Malta

Yesterday was turn around day for the 4 'kids' arriving in Milan at 10:30, a quick pit stop at the apartment, followed by departure to Switzerland by train at 2:30. Steven's mother Nancy has joined us for the rest of this adventure, and LaD will be leaving us for Paris and London on the 30th. We parents are heading to Switzerland in an hour.
We had a Merry Christmas in Malta. The weather cooperated and the island itself did not disappoint. I had chosen Malta for their celebration of Christmas. I wasn't sure how or where or when 'the Christmas procession' would occur, but again Malta did not disappoint. At around 6 PM the evening of the 24th, Danny and I were playing cards as the others were resting in various locations. From below we heard a band tuning up, so we peaked out the window and there their procession was forming. We flew down the stairs, followed by Liz in her pajama pants. For the next hour our family joined in with the residents of the town of Vittoriosa winding through the narrow streets and stopping frequently for the priest to 'do' a reading. People in the town along the route were on their balconies, or in their doorways. Some simply had their doors open to share their decorated entrances as they dined in the back.
We didn't see as many sights in Malta as we thought we would, but getting around proved to be a challenge. Jeff, the driver, had his first Brit experience. The wheel was on the right, The shifter was to his left, and he had to stay to the left on the road. Tom Tom had no maps for Malta, but Steven proved to be an exceptional navigator!! Saying our vehicle was for 7 passengers was a stretch, and a joke when we had all our luggage, but we endured. Our first trek was to the Blue Grotto followed by a quick visit to an archaeological site. This period of Malta's history is called 'the temple builders' and that's about all they know about these people who lived on Malta 3000 years ago. The next day was the medieval town of Mdina where we visited the catacombs and had views of the island. Tricia and I opted out of the Christmas day trip to the fault line which offered views of the island of Malta and Gozo. We all took water taxis from our location to Valletta to 'do' the tourist thing there.
I hope this rambling help to better understand some of the pictures I included.

Off to Malta

Liz, the youngest here. It's early on Monday morning and we are all buzzing about before the limo comes to pick the six of us up to go to the airport. D and I arrived on Saturday evening, and although we planned to head off to Venice with dad first thing Sunday, we were not able to be woken on the first few tries. With now limited time, we instead headed off to a small town called Sirmione, pearl of the peninsula. None of us had been there before and it looked beautiful in the book: I bought my mom a book called "One Hundred and One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy" before she moved. It was an hour and a half drive through the Po valley, and worth every second. The water of Lake Garda was crystal clear. There is a large hill in the center of town, and we hiked up a short way to find an eighth century church. Before we headed back to Milan we stopped at the most un-Italian, Italian restaurant in Italy. The waiters spoke English ... well, there was ice in our drinks, my dad received butter with his bread, and the bathrooms were huge.
Mom, T&S were in Rome when we arrived enjoying all the main sites: St Peter's, the Coliseum, Roman Forum, art, churches, and museums gallore. T was quite the tired cookie with all of the walking.
We all met up last night. D & I headed up dinner by going the the grocery store. We sauted up some veggies, made salads, and then heated up some prepackaged ravioli, prepackaged pesto, and made the MOST amazing bread (from a prepackaged dough)!
Have to run ...
Much love,
LaD, T&S and NorrisinItaly

Twas the Night...

Our official Christmas holiday has begun. Jeff and I drove out to the airport this morning and picked up Tricia and Steven. To add to our joy, the sun was shining!! Hasn't done that for 2 weeks! I hope the rain will thin out for here on. T,S and I will leave tomorrow AM for a visit to Rome, returning on Sunday. LaD are scheduled in on Saturday afternoon, and may go to Venice for the day on Sunday.
At 8:45 AM Monday a 6 passenger limo will pick us up and take us to the airport for our flight to Malta. We'll be there for Christmas.
Now to 'How do I pack!!!!!' The girls had/have it worse with the multiple locations and climates, but still...

