East County News ServiceApril 3, 2020 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove artist Jack Ofield’s painting of fabled Amalfi on the Italian Mediterranean coast recalls that ancient enclave in happier times, before the COVID-19 pandemic devastating Italy and much of the world.
“It was January years ago when we stayed in a tiny B & B with a view of the sea, run by a mother and daughter,” Jack and his wife, Helen, recall in an email sent to ECM and others. “While at breakfast (delicious coffee, eggs, toast, preserves), with the windows open to let in brilliant sunshine, a local band marched across the square followed by a priest, who blessed the sardine fleet setting sail for the day's catch.”
Their note continues, "This serendipitous moment is one of the joys of travel. Our hearts go out to beautiful Italy during a pandemic that has victimized its people and laid waste its economy, as it has our own and every nation's.”
The couple urges everyone, “Follow the president's COVID guidelines, and those of San Diego County; protect yourselves from the corona virus. With vigilance, we'll get through.