Arnold- the Aftermath

Arnold and Mike in Venice

It certainly has been an emotional week!  You already know the results of the Presidential Election in the US so I won't have to get into that topic.  While that was going on, we had the big "Arnold in Venice" reunion happening in full force, which on many levels was a much happier event, so I'll talk about that. 

As I'd mentioned in my previous post, we hadn't seen Arnold in 16 years. I was apprehensive for this Venice meet up, to say the least! The original idea was for Arnold to stay at our place, however he was also bringing his girlfriend/partner. Given our apartment most likely wouldn't provide the privacy they'd want for a romantic holiday in Venice, coupled with the fact he'd have a long haul from our place early in the morning to catch a shuttle to the airport, he decided to stay in a hotel. He chose something close to the train station, wouldn't you know it? Couldn't get any farther away from our apartment than that! So, on arrival day the plan was he would check in to his hotel in Cannaregio, hop on a vaporetto and meet us at the San Pietro vaporetto dock. From there we were going to walk, see Venice, and eat. 

He spotted me first as he came off the boat, I heard him exclaim loudly, "Karen!". Our eyes met. A huge smile broke out across his face. On mine too.  He grabbed me for two kisses on the cheek and a hug. We both just clung to each other, longer than the normal hug-time, so happy to be reconnecting. After finally untangling our arms, Arnold reached over and did the same with Mike. We all just gave each other a long examining look, beaming like silly kids. Then he introduced Sondra, his girlfriend, and the hugs began anew.  He looks the same as I remembered him, except there's a bit of grey hair now. 

Of course we had to get through the requisite "How are you?"s.  Once past that, Arnold wanted to know how in the world we ever got to Venice to live. Interesting question!  My response was "It all started with you."  I had to explain, because the last time we saw him was on our trip to Germany, the one that was a thank you gift for putting up with him for a summer.  He didn't know that we had followed that trip with numerous vacations to Italy, as we'd gotten out of touch for several years. Since moving to Venice we've heard from him more often. 

Throughout the short 2 day visit, there was lots of reminiscing. Mike and I were completely amazed at the little details Arnold recalled that we had forgotten, or never expected him to have memories of from so long ago. Little things like the name of Mike's dog (that Mike only had for a brief visitation )- long story- while Arnold was with us, or the strange old man Leroy, who did yard work for us.  I didn't even remember that at all!  He asked about all the people he'd met while with us in Baltimore - my daughters, our neighbors, Mike's law partner, the secretary who worked at Mike's office. The stories just flowed, as did the laughter, followed by tears of joy because the three of us just couldn't stop laughing. I felt so sorry for poor Sondra, and for the people around us at cafes and restaurants. 

I was curious what Arnold had thought about his  US experiences, if he had any fears about going to a foreign country to be with strangers for 3 months. He explained that he wasn't afraid. He was excited. And he knew it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When would he get an extended block of time to do something like that ever again? He described his expectation of staying with a "normal" American family, one that ate "Wonder Bread and fried chicken" (his words).   Poor guy!  I was sorry  he didn't get what he had wanted, but he just beamed and said "But I got so much more!  And you ate French bread! "

I could go on and on, relating details of the stories we shared but those are only special to us, so I won't. I didn't want to see him leave. I wanted him to stay for another 3 months! I'm still smiling today thinking about the last few days together.

Arnold and Sondra saw LOTS of Venice, all the must sees and much more of our favorite local places. We ate well, drank lots and shared moments we'll not forget. We all vowed to do this again, and not wait 16 years for it.  I was touched to know that Arnold's memories matched ours, that all three of us felt a special connection back then, and still today. That warmed my heart. Now we can add another special Venice experience to our collective memories. Can't ask for more than that.

Note- the hotel Arnold stayed at : Eurostar Residenza Cannaregio.  He and Sondra raved about it. They got some pretty fabulous rates, and the hotel even has a bar. Passing this tidbit on in case anyone is ever looking for a good Venice hotel recommendation. 

