Meet the Men Who Pick Your Fruit
We do our shopping and choose fruits and veggies to bring home without giving much thought to those who picked that produce. Long ago, for 21 years, I had been an orchardist in the Methow Valley of...
Sanremo’s Pinecone—La Pigna
Sanremo. In the far, far northwest along the Italian Riviera, in the region of Liguria, roughly a 20 km stone's throw from the border with France. Only about 42 km from Monaco. There are palm trees,...
20,000 Steps in Torino
Torino. Turin. A lovely city in the far northwest of Italy, in the Piedmont region—Piemonte—an hour's ride on the fast train, west of Milano. I had been there 10 years ago for a short afternoon and...
Antiques are older in Italy
The day of the Mercatone Antiquariato—big, antiquarian market—here in Milano, stretching out along both sides and the length of the Naviglio Grande—the Grand Canal. Always the last Sunday of the...
Here comes the rain.
Here it is: Rain in Milano. I've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast and their prediction of rain for today and tomorrow. Why do you think I walked 15,000 steps in the balmy sunshine all...
San Maurizio. Oh, Wow.
Yesterday, I walked 15,000 steps all over Milan, in areas I both have and haven't seen before. I was out to explore and discover. And OH! Did I discover!San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, 15 Corso...
My terrace. La mia terrazza.
8:15 P.M. and someone out there is playing the violin. There are also sounds of dogs, kids and dinner dishes. Occasionally a baby's cry and people sneezing. This inner courtyard is a neighborhood...
What did I pack?
You've all heard "Pack light! Pack light!" I agree, absolutely. And I think about EVERY single thing that goes into one suitcase or another. I think about its weight, its volume, its versatility,...
Home Again
Home again. It amuses and pleases me that returning to Milano, Italia, is so known and so comfortable. This is my twelfth "dodecesimo", yearly sojourn. (Included in those years is a period, early...
Dead Ends and Discovery
When driving my car, I go just about the same route every time: the shortest, most efficient path between points A and B: Home, to Post Office, to Bank, to Grocery, to Home. Same old, same old....
At Home Along Milan’s Grand Canal
Journal Entry: Wednesday, 12 September 2018 - Milan Did I really just arrive in my home-away-from-home, Milan, this morning?! Here I am again. And it all feels so easy and familiar. Not that there...
Up North to Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii. You can't get there on a whim. It's neither quick, nor easy… nor inexpensive. But it IS stirring and complicated, rich and layered. Full of history and feeling. This year marked...