I'm grateful for the little reminders of Italia that I encounter here in Seattle, going about my day. Names for...
Italia in America
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Journal Articles
Crab at the Water’s Edge
"We're having a crab feed on the beach tomorrow night. Do you want to come?" There's only one answer for that...
Kickin’ Tires
Ahh, nothing like kickin' tires on a used car lot on a sunny, summer day! I've been carless for over a year, relying...
Quirks: Treasured & Tolerated
This post comes with caveats. Yes, these thoughts are generalizations. Yes, there are exceptions. Yes, stereotypes...
Stirred & Mixed
This return is both emotionally and mentally harder than I had expected. I had a LIFE and friends that I left behind....
Hankerin’
What have I been having a hankerin' for while I've been away? What didn't I find a substitute for to satisfy my yen?...
Blogging On
Just because I've returned to Seattle, will my blog come to a halt? No. There's still more to say. I have more mulling...
No Place Like Home
As Dorothy said, "there's no place like home". This spring, in anticipation of leaving Milano, I had my eye open for...
Rhubarb Homecoming
Sunday Morning. August 1. (I arrived home yesterday in late afternoon.) Home in the summer chill of Seattle with a 60...
New Faces, More New Friends
How often do any of us put ourselves in the position to meet so many people in so many ways in so short a time? How...
I’m Not a Tourist
Tourists don't feel like this. I came here wanting to have relationships and experiences, and to gather images. I have...
Reconciling What Remains
It's Thursday afternoon. On Saturday morning a car and driver will meet me here at my apartment and drive me, with...
Cogne: Alpine Italy
Journal Entry: 24 Luglio The bus just left Aosta, heading back to Milano. I have been visiting my friends, Ewa and...
Into Mountainous Valle d’Aosta
On Thursday, the bus pulled away from a 95 degree day in Milano and headed into increasingly blustery skies in the...
One Week ’til Blastoff
One week from today, at this time, I will have schlepped my bags by taxi and train to Milano Malpensa airport; checked...
Goodbye Mary
It would have been impossible to leave Milano without saying "goodbye" to Mary. Our first meeting is a story in...
My Raw Meat Salad
I'm going to miss my Insalata di Bresaola, my salad of dried, cured (raw) beef. Boo hoo. They can't bring bresaola...
Hot Like a Sauna
It's been toasty-o here in Milano lately, with temperatures in the high 80s to high 90s, and humid. When I walk out of...
Carlotta Café – Milano
Octopus as tender as a dream, served warm and simply, with potatoes, olives and olive oil. Fish and pasta prepared and...
Another History Lesson
My "History Buff on Wheels", Angelo, went rolling past me along the canal this morning. In a cycling daze and not...