The Return of Arnold

Not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask me to explain what prompted our move to Venice. My response is always that we'd vacationed here for several years, fell in love with the city, and decided life is too short to stay on the corporate hamster wheel we felt trapped on in the US. This slow life suited where we wanted to be for the remainder of our days, so we chose to jump off that wheel. And here we are.

Ah, Venice!

However, truth be told, that explanation is the Readers Digest condensed version.  The real story involves a young 22 yr old German law student we met about 18 years ago.  So, for the first time ever, I'm exposing a bit more of our past, and the truth is being shared here with the entire blogosphere. (Heaven help me!)

Turn back the calendar to 1999......

My husband agreed to sponsor a 3-month internship for a German exchange student  at his law office near Baltimore, at the request of one of his clients. The client's mother's best friend's son (how's that for a mouth full) wanted to do his required internship somewhere in the United States, and Mike's client's mother put a little pressure on him to find something for this boy. Naturally, he asked his lawyer, Mike, who happens to be fluent in German, to help bail him out of a tough spot with his mother. You know all about mother's guilt trips. 

While there would be nothing this German student could do to assist with any legal matters during his stay, he could be put to use delivering documents to the court or miscellaneous tasks around the office. And, as this was to be funded by the German government as a required part of every law student's schooling, there would be no expense on Mike's part. Everyone agreed to the plan, and the deal was sealed. For the summer months of 1999, Arnold would be interning in the US. And all the German mothers were smiling.

What I haven't mentioned is the deal included Mike and I hosting this young man in our house for the first few days to help him get acclimated, arrange a short term apartment nearby and a rental car. Arnold, however, had other plans in mind, which he shared after his arrival.  You see, Arnold wanted to use the stipend he would be receiving for living expenses to travel all over the USA instead. He had his mini-bucket list prepared-Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, New Orleans, Chicago, Dallas, Miami.  The problem was he didn't have much in the way of funds other than his stipend, and that was needed to pay for an apartment and car. Arnold proposed that he extend his living with us beyond the few initial days instead of renting an apartment, and he could commute to work with Mike every day. Voila.  He could use the stipend money to travel while living rent free with us.  And, he really didn't expect to work very much, as that would interfere with his "Arnold Does America" grand tour plans. Such a plan!

Mike was all in favor of it. I, on the other hand, was less receptive, for two reasons. One, this was a total stranger staying in our home for 3 months, and I'm not immediately trusting of anyone. And two, perhaps even more of a showstopper might be that said Arnold was a moose. Seriously. I'm talking a big boy. A really big boy, who obviously consumed A LOT of food. I could not fathom what my grocery bill would be for the next 3 months. The only saving grace might be that he intended to be on the road traveling now and then. My counter proposal to Arnold was that he kick in a small amount each week for groceries. We struck a bargain.  Arnold was going to see the USA and Karen got some milk money. Win-Win. 

While I began the summer of 1999 with great trepidation, in actuality it turned out to be one of the best experiences of our lives. Arnold wasn't always a peach to live with, but who doesn't have their days? During the long summer evenings on the upper deck over dinners, wine, shared stories and lots of laughs, we forged lifelong friendships. I wouldn't have changed a thing. Little did I know then that EVERYTHING would change. Bigly (yes, that is a tongue-in-cheek borrow from You-Know-Who). 

About six months after Arnold returned to the motherland, a courier delivered an envelope to our front door addressed to Mike.  Inside the envelope, to our great surprise, was a voucher from a travel agent for round trip air for two and some additional dollars to be used for a trip to Germany-a thank you gift from that client who had instigated the whole Arnold internship, for all we had done for Arnold and for him. Karma, he said.  He knew Mike, of German ancestry, is a Beethoven fanatic who dreamed of visiting Bonn, the birthplace of the musical genius.  He was sending us there. 

I had never been to Europe before but had always dreamed of visiting Italy where my family is from, so naturally, I begged to split the trip between Germany and Italy. I was overruled, however, a compromise was struck.  We'd go to Germany, and then save money for a trip to Italy sometime in the near future. 

In March 2000 we did that Germany trip to not only Bonn but to numerous cities, including a couple of days with Arnold and his family. Upon our return home the Italy fund jar took up residence on our kitchen counter.  Promises kept, not long after our first Italian holiday began with a flight into Venice from JFK and our first (too short) visit in this magical city. 