 

We woke up this morning to a couple of inches of wet sloppy snow. It continued to snow all morning but melted into the slush as soon as it hit the ground. It turned to rain by the afternoon and was a truly sloppy, slushy mess by night fall. If it freezes tonight it will make walking treacherous in the morning. But what do I care, I don't have anywhere to go.
All day I observed the people running around in this mess with umbrellas! That was a new one on me. I haven't perfected the art of carrying groceries and an umbrella, and opt for a hood. This summers purchase of trench coat worked great! Unfortunately I ran out of water repellent while spraying a new pair of Uggs. I didn't realize how much puddling had occurred and my big toe got wet! And Jeff found a hole in his boots!...so we will do some serious looking this weekend for supplies. We will need them. This winter has all ready been colder than anything we experienced last year.
In 7 days the holiday merriment begins with the arrival of Daughter T and husband S. LaD and other Mother Nancy will be joining along the way. We have a full agenda, with Malta, Rome, Frutigen (Switzerland), Rankweil (Austria), and Venice in the plans. LaD will leave us in Switzerland and head to Paris and then to London for a visit with friends there. Of course this is not a vacation. There is so much that everyone wants to see, we are taking in a great deal with a minimum of time. With the assistance of 'the kids' I hope to be making more frequent postings to let everyone know how we are.
I hope this finds everyone preparing their hearts and homes for a wonderful Christmas 2008! All the best to everyone!

I really don't know where my time goes when I'm in the states.
As the pictures testify, the house is coming along nicely. Jeff is anxious to get here and see for himself. He arrives the 22nd.
My Mother-in-law has completed all her medical procedures that came out of her mystery weight loss this summer and is feeling great!
And as I said, I'm not sure what I've been up to. I did enjoy a bit of college football the past 2 Saturdays.....

Catch Up

Finally, a bit of time to update my blog. I left Milan on the 23rd, and had a very busy week in Houston. Left Houston on the 28th for Minneapolis, and will leave here on Wednesday.
Most of my focus in Houston was on our new home construction. It was at the 'wiring and plumbing completed and inspected' phase. They were in the process of installing insulation and then beginning sheetrocking. This is a big deal due to our modifications and special requests on insulation. They had not gotten it right the first time, and I wanted to see the pink stuff with my own eyes before they closed up the walls. That did not happen. Home building in absentia is stressful.
I've been in Minnesota for 5 days now. My sister and I played tourist the other day in St Paul and this picture is of the Capitol building, one of our stops. The weather was perfect, and we found plenty of things to do and see.

This past weekend we took a day trip to the Piedmonte wine country. The trip was sponsored by the American's in Milan group, and we car pooled with the Miller's. The sun didn't make an appearance, but the trip was nice. We had a tour of the winery and then a 5 course lunch with 4 wines. The name of the winery is Fontanfredda and is in the Lange. Their specialty is Barolo. We were within a few miles of Alba, where the truffle festival was going on. We did not partake, but can not say the same of the Barola.

Last Weekend

Our adventure began at 8:15 taking the metro to the last stop on the yellow line where our friends Dave and Linda McCurdy picked us up in their car. Destination Bologna! Jeff and I have lived without a car for some time now and not taken any road trips of late, only train, but have been down this stretch of the A1 before. I suggested a stop at Castell' Arquato, listed in my '101 Beautiful towns in Italy' and we did, and it was. Unfortunately the morning was very hazy and diminished our views.
Back in the car and back to the A1, but first a shop with a giant wheel of cheese and a sign welcoming us to Parma, and we had to stop. This turned into lunch, of cheese, parmesan of course, ham, Parma of course, some bread and a bottle of wine. I had warned every one that this was to be a gastronomical tour and it was starting out that way. Finding our way into the old center of Bologna was a challenge but once accomplished we were off. Bologna has many things to recommend it. The first were the towers. As in other Italian cities the wealthy families used towers on their homes as protection and that led to it being a status symbol. Few remain, but 2 are very close together and you can climb one and marvel at the pitch the other one is leaning. Like all medieval town it has a cathedral, and this one had it's funding diverted and the facade has never been completed. There is a fountain in the square that represents Neptune and when the guide book described the nymphs at the base of the fountain as 'sensuous' they were not kidding. The other unique feature is the abundance of covered sidewalks. We didn't have time to check out the oldest University in Europe dated at 1088, but it's influence was all around us. The average age was 25 at the bars and restaurants. Our hotel even furnished ear plugs, but none were needed. Bologna is very much alive and a worthwhile visit.
Sunday AM we wandered a bit more in Bologna and then headed to Parma. This trip was nicknamed our Grisham tour in homage to 'The Broker' and 'Playing for Pizza'. We only had time to walk into the city center of Parma and find a place for lunch and then it was back to Milan and hopefully beating the rush.

