Italian Capers

We always set out with a plan on the weekend. We usually hear of a festival or something that sounds like fun and we get the name of the city. Sir Toppham Hatt looks it up on the computer and we set off with the best of intentions. Rarely does our plan come to fruition. More often than not, we get to the town, and we can't find any festival or better yet, we can't even find the town. It's very strange indeed, so we have developed a different mind set. We have our goal and then we see what transpires and we are happy either way. (This is a challenge for we goal-setters, but I am getting the hang of it.) This weekend was no exception! We set off to go to a "wine" festival in the town of Toppo, which is approximately 20 minutes' drive from here. We found the town and it wasn't very big mind you. We drove all the streets and there was no festival to be found. So, we decided to go for a drive in the mountains and then we would stop if/when we saw anything of in...

Sheesh, this week went by so quickly! The weather here is downright hot and all things are blooming- I know this because my allergies are the worst they have ever been. Thank goodness I received such lovely and stylish glasses for my birthday. It's been a pleasant change as our family hasn't seen the sun for years, as we hail from the great green overcast state of WA. We tried to go to the playground, but little Percy got into a jam. You see, she insisted on helping me apply sunblock- well, then she rubbed her eye. Then she was crying because she got sunblock in her eyes and that made her rub them even more. I tried and tried to stop her, distract her- even Gordon was singing Itsy Bitsy Spider in a desperate attempt to change the subject. But, alas, in a girl known for her drama, there was no end in sight. So, what could I do?...to the utility tub for a wash down she went and that was that. (No children suffered long-term harm in this turn of events.) This latest edition to Nan...

Today I will tell about the curative powers of Air here in Italy. Of course, most people hang their laundry out to dry as electricity is supposedly very expensive (although we know not yet how expensive because we haven't yet received a bill- I guess they bill quarterly? if they get around to it?). It follows then that the laundry hangs outside on railings, drying racks, fences, lines and balconies. Okay, I can see that. I myself now have three drying racks and use them regularly- I will get a pic sometime, although I doubt it's all that exciting. I have also walked out our door only to find our landlord, and two neighbors (also male) standing just outside our door, next to my drying rack that was filled with my unmentionables. Umm, I felt a bit bizarre and went back into the house to return later to re-arrange my drawers. At this point, I don't think I would care- perhaps I am adjusting to this new lifestyle, eh, who am I kidding? I think I would still feel weird, I am sur...

Good Monday to yous. We had beautiful weather this weekend, so we took full advantage of the sun. Saturday, we headed south (and a little east) to a flower festival in Lignano. It was more like an elaborate market, and it was fun. There was bread bigger than Percy- it's bread that is sold by the kilo. I tried to put a pic in with people to give you some idea exactly how big these loaves were. It's a salty bread made to go with hardy dishes or to be used for bruschetta. We tried it for breakfast, and unless you are a sailor, prisoner, or a carb-a-holic (you know who you are, we don't have to name names here) it was pretty nasty with jelly. It went well with eggplant parm, though-which is good as we purchased quite a bit! They had an Italian metal band performing some classic Deep Purple in the park filled with families. That was interesting. There was some strange ritual involving the local children-we're almost certain that no one was in danger of being sacrific...

So, we're a little off on Nanny's villa- (perhaps also known as scary Italian houses?) This little gem is tucked into the corner here in darling Campagna. When you fix it up and settle in, you too can stick out like a sore thumb. They will know you're American if 1.) you wear any color other than black, 2.) you smile and say hello to people, 3.) you take your dog for a walk, 4.) you drive the speed limit or slower and you stop at stop signs, 5.) you don't live with your mother....so, good luck with that : )

Well, you can't go wrong with pictures of Venice. For those of you who haven't visited yet, it is amazing. To me, it has a dream like quality, like it's not really a city or a real place. The canals are blue and winding and the narrow damp alleys twist all around the city. It takes an hour by train to get there from here what more could you ask for? These pictures are from Feburary when we first moved into our apartment. My french mom is featured in one of the pics. She came to help us unpack and we had a ton of fun catching up. We were there during Carnevale, so people were roving the streets in elaborate costumes. St. Mark's square had a mini concert stage setup and was brimming with people.

Thank you very much (all of you) for your support. The girls had a great time opening a box from Great Grammy and Grampy. Gordon LOVES the little house with the bunnies and Percy enjoys the doll. I think the personalization on the toys is sweet! The stickers were also a huge hit, as always. Fun in a box!

One afternoon, we decided to go into Pordenone to walk around and check out the city, perhaps to have a tasty cappuccino. Sounds fairly simple....we set off in the morning and all went well until we got into the city. Driving here is like playing a video game, only if you hit a pedestrian, you are going to Italian jail for life. There are people walking, people riding bicycles, dogs running, cars, motor scooters, taxis, and buses with which to contend, not to mention one-way streets and the penchant for Italians to post 10 signs when we Yanks would only post one- maybe two if it were a really scary situation. No small task- also, there are usually two small folks in the seat behind me saying, "mama?" over and over again. Now you would think that Juney and I would have our Navigator/Co-pilot roles fairly well ironed out by now. That is also not quite the case- shall we say we need more practice with our roles? I think that would be fair, Nanny, no? I think this might be the on...

I am sorry that I haven't posted this week. Diesel, I am so glad you figured out how to leave comments- we commented back on some of them! It was good to hear from you. I will try and do a catch up and post and then try to post more regularly next week...when time slows down, again. Nanny, I hope you made it home okay. The little engines were asking about you all day. We went over how you will be back, several times. I think they get it : ) Of all the weeks we have had here in Italy, I can honestly say, none of them have gone fast- except this past week. We drove Nanny to the airport this morning and it seems like we were just there to pick her up! This time, we went the right direction and it took much less time, fancy that. (You would think that with a map and a car we would be okay, but it is seriously difficult to get around here. You have to know several towns past your destination town that might be marked on the signs and then might not be. For example, you want to go to Ven...

Sadly, Nanny isn't here to help us choose which of these fine properties will be posted for today's villa. She was due in today, but was stuck in Atlanta after her flight was delayed leaving Cleveland because of the snow! So, she was in the Ramada Inn, which might make these places look tempting. Percy and Gordon took the news pretty well, especially after Gordon was reassured that she could have a "welcome Nanny cupcake" anyway. (priorities, people) We eagerly await her arrival tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we bring you the latest villa option. (It is so much fun to spy these places and shout "Nanny's Villa" and then try to get a picture!) This one is at the end of our street. This is an expansive property- I wonder why it was abandoned?

Thursday used to be for pizza and beer and Friends and Seinfeld! Here are some local pictures from my evening walk with The Fonz. The first picture is a side view of our place. That little window is to our bathroom- our very crowded, small bathroom. The rest of the pics are down the street and/or down this gravel backroad. I am not sure I am allowed to be walking on said gravel road, but I haven't seen any signs- none that I can read anyway! I will also expound a bit about the Italian experience. I have noticed that if you are riding a bicycle here, the cars/trucks give about the required 1 meter distance between the cyclist and the vehicle. If you are walking, however, it is a different story. I put my hand out (which was not a good idea and I won't do it again) between myself and a passing car and the car seemed about 4-6 inches from my fingertips. It seemed very close. The cars also go very fast. There are laws concerning driving, but they are disregarded for the...