 Everything really began with Arnold. If it weren't for him and our summer of 1999, we wouldn't have gone to Germany and I wouldn't have made that bargain for a subsequent trip to Italy. I know us.  Europe wasn't on our horizons at the time. We were not only mired in "this Old House" renovations but I was still making monthly payments to my divorce lawyer.  If we did take any vacations it was to the beach. Experiencing Europe for the first time adjusted our priority list dramatically, moving travel in general and Italy more specifically way up on that list.   As if this is any surprise, Venice stole both our hearts and our souls.  You know the rest of that story. 

 Bringing this back full circle, fast forward to tomorrow....

 Tomorrow morning, HE will be arriving for a couple of days. We haven't seen Arnold in 16 years!  I'm excited, anxious, and frankly over-the-moon to be having this very long overdue reunion, in Venice no less,  with the person who unbeknownst to him was a game changer in my life.  

And that's really how the Venice experience began. 

Remembering November 4, 1966

Fifty years ago, Venice experienced the highest acqua alta (high water) in history.  Today the city remembers.  Throughout the day today on Facebook and other social media, numerous old photos were posted, calling attention to a day no living Venetian will ever forget. 

I took a walk through St. Mark's square this morning, specifically to hunt for high water markings. 

The blue line added to the shop window marks the water level on November 4, 1966. Shockingly high, isn't it?  I have witnessed unusually high water during my time here in the city, but nothing quite this height.

This mark, on the side of the bell tower in the square, permanently records the water level on that date. I have no idea why I didn't frame this shot better, so you could see how high off the ground this actually is. I was intent on getting a good view of the marker. Next time you are in St. Mark's square, try to locate it so you see the height for yourself. 

Fifty years ago today, water changed the course of Venetians lives. And ever since then, the city struggles with how to cope with the increasing levels of water it experiences as global warming adds to both the height of the tides and also the number of occurrences of acqua alta every season.

As someone who fell under Venice's seductive spell, I have always found acqua alta to be an integral part of everything this city is. It just wouldn't be Venice without water- and that includes the rising tides.  I fell in love and have been having this crazy ongoing love affair with Venice.  Just like having any lover, you accept the good with the bad. High water is both fascinating and frustrating, mysterious and maddening.  




This is the vaporetto dock at Sant'Elena on November 4, 1966 

A gondola ride - in St. Mark's square? 


At Campo San Salvador

The Half Way Point

Ciao, tutti!

Many, many thanks for the lovely comments I've received here on the blog, via emails and FB comments regarding this 10 day Blog Challenge.  I know it's a bit different, not Venice related, and I truly appreciate you hanging in here with me.  I need to get refocused, back on track, and this is going to help me get there, to get me back into the habit of writing regularly and making more frequent posts on the blog as well.

This blog post is in response to Natalie Sisson's 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 5. The task for the day is to come up with a daily plan that I will put into place and use every day to help move me towards meeting my goals.

I need to work every day to complete tasks to get our new blog ready to launch and also write content to post on the new blog, and then keep it up regularly going forward. You all know from experience with me on this blog that I get into periods where I am not writing at all, even though I may be doing cool things that are worthy of writing about. I let life get in my way and have gotten out of the habit of writing every day.

Natalie describes a time management activity called the Pomodoro technique (after the timer used to keep track of time which is in the shape of a bright red tomato- thus Pomodoro) which is useful to keep you focused and on task.  You break your work up into small manageable chunks of time, 25 minute increments. You work for 25 minutes straight with no distractions, then give yourself a short break. After the break, you return for another 25 minute block of work. You can continue this several times in succession. I like the way this works. It seems like a workable plan for me, so I've decided to put the Pomodoro plan into action.

My plan to implement this strategy has to begin on Monday, as I already have plans to be out of town for a long weekend beginning early Friday morning. I'm taking the 3 days off- no work for me. The new plan commences Monday. I'm going to commit to three 25 minute work segments each day. I tend to write better in the evenings than in the mornings, so I'll set aside time between 8-10 pm. If I'm diligent about keeping to this work schedule, I should meet my initial goal of launching the blog , and help me stick to to a schedule to add content regularly.