Last Friday we had the pleasure of playing host to the Zenner's for 24 hrs. We started our tour when Jeff joined us at 'The Last Supper', the first opportunity Jeff has had of seeing it. From there one must go see the Duomo. Another first for Janet and Jeff was going up on the roof! Well worth it. In fact we forgot to even go into the Duomo! The rain came and we wandered just a bit more before heading home to an aperativo and then supper.
I've spent the past week trying to finalize 6 people's movements from December 17th through January 5th. You can't purchase rail tickets more than 60 days in advance so I'm guessing on some transportation issues. But!.. we have a roof over our head in 3 locations. That is a start.
Oh...the 6 people are both daughters and their husbands and us.

Cinque Terre

5 days back in Milan and barely over the jet lag and Jeff and I were off to meet up with Texas friends in the beautiful setting of the Cinque Terre, which loosely translates into 5 towns. The 'mission' should you choose to accept it in this area is to hike the trail between the 5 towns that comprise this area. J and I came prepared. We had purchased hiking sticks and proper fitting hiking boots for me on our visit in Zermatt. Very good purchases. We were staying in the southern most town of Riomaggiore, the same town T and S had stayed in, and J and I had provided the ride to in October. I however had not laid eyes on anything other than a parking place due to the broken ankle. But I digress. We arrived on Saturday around noon, by train, to a glorious day. We knew not when 'the travelers' were arriving from Sienna so we spent a leisurely day around the town and ventured onto the 1st trail called 'lover's lane'. That 1st section was easy and quick. We found our friends, settled them in, and drank some wine. We finished the day with dinner and conversation.
Sunday was D-day. Jeff and I were up for the first 2 sections and would play it by ear and Jeff's knees. The last 2 sections were known to be intense and we could use the train to join the walkers in the last 2 towns. As anticipated the middle town was the end of J and J's hike, but before we called it quits, we did climb the 397 steps to the town, the only one not on the water. We met for lunch in town 4, Vernazza, and again trained to town 5, Monterossa. Jeff and I made a muddle out of train hopping and the walkers beat us to the last town. We hopped the boat back and got ready to say good-bye and catch our train back to Milan. As I am frequently reminded "someone has to work!".

