FYI, and man & nature # 111 ~ under the Tuscan sun

Red plastic cup in Spring melt • click to embiggenYou may have noticed that, in the previous 2 entries, I have mentioned my trip to Tuscany later in the year. To be specific, later in the year is the week of Spetember 12 - 19 September for which we have rented a guest house on the hillside farm of La Torre - the main house is built around a watchtower which dates back some 1000 years and a 2 acre mature garden bursting with more than a dozen types of fruit trees, olives (they make olive oil), rare conifers and numerous antiquities, including a 2000 year old Roman cistern.

The opportunity for the trip came out of the blue this past weekend along with an unexpected visit from my brother. He mentioned that he had rented 1 of 2 guesthouses at La Torre and that the other was available - would we like to go? The answer was "yes", and there you have it.

However, my fevered brain has come up with an idea - I get a fair number of requests to do workshops and it occurred to me (duh) that Tuscany was a perfect location for one .... so ....

If we - me, The Landscapist and my son, The Cinemscapist (quite probably the best father-son tandem in the world of photography) - can find 8-10 people who want to pick the fruits of our brains (photography-wise) in the gardens of Tuscany, we will conduct a 4-day/3-night workshop / seminar in the Tuscan countryside with a visit to nearby Florence to see what we can see and see what we can learn from painters / paintings.

Our plan is to keep the workshop fee around 800 bucks-US with transportation and accommodations costs and arrangements up to the participants - although, if the desire to find a single accommodation situation for everyone is there, we can arrange it.

The dates will be during either the week before or after Sept. 12-19.

The "curricula" is yet to be determined (with a high degree of participant needs and wants to be considered) but both Aaron and I are Photoshop Pinball Wizards, Art World (Photography Division) denizens, and all-around fun people so a productive and good time for all is guaranteed. Rumor has it that the Italians make good wine and have a firm grip on good cooking, so family-style mid-day group meals are a possibility.

And, not to mention - if you ever wanted to poke me in the eye with a sharp stick ....

Stay tuned. As soon as we work out the details, I'll be creating a workshop page with the dates, details, exact cost, etc.

Any interest / input / suggestions?