I know I've been talking a lot about this new blog I'm focusing on. While I've been putting my energies in that direction, I have also spent time planning content for The Venice Experience. I've given up the thought of giving this space a visual overhaul, that's just too much on my plate for now, however there is always lots to write about going on here in Venice, and I will be doing that. Definitely NOT abandoning this. It's been my baby since July of 2007.  The Venice Experience will be 10 years old in 2017.  I feel a big birthday bash coming on!

Ok, Blog Challenge #5 is officially completed. And I'm halfway through the 10 days. That's an accomplishment in and of itself. Taking the rest of the night off!


                                            

Buon compleanno, Mom

Today we're celebrating my mother's 89th birthday. She lives at the New Jersey shore, and she (knock  on wood) is healthy as a horse. We're hoping we're still doing birthday celebrations for her when she turns 100.  Happy Birthday, Mom!!

This blog post is in response to Natalie Sisson's 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 4.  My challenge today is to identify 2-3 things I am good at, things Natalie calls my "Super Powers".  She says not to be humble about it.

I had to really struggle with this one. My first thought was to just chuck the whole thing. I don't have super powers. I don't even have any sort-of powers, let alone super ones.  I got the challenge email this morning, while I was at the beach, enjoying my last day of the season.  As I mulled over today's assignment, I was reminded of one of my Cabana-mates, Luca.  (Everyone rents a cabana for the season. I share one with about 18 other people). I promise this is all going somewhere. Just give me a minute.

 Luca is the 4 yr old son of one of the 18.  One morning as I was just arriving at our cabana, Luca and his family had already arrived. We said our hellos, and I went inside to change and gather up my stuff.  On my way out of the cabana, Luca stopped me. He opened his little mouth and started singing a song at the top of his lungs. His mother explained he was singing me a favorite song he had learned at his nursery school. She went on to further explain that he went to a Catholic school, thus all the references to God in the song, just in case I needed that information.  At the end of his song, he stood there with the biggest smile on his face.  Squeaky little 4 yr old voice and all, he stood and belted out that song for me, and then asked me to please wait one minute, he had something to show me. He ran into the cabana. One minute later he reappeared, dressed from head to toe in a Spiderman suit. It isn't Halloween. It's August. And Luca has transformed into "Speeder-Maan" (the correct pronunciation if you are speaking Italian).

These little huts are cabanas

Now back to my task for today's Blog Challenge.  Luca actually believed he was Spiderman. Once in that costume, he wasn't just little Luca anymore. He was a superhero.

I'm thinking I need a costume. If it works for Luca, maybe it will work for me.

I've tossed this around all day. Honestly, I don't possess any super powers. I have a couple of things I'm pretty good at, but I'm not setting the world on fire over here.

So here's what I'm good at. 1) I'm a good teacher, and 2) I'm not a quitter.

Now I better go make myself a costume.

                                     

A Perfect Day

Ciao, tutti!

This blog post is in response to Natalie Sisson's 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 3

Have you been keeping up with my Blog Challenge I've gotten myself into ? Each day I receive an email describing the challenge of the day.

Day 1 we had to write about our 2 or 3 biggest roadblocks that prevent us from living our ideal life.
Day 2's task was to figure out our why. Why did we want to live a free-er lifestyle.

I received today's assignment earlier this morning, and I've been pondering it all day. See- I did admit to being the Queen of Procrastination. This one should have been easy, and yet I've put it off until now.  It's 10:24 pm and I can't put it off anymore.

The challenge for Day 3 is to describe my perfect day- from waking up to going to bed.  What am I doing, what does it look, feel, smell. Really, I got this.

Ok, here goes.
My morning always starts with a cup of hot tea. Decaf, black tea. In a mug  handmade by a local potter. The mug is a blue color that reminds me of the sea.

I'm not a real early riser. 7:30 is my usual time to start the day. However, in my perfect day (yes, I'm tweaking a bit here), I'd be up and out of the house earlier. 6:30 maybe.

