Beach Walk
Hour and a half. A slow 4 miles. Beach. Hill trail. Neighborhoods. Wind, rain, hail, sunshine. Singing birds and seaweed. I needed that.
A Merchandising Puzzle
While you're shopping for Chocolate Pudding Mix, don't forget the garlic! Really? I'm still scratching my head over this one. I asked the guy stocking shelves and he said they hang garlic all...
Milan Thoughts in the Rain
On a rainy day in Seattle - there have been so many lately - the car in front of me was branded "Milan" and my thoughts flew around the world. I'm 25 days away from returning to the land of "ciao"...
Happy Birthday, Italia!
While all around the community people were wearing kelly green and mylar shamrocks on Thursday, a few friends of mine here, and a whole nation halfway around the world, added white and red to their...
Figure of Speech
Ten years ago today, the earth shook both Seattle and my life. "Scared to death" is not just a figure of speech.
Catkins Poppin’
In spite of the snow and hail that keep passing through… and the continued temperatures in the 30s, signs of springtime surround the observant ones here in Seattle. Swelling buds on trees and...
Milano Coat
While waiting to meet with a client, I stopped in a book store to browse and get a coffee. This man was in line in front of me. I smiled. Fun to encounter little reminders of Milano and Italia and...
Shadow Tree
The most beautiful thing I saw today. The scene: a building along the west of a busy mall parkway in south Seattle, with a drive through and plantings along the roadside. The headlights from...
Buon Anno! Happy New Year!
Buon Anno. Tanti Auguri. Happy New Year. Many Good Wishes. L'anno duemilleundici. The year two thousand eleven. Vi auguro buona salute, curiositá e contentezza nel anno nuovo! Un abbraccio...
Maiden Octopus
Saturday. Past 10:00 in the evening and the house smells good of octopus cooking since 9:26. A few garlic cloves, a dozen peppercorns, a tablespoon of salt and maybe a gallon of water in a pot with...
November Canalside
One year ago, late November, I was riding my beloved bike route along the Naviglio Pavese, one of the several canals radiating from the center of Milano. In the near-14-months that I rode this paved...
Buy More Stuff
"Black Friday". THE day upon which retailers place their hopes and base their projections for their year's sales and their holiday "retail success". The day after Thanksgiving, when much of the...