An "Easy" Walk at Monti Sartorius

Les & I set out on Saturday for a day on Mt. Etna. We went with a tour group from MWR because the trip was described as an "easy hour-long nature trail" that would finish with lunch at an agriturismo. The hour-long part was fairly accurate, but it wasn't what I would call easy, or even a trail. We traipsed over centuries-old lava flows and through tall brush, up and down and around several extinct craters on Mt. Etna. The scenery was beautiful, but the hike (not easy walk) was more than I bargained for.

Sicilian Fall on Mt. Etna - the ferns change colors

A lone pine tree in the midst of lava rocks

My hubbie really enjoyed the hike, he loves being outdoors

Some of the plant-life on Mt. Etna

The view from the top

Ok, so this wasn't actually the top, but it was as far as I went. The hill was steep and the rocks were loose. Falling on pumice isn't fun. I went about halfway up this particular hillside. This picture shows mainland Italy in the distance, the Ionion Sea, Taormina and Castelmola, and the foothills of Mt. Etna.

Les on his way down the mountainside

Les made it to the top though, this is him slipping and sliding his way down on the loose pumice. He's the one with his arms out for balance toward the middle of the picture.

A ladybug among black lava rocks

Cool looking tree

My best attempt at artwork like Bev Doolittle

The hill in the distance is the one that Les climbed and I made it about halfway

After working up an enormous appetite on the hike we went to an agriturismo for lunch. An agriturismo is a small, family-owned farm that serves meals and sometimes rents out rooms like a bed & breakfast. We feasted on antipasti, two kinds of yummy pasta, mixed grilled meats, ice cream for dessert, espresso, limoncello, and of course homemade red wine. It was wonderful! After we ate I ran around trying to get a few good pictures before we piled in the vans and headed home.

Flowers at the agriturismo

More flowers at the agriturismo

Where we ate lunch with Mt. Etna letting off steam in the background

Even thought the hike was tough I really did have a good time. The scenery was beautiful and my husband loved it. I'm not very outdoorsy, but he is so I'm making an effort to do things he enjoys too. Our relationship thrives when we spend quality time together.

Adding to my list...

I have a list that I am compiling in my mind of places that I want to see during this lifetime. Last night as I was reading through BusinessWeek Magazine I stumbled on another destination to add to the list: Salina, one of Italy's Aeolian Islands. The article is entitled If It Were Easy to Get to...

According to the article Salina is relatively unspoiled because it isn't the easiest place to get to. Luckily for me, living in Sicily, it would be pretty easy. Just a short 90 minute hydrofoil ride from Milazzo, near Messina.

Just one more place to see before I leave Sicily...now the question is when to make this happen? I can't believe we've been here for nearly a year already. We'll be moving before I know it. Just a reminder to make the most of my time here and see as much of Europe as possible.

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Now playing: Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
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Is Fall Actually Here?

The sound of driving rain, thunder and lightening woke me up around 3:30AM this morning. Someone who has lived in Sicily for several years told me a few weeks ago that Fall isn't here until we get our first big storm of the season. If he is right then Fall is here! I was so excited that I had a hard time falling asleep again. I laid in bed listening to the sound of the rain and seeing the flashes of lightening through my closed eyelids and counting until I heard the rumble of thunder.

A side note on Italian generosity: Yesterday afternoon Les and I stopped at a gas station bar on our way to run errands. We were in desperate need of coffee. We had been at each others' throats all morning and it wasn't until around 2:00PM that we discovered our crankiness was directly related to the lack of caffeine coursing through our veins. We ordered cafe macchiatos and paid and were soon sipping beautiful relief. As we drank our coffee the barista attempted to carry on conversation with us. I was shown that I still have a long way to go in learning the Italian language. I could pick out a couple of words but not enough to really understand what he was talking about. He was good natured and we smiled and laughed a bit, I think he appreciated that we tried.

As we were getting ready to leave we left a tip on the bar and said "ciao" to the barista. He said "aspeta" wait! He had prepared another coffee drink for us. It consisted of a bit of espresso covered with "crema di latte" sort of like a sweet milk slushy, topped with a bit of chocolate syrup and cinnamon. It was delicious! We drank them down and asked how much they cost and were told they were on the house. I was blown away by the simple and sincere generosity.

