Needs, Wants and Art in Florence

Hi everyone,

This is my first "real video" and I made it for One Day on Earth Project!

Gemma my intern and I worked on this together and she did a ton of work, plus all of the editing!

Clap Clap Gemma!

Please view the video at this link, share to spread the work and provide feedback!

Also, the CB Project is now preparing to conduct workshops with homeless men and sheltered women in Portland, Oregon!  We have a total of 18 participants.

Needs, Wants and Art in Florence from Susan Brannon on Vimeo.

Wedding Fashion Show in Florence, Italy

This is cool!  I am learning things on how to embed my own slideshow of images!  Now I can strut my stuff...

Model pose and fashion in Florence

Proud

Looking inside, a place rare to stand

Ferrari's, nice red ones

A few weeks ago, the main "fashion" shopping street was closed to traffic so people could walk around and view the new fall collection's in the shops.  At the same time, one could meander through the Ferrari collections parked in the middle of the street.  Do the upscale fashions go hand in hand with Ferrari's? I heard comments from the local Italians who are having a difficult time putting food on the table, and paying their bills, say that the exhibition was like a kick in the face, or spit in the eye.  The economy is horrible everywhere, yet at the same time, they make a big extravaganza of things that no one can afford.  Sure, wouldn't everybody want to buy a $700,000 red Ferrari Enzo?  Wouldn't most women like the opportunity to buy a 2,000 Euro blouse?  However, most of us who walked down this street, cannot even consider of buying such luxuries.  We can only dream of such things.

I have to admit, the cars were beautiful, and I mean beautiful.  To listen to the Ferrari engine roar made me think of the best sexual experience...Actually, I could see myself sitting on the front leather seat with my hair blowing through the wind and a really hot guy sitting right next to me.  He was giving me the look of love with a big smile on his face.  When I finished strolling through dreamland, I woke up and decided that I needed to play the lottery more often.  I wonder how many of the other people were dreaming like I was.

Just about everyone was taking photographs with their cell phones, or small digital camera's.  I saw some professional looking folks bouncing around in the attempt to get that perfect shot.  I took some images myself, just look at them, are they not good?

While glancing around, I had to take a shot of the "model" looking girl standing in front of one of the shops, just look at her stance, is she a professional?  I took a shot of a sweet looking foreign young man with a glint in his eyes.  He was standing proudly by a Ferrari looking as though he just made it to heaven.

I also noticed many "single" women wondering around all dressed in fancy clothes.  A person told me that they are hoping to find some rich man.  I think to myself as a response, "Can money really buy happiness, how can a women be with a person just for money and live with herself?"  I know that I sound a bit naive, and I know that people really do live that way, I just cannot imagine it for myself.  It seems to be a plastic world of unreality.

I know that if I won the lottery, I would not buy a Ferrari, I would pay off my children's and my student loans, pay cash for a nice home...or two.  I am torn between two places, Florence and the states, if I were lucky enough  I would buy two.  Then, I would invest some and continue with my passion of photography projects.  Now that is a dream!

Books:  Ferrari:  "A complete guide to all models" by, Leonardo Lcerbl
Lottery:  "Lottery Master Guide" by, Gail Howard
Student Loan:  "The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in the U.S. History - and How We Can Fight Back" by, Alan Michael Collinge
Student Loan: "Zero Debt for College Grads: From Student Loans to Financial Freedom" by, Lynnette Khalfani
Student Loan: "How to Wipe Out Your Student Loans and Be Debt Free Fast:  Everything You need to Know Explained Simply" by, Michele Burgh

Our carpenter in the country house working some stuff! 

Faith 

The Duomo 

Florence 

Florence

This is one of my last days in Florence. I decided that it is about time that I took some photos.
It is a beautiful city, full of tourists, American students, and the economy is based on those facts.
The locals do not seem very happy, tourism is down and the student enrollment is also down.
Many of the shops shut down and the locals are moving out of the city because it is too expensive.

Florence wedding 

selling oil

The Salesman 

The Prince and the Castle

There are a few things that the Italians cannot live without in their homes and one of those things is olive oil and wine. The Pozzolatico Castle store, that is owned by the renowned Count (I call him a Prince), is open on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Rumor says that the prince owns all the land in Pozzolatico and more! He has his own carpenter, farmers, olive trees, grape vines and store. He produces his own wine and olive oil.

Today, I went to the Castle to buy some of the famed olive oil and red wine. I walked from my humble abode up the road to the castle. The tall tale sign that visitors are welcome to the castle is when the large Iron Gate is open. As I walked through the gate on the road lined with rosemary, olive trees, random flowers and nicely pruned bushes, I felt like the lost girl searching for her prince. I asked myself, “Where is my prince? Could he be here?” What a dream it is for an older single, divorced woman to meet her true prince, who lives truly in a castle surrounded with tall stoned walls and surrounded by miles and miles of land.

As I enter into the garden and down the nicely landscaped road, I see a few cars parked near a large antique wooden garage door. “This must be where the famed wine and olive oil is!” Grungy looking aged men are hanging around the parking lot smoking cigarettes and holding large various designed glass jars to hold the precious wine or olive oil.

Once inside there are a variety of garden fresh vegetables to choose from and a desk with a calculator and papers rummaged on top. There is another red antique wooden door that is the entry way to the winery. The smell inside is that of the night after a drinking binge in a sorority house.

I asked to taste the olive oil, because I heard that many times they will try to sell you “last years supply” before giving you the new. I tasted the old and I thought, “Ummm good!” and then tasted the new, and thought, “It was picked too early and the taste is somewhat bitter.” I’ll take the old, please!

The wine was not a problem, I had already brought with me a few empty bottles and wholah I have now the red wine and olive oil. The salesman was not the prince. I thought to myself, dang. I wanted to see the famed prince! He was a grungy old man, missing two front teeth trying to keep all the customers happy. The prince was no where to be found. “Oh well, maybe next time…??”