Is She Italian?!
Excuse me, but, I've NEVER seen head-to-toe plaid on an Italian woman before. I don't think I've ever seen PLAID (but you KNOW I'm going to start keeping track!) Granted, I've only been here 4...
Gondole e Gondolieri
It seems that gondolas (gondole) are the worldwide symbol of Venice. The tourists love the show of the sleek boats and their often-stripe-shirted boatsmen (gondolieri). By evening time, wandering...
I Love Venice
Journal Entry: 12 September 2009 (I know... It's been a few weeks since I traveled there, but it's been a busy time...) "This place SO stimulates my senses. It absolutely delights my eyes at every...
Milano Cookies & Turkey Dogs
Heading back home to Milan, sitting at Sea-Tac awaiting the Seattle-London-Milan flights after a VERY crazy-busy, chuck-full two weeks here in Seattle. I had thought that some time here would be a...
Leaping Frogs
Just had an hour and a half bike ride. A BIG snake crossed my path. Little frogs jumped out of the mud puddles in front of me as I approached. Something rustled in the grass next to me. No muskrats...
Gleaning the Early Fall Corn Field
When I rode along the canal the other day, sure enough, the corn field had been cut bare. There were two men out gleaning, walking up and down each corn row looking for remnants. They had filled...
Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head*
I HAVE made "Muskrat Cacciatore" before, but that was long ago and far away. It was pretty darned good, (yes, it DID taste "just like chicken") but I think this big guy might be a bit tough. He's...
Questions for You
Hi. Just a few questions for you about how you wander around on this blog site. Do you use the search box? (Did you even notice that there IS one? It's pretty subtle.) Do you click on the "tags" in...
A Sunday Drive (Ride)
When I take the subway home, I hop on the M2 Green Line with "Abbiategrasso" as its final destination, roughly due west of Milano. (The subway train goes south from the center of town, then cuts...
The Stress of Grocery Shopping
I'm not joking when I say that one of my consistent sources of stress here is in grocery shopping. It's easy to take for granted the comfort of knowing WHAT I'm shopping for and HOW to shop for it....
The Road to America
It was the late 1800s in Ireland. Potato crops kept failing and food was scarce. Imagine being a little boy, held in your mother's arms in the midst of a big commotion as your older brothers,...
Where is Crockawaddy?
Crockawaddy Glebe is west of Rosslea, north of Aghadrumsee in County Fermanagh, west of Belfast, Northern Ireland. "Crockawaddy" is the name of the Townland (a unit of 50-70 acres), and "Glebe"...