CHRISTMAS PICTURE

Kary and Cigale
We went to to the Marriott Hotel to have Christmas brunch. Chief "Jeff" out did him self again and as allways we had an outstanding meal.

Kary with the Grandkids

Kary and I took the Grandkids to the Tennessee Aquarium for the day. The day was cold and blustery but inside we got to see so many different kinds of fish. The aquarium is expanding with another building for many more fish. Hopefully in the summer we can go back and enjoy the area.

Days of flour and fun

Last night I decide it was time to make some sour dough French bread, since I got a new food mixer. I made sour dough starter and waited 12 hours before I could even make bread. That was new thought all in its own. I made our first loaf and it was okay. Then I had to find more information on how to make it bigger and better loaf than the last. I think I will keep my day job. The second loaf came out larger and crisper but its still in the cooling stages. I think I will start some new starter tomorrow and see how it works over the next couple of days.

Next week hopefully our grand daughters life of pull and tug over custody will come to a close. How some one so little can be caught in the middle of lifes ups and downs. We were able to share time in her life as her grandparents over the Thanks Giving weekend. What a pleasure it was to have the kids spend the night with us in our hotel room. No adults just the kids and the grandparents. As night unfolded and it got close to bedtime, Miss Payton jumped on the bed with us and snuggled down for a long winters nap. I am so glad they make king size beds. We took the little ones to Chattanooga the next day. We had wonderful time exploring life's little wonders in th Aquarium. After a full day, we were one set of exhausted grandparents after a wonderful day spent, life could not get any better.
Good night John Boy!

Merry Christmas, Buon Natale

As morning approaches, I lay warm in my bed, I can hear the sounds of little feet scurrying around through out the house, letting me know its time to get up and feed the pride. My body slowly drifts back to sleep, and all of a sudden our big cat "scoobie" lets me know, "under no uncertain circumstances can I go back to sleep". Starting at the bedroom door, she takes off running and in one large fellow swoop lands on all fours on my belly.(O God, how it hurts) "Its time to get up"! And it's way past time to eat! So much for sleeping in on Christmas morning.

Its cold here today! With temps in the upper 40's with rain and wind. I am not doing the cooking today since I have my very own private chief at the Marriott hotel down the road to fix us our Christmas dinner along with a couple hundred other folks to join us for the festive rituals.

Dinner at Marriott is always so good. The chief "Jeff" makes simple master pieces of little delegable morsels. Your able to feast on shrimp, raw oysters, crab claws, smoked salmon, baked snapper,(huge), fresh grilled, asparagus, roasted red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, assorted cheese tray with all kinds of hard cheeses, Caesar salad, Pasta salad, fresh fruit and green salad.

Then for dinner you were offered a full coarse meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans with sliced carrots, cornbread stuffing, and of course pecan crusted leg of lamb with au juice .

Now dinner is served!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and all a good night!

Bread Crumbs

Christmas is only two days away. Where has the year gone by? So much has happened in our lives this year. It seems like it was yesterday the cold bitter days of January were on us. I made a promise to myself long ago that I would return to Italy, The love of my life.

I left Aviano nearly 23 years ago and the memories of beautiful snow capped Mountains in the winter time, open air markets on Tuesday and saturdays, along with a little family run bread store near my home, where I would pick up my two rolls and toast them after my 4am run. Aviano was tucked away at the base of the mountain where I called home for nearly four yeas, has stayed with me over time. Those memories over the years would flood back and allow me to remember how life was so simple and what "DOMANI" meant! (tomorow, tomorow or when ever) and how simple life was then.

Those glorious smells of spaghetti sauce, with fresh basil, cooking on the stove and thinking how I use to love the smells coming from the kitchen right below my apartment (in Italy) from my landladys home. My little Italian landlady (Sabaina) made the worlds best gnocchi

There were even fights over the years with the lady (which I have forgotten her name)that lived across the street, on who could make the best Gnocchi. Sabina! would win, hands down... If I had a magic wand, I would've packed her in my suitcase and taken her back to the states where she could of bottled her sauce and made millions.

How could I not return home! and not pay homage to a place where my child was born. Where I found new responsibilities of becoming an adult and learning the lessons of life? and most of all, where I fell in love with the most beautiful country in the world called "Italy". It calls my name in my sleep and takes over my dreams at times. Some how life got in the way and now it's time to return to a place that stands still in my mind and share those memories with my husband.

When I started to gather information again to venture back to Italy I had to find those BREADCRUMBS I left behind to allow us to find our way back to Italy. I got Kary to go up in the attic and pull out boxes of our travel books and hidden treasures of past trips. I spent hours on websites trying to find the right places to spend time in Venice. It took me months; but I finally found a place to stay for (4 nights). A Bed and breakfast place called "Ca Bernardi" http://www.cabernardi.com/

All my memories of Venice are so wonderful. Just to wake up in a city of magic is beyond my wildest dreams. I remember my very first visit to Venice and walking across the Realatio Bridge and finding a octagon purple color vase, that I still have today. The last time I was in Venice was in 1985 for Carnival. The festival that is created during Lent season right before Easter each year.(where you do not eat meat for 2 weeks). People wander around in Saint Marco square fully dressed in costumes and masks. The costumes must cost thousands of dollars and months of preparation for the two week party.

From there I was looking for place in Northern Italy where we could make a home base and take day trips. Some where centraly located to spend week or so before we went to the Lake region. I find that Northern Italian cooking is by far the best food of all Italy has to offer. The best cheeses, meats and rice dishes come from the northern part of Italy.

Just think of the ham you get at the deli and cheese you put on your spaghetti and it all comes from a city called Parma Italy! The wine country in the Vento region is absolutely beautiful. So many different wines, from white to red and the best of all is the "Wine Road" where Prosecco is made. I plan to take an empty suit case so I can bring back some great bottles of wine and find a winery that will ship back a case of wonderful white and red wine. Can you imagine wine sent from Europe that no wine store has on there shelf!.

I had found a website where an American man named Bob who bought a house and turned his home into a bed and breakfast place, www.bed-breakfast-italy.com but since we are not renting a car for this part of the trip, it was a long walk to the train station. So off I went to find a place closer in town near the train station. I came across another website www.vbro.com/39592 and there I found a wonderful Italian/American women called Lynn. When I first sent an email to this site to inquire about rentals in Vicenza I thought I would have to exchange emails with words of broken English. Well to my delight and amazement, not only did she speak fluent English; but also I received phone call from Lynn and we had this most amazing conversation. I felt like we had known each other for years. Come to find out she lives in California and raises dogs for a living. It?s a small small world and how one computer and the Internet world can bring people and places together.

Meliane and Steven's Wedding

Some Where in Ozz

What a wonderful place called "Italy"

I found this picture on the Internet. It must be some place in TUSCANY. I'm wondering if they will move this town to Florida?