I have experienced this several times since I have lived in Sicily. From a plate of fresh roasted chestnuts given to us at a restaurant during a festival season, an extra bunch of arugula and a couple extra vegetables or pieces of fruit thrown into the bag at the outdoor market, to a "regala" gift of a poinsettia plant at Christmas from our favorite restaurant, Italian and Sicilian generosity never ceases to warm my heart.

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Now playing: Arthur Fiedler; Boston Pops Orchestra - An American In Paris
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Pan's Labyrinth

Last night Les and I watched Pan's Labyrinth. If you like foreign films and don't mind reading subtitles I highly recommend it! The story captivates the imagination, the acting was exceptional, and the cinematography was beautiful. It started a bit slow but is definitely worth sticking with to the end. Enjoy! Let me know if you see it (or already have) and what you think.

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Now playing: Andrea Bocelli - Ponchielli: La Gioconda - Cielo E Mar!
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Girls Day Out - Taormina & Gambino Winery

Yesterday I took off with a few girlfriends for a tour of Taormina and wine tasting at the Gambino Winery. All four of us had visited Taormina on previous occasions and were familiar with the sights so we decided to ditch the tour group and attempted to blend with the local culture. We made our way to a bar and ordered breakfast - for me it was a cappuccino and cornetto con crema (a cream filled criossant). We sat at the cafe for a couple of hours chatting and people-watching.

Alice, Jen, & Candice at the cafe

Once we finished breakfast we decided to wander in and out Taormina's many shops. Taormina is a very beautiful tourist town. In my opinion it is the La Jolla of Sicily.

Sweet Treats - Marzipan Fruits in a Store Window

As we neared the city gate we noticed that the Chiesa Santa Caterina was open and decided to peek inside. This was one of the most unique paintings that I've seen in an Italian church.

Inside Chiesa Santa Caterina

At noon we piled back into our tour bus and headed up into the foothills of Mt. Etna to the Gambino Winery. It was about an hour drive up tight, curvy mountain road to the winery. As we got off the bus we heard honking and cheers as a Fiat 500 (cinquecento) club passed. They just kept coming and coming. I wish I knew how many there were. They looked like they were having so much fun!

Fiat 500 (cinquecento) Parade

The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the hill below the winery - the road to the winery was too small for the bus. We were given the option to walk up - about a 10 minute walk, or wait for vans to pick us up. We were also given a third option of starting to walk and the vans would pick us up on the their way up the hill. We decided to set out on foot. The road was steep and much longer than we thought. I walked about 2/3rds of the way before I finally caught an empty seat in the van. I definitely worked for my lunch!

The sign a the bottom of the hill

At the top of the hill we were surrounded by beautiful vineyards weighed down with grapes. They harvest at the end of October due to the colder weather and elevation (about 800 meters). I was able to take a few pictures before we crowded into the tasting room for lunch and of course wine.

Nerello Mascalese Grapes

View from the terrace, Geraniums with the vineyards in the background

Lunch was delicious! It was advertised as a "light lunch" but it was more of a feast! We dined on antipasti of sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, eggplant, olives, marinated mushrooms, bread, cheese, and meats. We also got to taste five different wines. I purchased three bottles - the Tifeo Bianco, a fruity but crisp, dry white wine; the Cantari Rosso, a delicious full-bodied red wine made from Nero D'Avola grapes which are indigenous to Sicily, similar to a Cabernet Sauvignon in flavor; and the Alicante Rosso, a very robust, delicious red wine.

After lunch and we were given a tour of the winery and were able to purchase wine. Once we finished we had a bit of time to wander the grounds so I snapped a few more pictures.

View from the winery

A very unique tree

Click on the picture to enlarge it. I didn't even notice when I took the photo that the leaves had spiderwebs on them. I love finding those types of surprises when I enlarge pictures.

With full tummies and sleepy with wine we loaded back onto the bus for the ride home. I had a great time!

Sunset on the SS417

One the way home I caught this sunset through the window of the car. A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

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Now playing: Andrea Bocelli - Giordano: Andrea Chénier - Come Un Bel Dì Di Maggio
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Happy Birthday to Meeeee!!

