Cooking the NYTimes and Other Assorted Retirement Activities

We're on the home stretch of this Excellent Field Trip, having made our way from Italy to Belgium where we're staying with our exchange daughter, Elena and her family.  I'd like to report that we navigated the Pisa airport without our typical Silly American Tourist shenanigans.  We didn't, but we arrived here just the same.  If I were to rate the airports we've been through this trip, Brussels is the top of the list, bar none.  Easy to navigate, designed with what felt like common sense in mind, beautiful, clean, filled with light.  In every airport we have been aware of the presence of armed security and police.  Such are the times we live in. Since our last visit, Elena and her husband George have had a son, Nikitas (Nikki), 3.  They were waiting for us and Nikki literally jumped into my arms and hugged, hugged, hugged me.  How did I come to be so blessed?  Elena is originally from Moldova, George from Greece, they both speak Dutch as the...

Avventure in Cinque Terre The Train Parent had the day trip for Jeanie, Bill, TD, himself and me to Cinque Terre organized so that we would spend the least amount of time on 3 trains, giving us more time in Cinque Terre. He suggested we start in Riomaggiore and work our way up the coast.  We recalled hiking between Riomaggiore and Manarola, a relatively flat trail that we thought everyone could enjoy.  TD and I had plans for adding a couple more hikes between cities.  Naturally a leisurely lunch in one of the seaside towns would be included. We arrived at our local train station just moments before the train arrived and were unable to buy tickets, so figuring that it appears the Italian railway only sporadically checks for tickets, we decided to hop on for the first stop, Pisa, where we would change trains for La Spezia.  If asked for a ticket, we'd buy one.  We weren't asked.  The Train Parent felt quite crafty that we were saving some money o...

What to Do When You're in a Food Coma Which pretty much was where we all were in the morning following the  Notte Di Cibo Incredible (Night of Incredible Food), putting it on a par with the evening many of us shared in Paris almost 20 years ago that has come to be known as La Nuit de Fromage (The Night of Cheese) where McB, Marcy and Maggie (currently back in St. Paul) literally were drunk on cheese. There was laundry to be done, dishes to be put away, breakfast (believe it or not) to prepare for the small children and adults who, on seeing the fresh crusty bread and croissants, decided to imbibe. Alison, Julie (the Nicest Dog in the World) and I did some morning yoga. Jeanie, TD and I took a walk, dodging the cars that barrel at breakneck speed down the road even faster when they view pedestrians. Eventually a majority of the folks headed out toward the Mediterranean coast, some to the Marina di Pisa and others to Bagno Americani--the American Beach. I didn't ...

Rainy Days and Gastronomical Delight The weather has been just about perfect, both here in Italy and in Germany, the past 10 days.  Yesterday the Tuscan hillside was blanketed with dark clouds and rain, which did not put a damper on activities.   The Vinci museums highlighted all the magnificent inventions as well as painting and sculptures created by Leonardo da Vinci.  Over the years we'd seen a number of his more famous pieces of art but I had paid very little attention to his inventions.  I honestly think the man never slept--or if he did, his dreams will filled to the brim with ways life could be made better with some invention.  I would put his invention of various ways to spin yarn and create cloth on par with the printing press.  What we use today is not a whole lot different than what he created in the 15th century.  Quite remarkable. Cuoche in Vancanza  came to the Agriturismo last night and cooked what can only be call...

Good morning!  The pancakes yesterday were delicious, thanks for asking.  While the Spousal Unit ™ was cooking, I took the opportunity to do a little dog yoga in the yard.  Julie, a miniature Australian Shepherd, belongs to Nico, Jeanie's German exchange son and his family.  She has been voted the Nicest Dog in the World. The Spousal Unit ™  and I did have an Excellent Field Trip adventure yesterday as we drove together (without someone else) from Cascina to Pisa, a distance of 20 km.  We made it there and back without incident; driving here is still at least a bit of a challenge.  The iconic Leaning Tower, for me, was a breathtaker.  So many places and things you see while traveling are in that category.  You've read about them, seen them in films or online, etc. yet when they come into view, your breath catches in your threat and all you can say is, "Wow." We also encountered the first potential pickpocket as we walked away ...

The Tuscan Hillside I'm writing poolside on the patio this morning.  Usually I write at the kitchen table, but this morning the Spousal Unit ™ is in there, prepping his World Famous Buttermilk Pancakes without the usual ingredients.  More about that to come.  For now, I'm steering clear of the kitchen. Yesterday we did send a couple contingents off to Siena.  Navigating the roads in any new place can be fraught with both peril and excitement.  Our three car loads did not disappoint.  The winners of the Peril Portion of the Program were, by a mile, the McManuses (or, the McMani--there was conversation how to apply the plural to McManus).  McB put the Duomo in Siena into her Google Maps and technology did not fail.  However, it was a bit too accurate so the McManuses found themselves right in the square fronting the Duomo--kinda like driving into DMZ without the DM. With all aplomb, John let McB and the girls out, then messaged Bill and Dan fo...