I take a walk on the beach, carrying the mug of tea with me.

I once owned a beach house that had a fantastic outdoor shower. I'd love to have that shower every morning.

Upon returning from my walk and shower, I make a nice late breakfast for Mike and myself. Fruit- my favorites are pineapple, melon or berries, and an omelet with cheese and fresh tomatoes or peppers, fresh squeezed orange juice and more tea. Coffee for him.

Most of the rest of the day is spent writing. In my perfect day I'd be working on that book I've started but haven't finished. And I'd be doing that writing in a spot I love to be in. Something that looks like the photo below. I'd be on that veranda, overlooking the sea.

I love the sounds of the sea. The water lapping, the fresh smell of the ocean water, the rustle of the sea breezes. It calms me, helps keep me grounded.

The evening meal would be some seafood, perhaps shrimp and clams.  And ice cream for dessert. There would be some Frank Sinatra music playing somewhere, and candles on the veranda.

That would be a perfect day for me.

Since you're reading along with my daily blog challenges, I'm thinking it would be fun for you to join right in with me. Go ahead. What would your perfect day look like?  Share it in the comments for me, please.


                                      

Can't wait to see what Day 4 will bring.


PS- While I did not make as much progress with the new blog as I had planned today, I did get some work done on it.  After several hours of researching and demo-ing, I narrowed a theme down to two choices. Tomorrow I need to make a decision, get the theme (whichever it is) installed, and get at least some of the pages created.

Living La Dolce Vita- that's why

It's Day 2 of the 10-day blog challenge, and today's task is to write about WHY.   Why is it we want to live our ideal lifestyle, whatever that may be.

This blog post is in response to Natalie Sisson's 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 2 

This one is easy for me. I get asked that same question almost every day. Why did we want to give up our lives in the US to move to Italy? And I don't have to hesitate about my response. I remember having to do a great deal of soul-searching 10 years ago when we were planning our new life on the other side of the Atlantic.  Then, and now, the WHY is the same.

We'd made several month-long vacations in Italy, most of them here in Venice. Upon re-entry to our normal lives, we always found ourselves missing the slower lifestyle of the Italian culture. We felt trapped by our careers, by our American lifestyle of working practically non-stop.  We were slaves to the American way of living, which we began to see as a culture of greed. We strived for bigger and better, more stuff. And the more "stuff" you had, the more you had to work to support it.  It Italy, we saw people exist with much less, but seemed to be much happier in their smaller existence. We envied that happiness, that joyful spirit we witnessed in Italy.

Rather than be envious of that lifestyle, we chose to adopt it. What was previously important to us- advancing in our careers, earning more money, having more, just wasn't making us happy anymore. And why would we want to spend our days being unhappy? It didn't make sense to us anymore. What became much more important was living simpler, living healthier, living stress-free.

We had to make some tough decisions about getting rid of cars, houses, stuff and learn to live with much less. Doing away with all that stuff was a burden lifted off our shoulders. It was liberating. It gave us our life back.

And so the Why is something I have no trouble answering. To live "la dolce vita". The sweet life.

                                                

Turning summer dreams into reality

Ciao, tutti!

Summer is winding down, and I'm not particularly happy about it at all. I have just 4 more days to enjoy my mornings at the beach. During the months of August and September I've been able to spend most mornings over on the Lido enjoying some sun, sand and surf. Time to just do nothing, relax, read, swim, think, dream.  Zen time. I needed it.

BTW- the photo above is the view from my beach chair each morning. 

For some time now I've been wanting to write about our travels more, but I couldn't bring myself to. This blog has always been about Venice, and I haven't wanted to change that. Mike and I have had incredible trips since we've been living in Italy,  but I haven't been sharing any of that. 

My morning beach time has given me the opportunity to do some dreaming about how to make that happen. It's time for me to turn that dream into a reality. The other day I received an email inviting me to participate in a blog challenge program designed to help you find the path to the lifestyle you wish to live. It seemed like exactly what I needed at just the right time. I signed up. 

And so, this blog post is in response to Natalie's 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 1. The challenge for today is to write about 2 or 3 challenges that keep you from obtaining your goals. My list exceeded 3, but for the sake of keeping you poor readers from running for the hills, I'm going to stop at 2. 