The last year of my 20's has begun. Yesterday was a bit bittersweet for me. Among happiness for a day of partying dedicated me I also had a small meltdown about growing up. I DON'T WANT TO! All around me it seems like my friends, some younger, some older, have reached adulthood; and by this I mean parenthood. Nearly all of my married friends are trying for kids, pregnant, or have a kid (and some of those are pregnant with their second child). I don't feel nearly old enough to be a parent, is that bad? I just don't want to grow up. It hit me yesterday that if I want to have kids I need to start seriously thinking about it. This is the right time, I guess....or at least that is what I witness around me. I'm just not sure I'm ready for all of that...and not sure I ever will be. I love kids but they turn lives upside down. Most of those who have kids wouldn't trade it for the world, but for some reason is scares the crap out of me.

But enough on that deep subject...my hubbie put together a great party for me last night. Along with a bunch of our friends we went to a Chinese food restaurant in Catania. It was really good! Definitely what I wanted. Thank you to all my friends for coming to my party even though most of you had to work today!! I know we were out late. And thank you for the generous gifts! I'm truly blessed to have made such good friends in the year that I've been here. Living overseas has been a lot easier thanks to you.

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Now playing: Pink Martini - Aspettami
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Pumpkin Tails - A new bed?

Pumpkin has decided, at least for today, that the recycle bin in my office is the comfiest, coziest place in the world.

Where I found him

Woke up to have his picture taken

Getting comfy again

His cuteness is often the highlight of my day...easily amused? yes! and grateful for it. Life is easier when you take time to enjoy the little things.
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Now playing: Augustana - Mayfield
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A very nice weekend

Les had the day off on Friday so we had a nice, long weekend. Thursday night after work Les had a rehearsal with his band. He and a couple other military members started a rock band and are hoping to play at events on base. He seems to really be enjoying it and has determined that he needs more toys - a better bass amp and another bass guitar. I told him Christmas and his birthday are coming.

While they were rehearsing I took the opportunity to see a movie at the base theater. I saw License to Wed with Mandy Moore, Robin Williams and John Krasinski. Very cute movie, and with Robin Williams you are guaranteed to laugh.

Friday was laid-back but we did get out that evening and did a bit of shopping in Misterbianco (Les wanted to check out the new PC Superstore) and at Etnapolis. I bought a very cute pair of Converse ballet flats. On our way home we stopped at the Family Ristorante - one of the best places to eat close to home. I tried out their house pasta which was a tagliatelle with bolognese sauce (tomato and meat sauce) with cream, prosciutto, peas, and mushrooms. It was really good! Definitely worth a repeat.

Saturday was the best part of the weekend. We spent the day at Fontane Bianche beach with a bunch of Les' coworkers and their families. Tourist season has passed so the beach was quiet but the weather was warm and perfect for laying on the beach and playing in the water. I didn't take my camera, so no pictures this time, but I am now motivated to get a waterproof camera that I can take to the beach. It was quite beautiful and I'd like to have a few pictures to remember the day by.

Sunday was pretty low-key. We went to church on base. Les plays bass and guitar with the praise band in the chapel a couple of times each month. Following church we grabbed a quick lunch and then Les was off to rehearse with his rock band again. I did a bit of grocery shopping and came home. We invited our friends Sheena & Tony over for dinner and had a very yummy Thai green curry, played cards and were entertained by their daughter, Carlee, whom I absolutely adore.

Nothing extraordinary about my weekend, but it was really good to get out and play, spend time with friends, and relax.

Male di Mare

This morning (or rather the middle of the night) I pulled myself out of bed at 2:10AM. Why? My dear husband convinced me to go deep-sea fishing with him. We left the house about 3:15AM and arrived on base for our 4:00AM pickup. From there we took about an hour and a half drive south to Marzamemi, where we caught our boat.

As we headed out of the harbor light was just beginning to appear over the horizon. I tried to capture it on my camera but between the darkness and rolling waves I didn't get much. As we headed out of the harbor and got a bit more light I was able to catch this one...I think I deleted 20+ other failed attempts...

Beginning of a sunrise over the Ionian Sea - notice the sliver of a moon and star

As it got brighter I was able to pick out where the sun would pop up

The sun making its first appearance of the day

Sun is up a bit higher and behind the clouds

Les gets started with his fishing

One by one our tour guide got us set up with fishing rods. I held on to mine for awhile until it was suggested that I bring it back in and change bait. By this point I wasn't feeling so well - hence the title of this post "male di mare". I tried mind over matter and deep breathing to overcome my annoying motion sickness and it worked for a little while, but eventually got the better of me. I decided to forget fishing for awhile and stumbled my way to the front of the boat where there was room to sit and lay down. I felt better for a few minutes and then a lot worse and ended up hanging over the railing of the boat...yeah, not fun. After that I pretty much crashed out for a couple of hours and dozed as the sun came up.