Barely scratched

Where Steven put his car for safe keeping

Ike

It's 2PM on Sunday afternoon. Steven drove to College Station last night to get a generator from his father. It is now on and the refrigerators and the ceiling fans in the house are on, and yippee, the wireless router!! We have had a very interesting time of it.
In the 60's I lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Betsy came through. I know we were without power for some time there, and ice became the precious commodity. When Rita missed us a few years back we were fortunate and got our power back the evening of the storm. This time, I'm glad for a generator.
As you can tell this Norris is not in Italy, but in Houston Texas, home of the 'aftermath of Ike'. None of our extended family, 5 households was in an evacuation zone, and the mayor asked those citizens to 'shelter in place'. Liz and Danny did leave their apartment to stay with Mrs O. Mr O is in Venezuela on business. By Friday everyone was 'hunkered down'. Some people stayed up late, waiting to 'see' others went to bed hoping to get some sleep before the inevitable. I was at the in-laws and we were the last to lose power at 2:45 A M. We also appear to be the only household to experience the 'eye'. At 5:30 Saturday morning, the calm began and continued for an hour, a break appreciated by the dog. Then the other side of the storm, and a marathon game of backgammon to distract us. Weirdest thing is, we had cell service then, but spotty at best now.
The rest of Saturday was spent listening to the radio, packing coolers, picking up debris and seeing how many trees went down in your neighborhood. Lots of people were out checking on neighbors, or just visiting for lack of anything else to do. I found the U of Houston football game which had relocated to Dallas on the SMU campus as a diversion. I kind of wish they had relocated the Astros-Cubs series to neutral turf, for we Houstonites need something else on the radio at this point. Tricia took me to the Norris Sr.'s on Friday afternoon. We played a game of Mexican train and sent Tricia home before the 6PM curfew. So for me to get to Tricia's Saturday night I borrowed their car. All the roadways I needed were clear. I found 1 intersection with power. Not only was the light working but the 1 restaurant and 2 gas stations were open. Just past this n 1960 I found lots of trees in the road and lots f power lines down. But thanks to back-up power the Lowes and HEB were open!
So, we've survived the hurricane winds, but this morning Ike had 1 more Punch to deliver. A band of storms hit the area in the middle of the night and kept up with heavy rain until 10AM. It took T and I over an hour to make the 20 minute drive to the N's to to flooding in 2 locations, more cars on the road and downed trees on our chosen detour routes. Oh, and the line of cars waiting to get into Shipley donuts at that 1 intersection with power. The bright side is there is a cool front due in tonight which will make sleeping much easier. I'll be glad to be back in Italy on the 22nd. and am grateful we don't have a hoe to worry about here. All 5 properties were spared unlike the one Steven thought he was lucky to be able to garage his car in.

How I spent my weekend

Event Occurrence Information
If you click on 'Event' you'll get a feel for why I spent 36 hours in Las Vegas. I did not spent a cent on gambling but left with 'winnings' of a spiritual kind. I can not sing the praises of these 3 ladies enough. All I can say is Beth Moore delivers!

24503 German Oak

The building has begun. Hopefully the construction of this house will go smoother than the pre-construction phase!

A long time

I'm finally taking a minute to regroup. Since my last post Jeff and I have flown to Houston, held his Mother's hand for her surgery, spent a week in Minnesota, of which 5 days were spent at Breezy Point with the Piephos, flown back to Houston, spent a week firming up the new house with the builder, visited with everyone, and let's not forget Jeff's surprise 50th B'Day party! Jeff left for Milan on Saturday, and I'm here til the 21st. That's it in a nutshell, and I'm not feeling very prosy right now. In other words, that's it!

Castles

When Jeff and I took our first overnight trip here in Italy, we went to the Valle d'Aosta and visited 2 castles. Both had their merit, but were not what we were expecting. They were smallish with frescoed walls, built to keep the family protected from anybody using the valley road. These castles I explored yesterday with my friend Linda were built to protect the land lords claim on the land. There were 3 castles in the town of Bellinzona, Switzerland. We loved all 3.
Today I'm back to Olympics on in the background, and getting everything in order to fly to Texas tomorrow.

Milan in August

Milan has a population of 1.5 million. But not in August! We went to dinner Saturday night, an 8PM reservation at Nobu with 2 other couples. Jeff wanted Black Cod and it sounded good, and was, to the rest of us. We were the first table seated that night, though the dining room did fill as the night went on. We also found out that Nobu was closing for the month after that night. And so it goes all over the city. It's hot and a/c in this country is not efficient of effective. By August 15 the city shuts down for a week and most people take a 2 week holiday to the beach. Sunday, I looked at Jeff and said 'what are we doing today?' and he said hanging around and I said NOT! So we hopped the train and went to Como for the day. We took a short cruise of the lake and a funicular to the top of the hill over Como. Jeff discovered 'granites' a slurpee Italian thing. I like the mint flavor and Jeff the orange. It was a good get out of dodge kind of day.