#1  - I am the Queen of Procrastination. I'll find every excuse in the book to waste time. And my best excuse is always "It's nap time!"  If I didn't just twitter (NO- not that kind of Twitter) away a good portion of every day I can't even imagine the things I could accomplish. I want to create a new blog just for travel writing, and that is going to take work on my part. I need to buckle down and just do it. 

#2 - I second guess myself all the time, and end up convincing myself that I can't do things I want to. That I'm not good enough.  I don't want to talk myself out of giving travel writing/blogging every bit of energy so that I do it, and do it well. 

Whew. I got that down on paper.  I've completed the challenge for today. To think about and write down the challenges that keep me from accomplishing my goals. It's a bit intimidating to bare my flaws in front of you. Please don't think too poorly of me! (I'm not too thrilled with myself as I read what I've written.)

Today I also tackled another task that I've been sitting on for the last few weeks. I actually have made a little bit of progress on the new blog.  I had started one, attempted to learn the dreaded WordPress, hit my head against the wall a few times with it, and left the blog sitting in it's infancy state.  To get the features I wanted I was going to have to move the blog to a self-hosting site. That got done today!  I'm one small step closer to getting this new blog up and running.  With some luck, and more than a little hard work, www.HendersonsOnTheRoad.com will be launched in the coming weeks. I'll plan a kick-off party.   

In the meantime, I've got 9 more days to this exciting 10 day Blog Challenge to get through, and a WordPress class to complete! 

Can't wait to see what tomorrow's challenge assignment will be. Stay tuned!

Terremoto in Central Italy

I am sure, by now, you have seen the recent news regarding the terrible earthquake that hit the hill towns of Amatrice, Accumoli, Pescara del Tronto and Arquata del Tronto.

This was the third earthquake we've felt since we've lived in Italy, and we've been hundreds of miles from the epicenter each time. I can tell you, the shaking is scary. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be right in the middle of it. 

At around 3:35 am on Wednesday morning we felt the bed move. It moved. Side to side.  We both said, "What was that?"  On occasion, when a large ship passes by our apartment, we feel some vibrations. We're that close to the water and we're talking large cruise ships. This wasn't that kind of vibration. And because we'd felt the shakes of two previous earthquakes, the last one being the large one in Aquila in April of 2009, we already knew what we were experiencing. 

Mike grabbed the flashlight on the night table, focusing the beam on the chandelier above us. It was swinging in an arc of about 10 inches in each direction. That's some pretty good movement. Fortunately, it is not centered over our bed, or I would have been running! It's an old Murano glass chandelier, a bit over 3 feet in height, constructed of quite heavy glass. And it was swinging merrily above us. We both said "Earthquake" at the same moment. 

The Murano glass chandelier in our bedroom

We didn't panic, we could tell the epicenter was far enough from us. After a couple of minutes, the chandelier settled down. 

I then picked up my phone and checked Facebook. Sure enough, a friend in Cannaregio had posted she felt it also.  I have no idea how I would function without Facebook. Can you imagine, an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hits, and the first thing I do is check Facebook. What is wrong with me?  

 Shortly after the news feeds reported the location and severity.  We went back to sleep. 

As the morning hours ticked by, the news reports worsened. The numbers crept up. The photos were frightening. I couldn't stop looking at  the news, even though I didn't want to watch.

Amatrice, Italy - photo www.telegraph.co.uk

Weird that the town clock stopped ticking, frozen in time, at 3:36 am.  Weird, also,  that this earthquake happened at the same time of day, within minutes, of the one that hit Aquila a few years earlier.  More sad than weird is that Amatrice was preparing for it's big Festa coming up this weekend, the Sagra dell' Amatriciana, the famous spaghetti dish named after this hilltown. Tourists were already in town for the event.

Last night in my English lesson with my student Francesco we discussed the earthquake. He had just returned to Venice 2 days ago after having been on vacation in the same region. Talk about luck. He'd have been right smack in the middle of the earthquake. Much of our lesson was spent fixing his pronunciation of the word. By the end of the hour, he'd moved from "Hearth-quick" to a much better "earthquake".  I hadn't planned for this to be the topic of our lesson. Funny how things just happen. 