Once I finally felt okay to sit up I tried to make the best of our "adventure" and appreciate the fact that I was basking in the sun in the Ionian Sea.

This picture hardly does the sparkle in the water justice, but it was one of the things I marveled at for awhile.

I couldn't believe the color of the water, so gorgeous!

After several more hours we started to make our way back into the harbor. Since the fish didn't bite much the boat driver decided to take us near the fish farms to see if we'd have better luck there.

A fish farm

Another fish farm

The beautiful sky

My husband, exhausted after a grueling morning of fishing

All in all it was a good day, minus the sick bit. Once I got over that I really did enjoy myself. I didn't do anymore fishing, but Les brought home three fish and made a great dinner!

Life near an active volcano...

Last night, around 8PM my friend Sheena called and told me that Mt. Etna was erupting and she could see it from her driveway. She lives just a couple of blocks away from me so Les & I ran out the door and down the street. As we got to the end of the street we were amazed by the lava fountain coming out of the top of the mountain.

We watched for a few minutes from Sheena's house and then decided that we needed to get away from the street lights and a bit closer. We all jumped into Sheena's car, rushed over to our house to pick up my camera and tripod, and we headed toward the volcano.

We found a secluded country road and pulled off in a dirt driveway. Here is what we saw...




I can't even begin to describe how awe-inspiring this was. I could have stared at the mountain for hours. To make the sight even more spectacular there was lightning in the background of the volcano. That is why the sky is a bit brighter in the last photo - lightning flashed while the camera shutter was open.

What a phenomenal way to spend an evening....I was so wired and excited that I had a hard time getting to sleep last night.

Butterflies of Excitement

I have so much to look forward to right now. I have to say life is good. I finished my fourth MBA class yesterday - "Strategic Implementation & Alignment" which focused on project management. My last assignment was to write a proposal for a hypothetical company and design a solution for their problems. I think I ended up with 34 pages including the charts. I can't even begin to express the weight that was lifted when I turned it in. I AM FREE!! for a few months anyway. I have so many things planned that I decided to put off my next class until after Thanksgiving.

This month alone has so many things to look forward to. First of all, September ROCKS because it is my birthday month. I have all sorts of fun day excursions planned, from deep sea fishing, to wine tasting, to hiking on the Mt. Etna. And then, even more exciting, my mom arrives the end of this month! She will be here in Sicily for a few days and then she and I are off to meet up with my aunties, grandmother, and a cousin in Rome. We'll spend a few days in Rome and then we'll be exploring Florence and Tuscany. I can't wait!

In November Les & I are planning on going to Paris for our anniversary. We will stay a few days in a hotel and then a week with my best friend from childhood who lives in Paris. I haven't seen her for at least 8 years so I am very excited. Once we return from Paris we dive head first into the Christmas season, which is my favorite time of year. I'm already thinking about Christmas music even though I know it is much too early to start listening to it.

The next few months will be amazing!

Concerto del Duo Nuance

A few months ago Les started playing guitar and bass in the praise band at the chapel on base. The base employs two Italian professional musicians to play with the praise band. Eleonora Trobia, the pianist, and I were talking one day and she mentioned that she plays in a group called Duo Nuance with guitarist Sergio Giuffrida. I asked her when their next performance was and I was told 9:00P in Scoglitti on August 31.

So, last night Les & I did our best to use Google Maps and Eleonora's directions to find our way there. Just a few wrong turns and about 2 hours later we reached Scoglitti, a small beach town in the Ragusa province. It is not far from where we live, but mostly just two-lane, curvy roads to get there.

