Sometimes, something happens that is so strong an experience that everything seems to be happening in the moment and life itself feels very real. And then there is the Academy. Even though it is exciting, and something is always happening such that life should be present at every moment, it all feels rather unreal, as if living at the top of this hill is the equivalent of being sequestered away from reality, which is part of the purpose.
The Academy is part of a sustainable food project that focuses on slow food, on locally procured and responsibly produced ingredients, which means that meals are a central part of our life here. And after meals, we linger, sometimes briefly, sometimes longer in the bar or the courtyard or around the billiards table.
One day, Mona (our chef extraordinaire) brought in a pile of freshly cut verbena branches and a crowd gathered to help pull the leaves off. The leaves became the tea served after dinner or during afternoons when people gather in the Salone for cookies, pleasantries, and sometimes for serious talk.
These pictures from September (from our first weeks here) are being posted at last in November because the Academy is 24/7, a
continual busy dream that keeps us going and going and going, without much time for landing, but with plenty of sustenance to keep us moving.