I returned home thinking how lucky we all are. We're still here. Our homes are intact. In the blink of an eye, 200 plus people have lost their lives, and thousands are in makeshift tents wondering what happens next.  And this is just another reminder of how precious life is. My mantra over the last nearly 10 years has been this:  Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. All I know for sure is that I have this moment, and it is up to me to make the best of it. 

If there is a lesson for us out of disasters like this, I think it's this.  Make the most of each day. We don't know if we will have tomorrow. Leave with no regrets. And, love. Love well. Tell the people you love that you love them. 

In Italian, I would tell you all " Ti voglio bene".  Used for family and  close acquaintances, this is a step down from the full blown  I love you, "Ti amo". 

In honor of the people of Amatrice, we're making their signature dish this week. We're using Mario Batali's recipe ( http://www.mariobatali.com/recipes/bucatini-allamatriciana/)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces thinly sliced guanciale pancetta, or good bacon
1 red onion, cut lengthwise in half and then into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
1 pound Bucatini
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.

Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, combine the olive oil, guanciale, onion, garlic, and re pepper flakes; set over low heat and cook until the onion is softened and the guanciale has rendered much of its fat, about 12 minutes.

Drain all but 1/4 cup of the fat out of the pan (and set aside to cook you eggs for tomorrow's breakfast). Add the tomato sauce, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and allow to bubble for 6 to 7 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, cook the bucatini in the boiling water for about a minute less than the package directions, until still very firm; drain.

Add the pasta to the simmering sauce and toss for about 1 minute to coat. Divide the pasta among four heated bowls and serve immediately, topped with freshly grated pecorino.

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana, photo courtesy lucasardellaejanira.it

During the coming days and months, the people of Amatrice and the surrounding towns affected will need support. The Florentine, a local newspaper in Florence, has compiled an excellent list of  ways we can help, including everything from donating blood to attending events which are making matching donations.  Here's the link. 

http://www.theflorentine.net/news/2016/08/central-italy-earthquake-how-to-help/


Ti Voglio bene.

What a difference a year makes!

Ciao, tutti!

I'm thinking I need to dedicate this blog to my Italian teacher, Francesca, who works with me tirelessly every week.  

One year ago, I had a conversation on the beach at Lido with the woman I have nicknamed La Contessa. Looking back on that conversation I am mighty embarrassed, because my ability to get a decent conversation out of my mouth was nearly non-existent. I was talking Italian baby talk!

Flash forward to this morning.  

My morning ritual on days when I get to the beach is to set up my chair, spend a few hours enjoying the sun and surf relaxing, then pack up to head home. On my way off the beach I stop for a coffee at the bar at our beach. 

Today, I reversed my routine, stopping first for that coffee.  I carried my cup to my usual table and discovered La Contessa and a group of friends were also having coffee at the next table. I hadn't been there in a few weeks due to a nasty cold, so hadn't seen La Contessa since the last visit. She introduced me to her friends, and we proceeded to get into a lively conversation about a variety of topics. 

Just thinking about the range of topics has me laughing still now, hours after having come back from the beach. La Contessa had recently read a book in Italian called A Brief History of America, or something like that, in which she learned about the settlement at Jamestown, and the war of 1812, and the Civil War. She commented that of all the American presidents, she likes Lincoln. So we talked about Lincoln. And Jamestown. Jamestown, of all things!

The Lido coffee bunch had an assortment of questions for me. Tops on the list, of course, were all things Trump. Seems I can not avoid that topic anywhere these days, although I would love to. I got asked about food in New Orleans, the weather in Seattle, and the mafia in New Jersey.  Cracks me up.

But what amazes me even more than the choice of topics is that I am holding my own in these conversations this year. Not bumbling, but actually getting  information shared, thoughts conveyed, opinions expressed.

Language-wise, it's a whole different year. Karen is happy.

 So, thanks Francesca, for tolerating me, pushing me, encouraging me and never giving up on me.