Once we arrived we decided to find an ATM and some dinner. Les was adamant that he would like something other than Italian food. We happened on a restaurant whose sign said "specialita couscous" and decided to give it a try. It was about 8:00P, just the start of dinnertime in Italy, and we were the first customers of the evening. I realized that we were in for a pricey meal when they didn't have a menu, you go up to the fish display and pick out which fresh fish you'd like. We decided on a fillet of grilled Swordfish each, some prawns, and a caprese salad for antipasti. I opted out of wine for the evening because they had the most expensive wine list I've seen in Italy thus far...and no vino della casa. 50Euro later we were full and anxious to be on our way. It was a few minutes after 9:00P and we were running late for the concert...or so we thought.

The concert was held at Largo Camarina, a parking lot next to the beach. We arrived as they were doing sound checks and tuning. We took a seat and mentioned that it was a good thing we decided to come. There were only a couple of other people there. We waited and waited...more people arrived..waited more...and finally about 10:15P the concert started. By then almost all of the seats were full! Old people, young people, families with small kids...I never ceased to be amazed at how late Italians stay up! I guess it has something to do with sleeping all afternoon for riposo.

Anyhow, the concert was very enjoyable. A mix of classical and South American music. Sergio Giuffrida has a few sound clips on his website if you want to get an idea of what we listened to.

Once the concert ended we were exhausted..and still had about 2 hours drive to get home. We debated trying to find a hotel room and just stay the night but opted for an espresso and a gelato and sleeping in our own bed. We took a different route home, through Gela, and made it in a mere hour and a half.

We finally fell into bed at about 1:30A. I think I was out the moment my head hit the pillow. I remember, not too long ago, when staying up past midnight was the most natural thing in the world. No so anymore. We were exhausted. I think that means we are getting old. All things considered it was a great evening and a fun way to get a bit further into Sicilia's culture.

Oh, and I forgot to mention Sicily's "lovely" weather. Right next to the water at 11:15P it was still 80F and humid...

Americans and their pets

I just read a very eye-opening article in BusinessWeek Magazine entitled The Pet Economy.

August 6, 2007 BusinessWeek Cover Picture

Here are a few "fun facts" from the article:

• Americans now spend $41 billion a year on their pets
• The yearly cost of buying, feeding, and caring for pets is in excess of what Americans spend on the movies ($10.8 billion), playing video games ($11.6 billion), and listening to recorded music ($10.6 billion) combined.
• 42% of dogs now sleep in the same bed as their owners (up from 34% in 1998)
• PetSmart is rolling out new "pet hotels" inside their stores ($31/night) that feature private suites, raised platform beds, TVs airing shows from Animal Planet, "bonebooths" where pets can take calls from their owners, cats get live fish tanks to watch in their rooms, and many other "luxury" features

I'm not here to poke fun at this because I'm as much to blame for this trend as many other Americans. I don't buy designer clothes for my cat but I do buy Iams food and keep him well stocked with toys, catnip, and an assortment of things for him to sharpen his claws on. One day I do intend to buy him a really fancy cat tree, I just haven't seen any for sale in Italy yet. What can I say? Pumpkin is part of the family!

Marina di Ragusa & Lago Dirillo

On Saturday Les & I drove down to Marina di Ragusa, a beach town on the Mediterranean Sea, and joined hundreds, maybe thousands of Sicilians for a day at the beach. We staked out a piece of sand, laid down our beach towels and headed for the water. The Mediterranean was warm, calm, and clear. As we looked down at our feet we occasionally saw a small fish wander by. We'd cool down in the water and then head back to the sand to dry off and lay in the sun. After a lunch of paninis and iced tea we cooled off in the water once more and then decided to move on. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures at the beach. We didn't want to risk someone taking off with the camera while we were in the water, nor did we want to have to take turns babysitting the camera so it stayed in the car.

After the beach we spent a of couple hours at a local shopping center. Shopping helped us work up an appetite again so we picked up some bread, cheese (I was ecstatic to find Gruyere Swiss for the first time here, one of my favorites!!!) salami, olives, nectarines, and a bottle of iced tea. We set off toward home hoping to find some place beautiful to enjoy our feast.

I spotted a dam in the distance so off we went in search of the lake. We found Lago Dirillo, a reservoir out in the hills. We walked down towards the water and found several fisherman dotted around the edges of the lake.

A fisherman

The edges of the lake were quite steep but we managed to find a somewhat level place to throw down a beach towel for our picnic. After our lovely meal we walked around a bit and I took a few pictures using my telephoto lens and new tripod.