 

The shore along Como on Lake Como

Another First

Thanks to Anne Marie, who has gotten very good at finding local events, 6 english speakers went to a Paul Simon concert last night. What impressed me most during the 2 1/2 hour show was the enthusiasm for the music and knowledge of the artist displayed by the Milanese. There were only a few S & G era offerings, but of those the crowd knew every word, and showed there love for the poet and story teller. The love of music and appreciation of varied styles was also evident. There were 2 encore's and this at a concert in the park that started at 9PM on a Monday. He saved 'Me and Julio down by the school yard' and 'you can call me Al' for these encores as well as 'The Boxer'. What a concert. What a night. And at 60? what a performer. He just kept on giving!!

Zermatt

Wow, what a weekend. The trip was 4 hours by train each way, so no mountain roads for Jeff to drive. In fact no cars are allowed in the town. Taxi, bus and delivery are by electric vehicle. This makes for an unusual quiet, and the ability to construct buildings very close together. Zermatt is a bustling town filled with outdoor enthusiasts, tour groups, extreme sports nuts, and folks like us. Many a person was strolling down the street with a sturdy pack on their back with poles or picks or spike shoes, to aid in the hiking or climbing. We took 2 separate journeys into the mountains. The first was on a cog wheel train up to Gornergrat, at 3089 meters. At the top there is a hotel, restaurant, and a nice shops area, which was a good thing having forgotten to pack Jeff a hat. We hung out here over strudel and enjoyed the amazing view, not to mention the cooperative weather. The rest of the day we explored the town and the very interesting cemeteries. Day 2 we decided to do it! It being the 3 section ascent to Glacier Paradise. The first segment was in a small 6 person 'bubble'. The next 2 segments were on large gondolas, not the kind in Venice, but the kind from James Bond movies. Having ridden chair lifts to go up a mountain, and not being really thrilled about them, this is a much preferable mode of transportation. I had packed for the freezing temperatures on the top, so we were comfortable scampering around the observation area, and the Glacier Palace. The last of the pictures, where we did get cold, was the path that skiers and boarders take to reach the slopes. It is also the start for some very ambitious walker/climbers, who connected by rope in groups, headed for a peak in the very thin air. We were at 3883 m. at this point. Wow! It takes my breath away just writing about it.
I picked up a new term on this trip, the four thousanders, in reference to the height of 38 peaks in the area! Good thing there was a lift, because that's the only way you'd get Jeff and I up there.

This past week I: planned this weekends trip to Zermatt, Switzerland, purchased plane tickets for my travels to and from the US this fall, researched places to spend Christmas with my family, and this morning my brain couldn't let go of swimming pools. Yes, that's totally unrelated to the other items, but as we go forward with building our new home it's something I need to look into. Jeff and I are undecided on it's necessity, so I'm soliciting your opinion. We'll be gone until Monday, and when I get back I hope to read the "pros and cons of swimming pools" in my comments!

Baseball

I have a new favorite station in Italy. NASN is a sports channel that carries day games live! Right now the Twins and the Tigers are getting ready to face off.Oh, and for those who know me well I had cereal with banana on it yesterday. If you don't know don't ask.

My month in the states

Start at the endStop 3, or something like that, found me taking a 4 day layover on my return ticket to Milan in New York City. I met up with my sister Barbara who lives in Utica NY for a busy 4th of July weekend in the city. We walked, we rode the Gray line tour, we walked more, we checked out Time Square Church, we took the night time Gray line tour which went over the East River to Brooklyn, and let me tell you we felt a little weird on an open top deck of this bus going that high over the river, we ate breakfast from the Whole Foods market across the street, we strolled street fairs, we..... Boy there's alot to do, and in 4 days we accomplished some. We had a great time. And now I'm home, in Milan, and glad to be with my husband.

