Fly to Venice for Cheap!
I just received this notice of cheap tickets to Venice, Milan, Florence (and other European cities) on Lufthansa. Now's your chance!
Bluebird of Happiness
A wall along the canal features this singing bluebird and it makes me smile every time. Whether intended or not, it feels "sunny" to me and perks me up. My Grandma would have liked it. Her favorite...
A Lesson from Angel
Many years ago a Mexican man named Angel worked for us in the orchard. He lived up the valley on the land of a neighboring orchardist, in one of the one-room, plywood-sheathed homes available. In...
Prime View Apartment
Imagine having the apartment seen here and looking out your window every day to the mosaic of the three saints on the Basilica of San Simpliciano. (And San Alessandro at the right is looking...
Rossignoli
This sign stopped me. I grew up hearing the name "Rossignol" in connection with skiis. Here was a cool old bike shop and it had cool old-style bikes inside, plus some swanky, new ones. But no skiis....
Let There Be Light
Knowing absolutely that I need LIGHT coming into my eyes and surrounding me, especially where I'm working, I've been adjusting my apartment ever since I got here. My first attempt was to abandon the...
Out for a Grocery Stroll
After a little afternoon nap, I booted myself out the door for a stroll. It was just after 3:00, the quiet time of the day in the city. A mostly gray sky with a little chill in the air. Nice to head...
Damn Spam
Sitting in my spam trash are 15,201 spam "comments" that have come in since September 5! (Yes. That's fifteen thousand+.) I've managed to create enough filters that I haven't had to purge each of...
Extra Virgin
At almost 4 months' time here (with a few side trips away) I have now gone through a one liter bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and I just bought my second bottle. And by the way, even though I've...
Ambitious Cheese and Such
What a street market! I rose up out of the subway this evening at 6:00 and immediately stepped into a one block section of tented stalls hosting vendors from the many regions of Italy. Wow. Cheeses,...
Fish on a Sunny Day
Wow. An absolutely gorgeous day in Milano. Is this what Fall is like in Italy?! Sunny after some 2:00 a.m., drenching downpours recently. Fresh air, yet nicely warm. No humidity to be bothered with....
I Bought a Branzino!
Nope. It's not a Vespa-type scooter or a little car. It's a little fish. A couple of months ago, while at the Saturday market, I was overwhelmed by the seafood choices I had no familiarity with. No...