Lago Dirillo

Hills in the distance

Les & I with the lake in the background...happy, tired, and sunburned

I was a bit nervous taking these pictures. You can't tell in the photo, but the hillside drops off next to me and drops down into the lake. You could see the rocks beneath the surface of the water for a few inches but then the water appeared to be a very deep green a few inches out so you know it got really deep really fast. It creeped me out. I kept envisioning falling or having my camera and tripod, teetering on rocks, get bumped and seeing it slowly disappear into the green...anyway, enough of that not fun thought! The camera didn't fall, nor did we!

Our picnic on the edge of the lake was a wonderful end to a wonderful day. I think the beach and swimming in the sea is the only reasonable way to enjoy the heat of Sicily. Hopefully we'll make it back again soon!

Wonder

I'm in the middle of reading a very good book called The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. In chapter five he talks about wonder and how modern society has lost touch with being wowed by things that may have amazed us or taken our breath away as children. Brennan Manning quotes Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel near the end of his life saying "never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me." Recently this has been my prayer also. We can live our lives waiting for the next big thing or let the little things in life take our breath away.

On the way home on Tuesday evening Les & I decided to make a short detour and see if we could find a way up to the remains of a castle that we pass nearly every day. This picture was taken as we were driving past last November:


We took off on a nearby side road hoping to find a way up, but no such luck. Lots of little roads to houses, but the most promising roads were gated. Others just didn't look passable for our car...it has AWD but isn't exactly meant for serious offroading.

We drove for a bit through the beautiful countryside and this is where we turned around:


Gorgeous, huh? Just a little dirt road leading through rows of olive trees. It took my breath away and I had to catch the moment before it passed. Here is a close up of the olives:

"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe. Delight me to see how Your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father through the features of men's faces. Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all." ~Joshua Abraham Heschel

DEFY

For the past two weeks Les has been volunteering for the DEFY (Drug Education For Youth) day camp. I was hoping to be the unofficial camp photographer but the stars didn't align quite right and I only made it to the camp the first day.

Those of you that know me know how pleasant I am early in the morning. It wouldn't have been good for me, Les or anyone else for me to leave the house with him at 5:45AM and since we only have one car I wasn't able to join up later in the day. Luckily Les takes good pictures too and took my camera with him most days. He got some great pictures of the rest of the camp.

I did get several great shots that first day though. Here is my favorite:


I love that I captured the kids mid-air running up the stairs. Oh to have that kind of energy...and did I mention it was 116F that day? Needless to say I didn't make it up those stairs quite as fast as they did.

Ponte Dirillo

On July 13, 2007 I had the privilege of attending a ceremony remembering the 39 American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne that died at Ponte Dirillo in World War II.

"On July 10, 1943 nearly 3,400 members of the 82nd took to the skies in support of Operation Husky, one of the larges amphibious operations during WWII. However, due to foul weather and poor navigation, the troopers missed their drop point in Gela and were scattered for several miles, many coming upon direct fire from German occupied pillboxes located at strategic points along the countryside. 'As they landed they were picked off by the Germans with machine-guns and thirty-nine of these brave American gave their lives defending this bridge from a German counter-offensive that was supposed to bring tanks along its roadway,' said Cdr. Scott Fields. 'Had they not been able to hold off that counter-offensive, its very possible that the landing could have been a lot more difficult than it turned out to be.'" (MC2(AW) Jason T. Poplin, The Signature, Vol. 24, No. 29, July 20, 2007).

The ceremony took place on the hillside next to the memorial site, above the bridge at Ponte Dirillo. The hillside behind us was dotted with the remains of the German pillboxes.

German Pillboxes

Several American and Italian officials paid tribute to the sacrifices made during the ceremony.

Colonel Gordon Davis, former company commander within the 82nd Airborne

Deputy Mayor of Gela

Giovanni di Martino, Mayor of Niscemi

The most moving part of the ceremony was the "calling of the roll" where the names of those who gave their lives were read.

John Hoffpauir, formerly of the 82nd Airborne, calling the roll

Immediately following the "calling of the roll" Taps was played.

Les, my husband, playing Taps

The Ponte Dirillo Memorial

The Ponte Dirillo memorial site is maintained without assistance from the Italian or American governments by the landowner, a local farmer.

