHope you're feeling better by now, Rachael!
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Jacquie GaudetSuch a drag to not feel well. I hope it’s over soon.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetShe’s doing much better today (the following evening), but we decided to take the bus to Agrigento today rather than risk a 45 mile ride. It seems like it must have been food poisoning. I imagine we’ll be back on the program and riding to Licata tomorrow.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago

Ron SuchanekArgh. Sorry Rachael had the sickness. It sucks to get sick while traveling. And while not traveling for that matter.
Reply to this comment
1 year ago