THE OLIVE HARVEST NO. 2 -- CLEANING THE TERRACES

I was quietly taking macro pics of lovely wild flowers when Himself, who had driven off to dump rubbish in the valley bins, returned as if the devil was behind him.

"Renzo and Piero are cleaning their terraces," he said. "Quick!" I had the wit to change lenses but not to put anything sensible on my feet.

This is Renzo under all of this gear, complete with shin guards against flying stones. As you can see from his white hair, he is not in the first flush of youth, but he is out on steep terraces, clearing them of weeds and grasses in advance of the olive harvest. Personally, I would not set foot on the other side of the wooden railing because I would be sure to slide to the bottom on my rear.

It is difficult to explain, or even to illustrate, how steep some of the terraces are. If it was the only land people had, and they had to make a living from it, they made terraces on the hillsides. Some are quite broad and comfortable; others are terrifying. The olive branch seen on the right is on the top of a tree.

The road seen here is fairly new. The old one was washed away in a landslide. We were cut off. We could only get out by inching along the cliff, clutching roots as we went. No problem, though. The builder cut space out of the cliff above, put down cement and zot, a new road. It is narrow but usable. The wooden railing wouldn't stop a motor bike from going over the side but it does give a false sense of security.

I hope there isn't a frost tonight or that it doesn't rain so that I can do the pretty flower pics again.