Ragusa

Yesterday we finally got out of the house to explore again. The day didn't start off very well. I was grumpy and sleepy, Les & I couldn't agree on breakfast or where to go for the day, and then I had the worst hair day that I've had in awhile. I couldn't even get my hair into a decent ponytail. Finally, after an absurd amount of time my hair sort-of cooperated into a messy bun. I figured it would have to do since I was aching to get out the door.

My grumpiness continued, mostly because I had yet to have my morning dose of espresso. We had decided to catch a cup of coffee at a bar, but I would point one out and my husband would keep driving. He'd offer to turn around, but when I'm on a mission to get somewhere it bugs me to backtrack, so I told him we'd catch the next one.

We arrived in Ragusa about 45 minutes later. As we pulled into town we noticed a brand new shopping center, that amazingly was open on Sunday. We decided to check it out. The doors of the mall opened into a sort of food court. Yay - there was a bar. A cappuccino and pistachio cornetto later the day was starting to look up. Then I noticed a shoe store. We browsed around and I found a very cute and miraculously comfortable pair of wedge strappy sandals that were only 25 Euro. Les bought them for me and I wore them out of the store. The day just kept getting better. The mall was a great find, not huge, but good stores and a lot less crowded than the other shopping centers we have visited on the island.

Once we finished shopping we decided to go see the city of Ragusa. Ragusa is divided into two sections. We visited Ibla. Both are designed in the Baroque style with narrow alleys and stairways and tight winding roads.

Looking down on Ragusa Ibla

Looking up at Chiesa S. Maria Delle Scale

We meandered through the quiet town. Most things are closed on Sunday and very few people were out and about. It was hot out so we didn't wander around for too long. We left Ragusa Ibla and headed down towards the Mediterranean and Marina di Ragusa. There were beautiful, crowded beaches but again we didn't think to bring our swim suits so we enjoyed the view and a gelato and headed home.

Once we were home we set up our new patio canopy that we had picked up earlier that day for a mere 12.90 Euro. I had a couple of glasses of wine and Les grilled steak and vegies. We just sat outside and chatted for awhile. It was a nice way to end the day.

About our patio canopy...it was nice to have the shade in the back yard, but we got what we paid for. I found the canopy on its side this morning in the middle of the backyard.

Mmmmmm....Thai Food

Last night I made Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Brown Rice. It was soooo good! Such things as Thai curry paste are hard to come by in Sicily, but thanks to my mom and the USPS, I had a lovely little jar in my pantry just waiting for the right time. The right time being when I had the time to make it AND had all of the ingredients in the house.

One of the things I miss most about the States (apart from my family and friends) is being able to pick on any given night what type of cuisine I would like to have. In San Diego we were within a five minute drive of some of the best restaurants in town. I can come up with some pretty good substitutes at home -- I make killer enchiladas, mean stir frys, and of course, awesome green curry. But, it just isn't the same as going to Baja Betty's or Zensei Sushi.

Another thing I've noticed in Sicily is that American wines, specifically Californian wines are hard to come by. Italian wines are awesome, so its not like I'm missing out on anything, but I look for Californian wines probably out of some sort of nostalgia. Last weekend I was in Auchan (sort of a European Wal-Mart) and was browsing the wine section. I was looking through the imports and noticed two American wines: Sutter Home and Gallo. Seriously, they can't import anything better than that? I guess they don't want to sell anything that might actually compete with the Italian wines.

So, enough of my ranting and raving about food and wine for the day. I will leave you with a wonderful Italian phrase told to me by one of my best friends: "la vita e troppe breve per bere vino male" - life is too short to drink bad wine.

Pumpkin Tails - In the closet

Some people blog about their kids...I, on the other hand, blog about my cat.

Lately, it seems like I don't leave the house much. Yesterday it hit 111F, so going outside isn't too much fun. Combine that with Les' hectic work schedule and both of us taking classes, we don't get out much. When I'm house-bound the highlight of my day is usually something to do with my cat. Whether it is him barking at birds outside (yes, he barks) or his clumsy self rolling off of the ottoman since he was too relaxed, he is always good for a laugh.

Today as I was doing laundry, I opened up the linen closet, got out a fresh set of sheets, and then walked away. I later went back to the closet to put something else away to find a big ball of orange fluff curled up on my beach towel. This is what I get for leaving closet doors open.


He looked so cute I had to take a picture and share the excitement of my daily life with those that read my blog.