I left Minnesota for Houston for a less then 24 hr. turn around. Mom and Dad Norris, Theo the dog and I rented an Impala packed up and headed out on Tuesday morning for Pennsylvania. I love road trips, and I love driving, and this trip promised me both. We drove 505 miles day 1, about the same day 2. I'd booked rooms in advance that allowed pets so we knew where we were stopping. We all traveled well and saw beautiful countryside through middle Tennessee and Kentucky. Our time in Delmont/Pittsburgh was very full. I got to spent time with my daughters, and we all got to see and meet so many people, alot of them relatives we had never met! Wendy and Dave had a very successful party that closed with a bang, as in thunderstorm rolled in. It was good timing, as everyone was starting to drag. T, E and I did a little site seeing in downtown Pittsburgh on our way to the airport Sunday. Monday morning it was back on the road for the road crew. On leaving, we seemed to wander a bit, the map and Tom Tom not agreeing on a route for southern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, but once we got rolling we made it to Sweetwater, Tennessee in the foot hills of the Smokies. Now this day was a scenic drive, and though a bit long, enjoyed by all. Day 2 took us to the Louisiana state line, where the lack of hotel rooms is still a reflection of Katrina's wrath. The in-laws were seeing a part of the country that was new to them, and my old stomping ground. We all returned home having had an enjoyable trip, which is saying something!

Downtown Pittsburgh
The Norris Family

Start here

It's been such a busy month I'm not quite sure where to start... so I'll start at the beginning ( a very nice place to start). Flew into Houston June 4. I confirmed that the in-laws were ready and willing to undertake our sojourn to Pittsburgh. I gave the daughters a kiss and hug, pulled a few weeds and headed off to Minnesota. I had a quiet week of visiting with Dad and Marlys and hanging with the Piephos in preparing for Travis' high school graduation party. On Friday I took Nate and Luke for a train ride from the Mall to the Nicolette Mall in downtown Minneapolis. My sister Cathy joined us for the ride. I topped off the day with a visit to the Undersea world at the Mall of America. Yes, I was into 'spoil the boys a bit' mode. Saturday was Shelby's recital, which I enjoyed, and reminded me of all of Liz's recitals as a girl. Sunday was church and Travis' party, were the weather cooperated fully. Jeff and I will be returning to Minnesota in August when we're state side, and hope the weather is as cooperative.

Nate and Luke at the Mall of America

Hello from NYC

I bought a cute little PC that is light and small, 5x7. It has been great for getting on the internet and e-mail. It's darn hard to type on! Therefore, I haven't been typing!
I'm in New York with my sister Barb. We walked south of 25th st, where our hotel is, to the Brooklyn Bridge, to Ground Zero, up for a while and back towards the East river for the 4th of July fireworks. We didn't have enough umph in us to walk all the way back, so we got the subway and got off 2 blocks from our hotel! We got lucky pooping out at the right station!

Back on track

I have no idea if anyone has missed me, having seen alot of people face to face this last 2 weeks. I've been, since last post, to Houston, Minneapolis, back to Houston, and now on the road to PA. I had planned a trip to the states to be able to drive my in-laws from Houston to Demont Pennsylvania, a little west of Pittsburgh. Jeff was reviewing his schedule for June and said I might as well got back to the states earlier than the 14th, 'cause he needed to be......busy! So we changed the reservation and I headed back 10 days early. But!! I had no desire to sit in hot and humid Houston, and opted to fly to 'the cities' for a visit and a dance recital and graduation party.
The weather and the visit was very pleasant.
Now it's me, Ma and the Dad and Theo, the daschund in the rented Impala winding our way u the highway. 2 days and 1000 mile, and so far so good! It's a a short day tomorrow and we'll be at sister Wendy's for her wedding reception, the reason for this trip. We'll be there Thursday and leave Monday. Lots of family will be there, and the T and E will be flying up on Friday, to make it a girls weekend at the bed and breakfast. The parents will be staying at Wendy's. Don't know what route we'll be taking home but probably not the same way we came.

Paris

We're back and we had a terrific time. Saturday we arrived at 9AM and started walking. 10 hours later we were exhausted. Sunday we took it easier and added a 'hop on hop off' bus and a boat tour, which helped save our feet. This morning found me at Louis Vuitton contemplating a macintosh for 1400 Euros... but only for a minute. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Happy Memorial Day to all.

Doing the expat

Last weekend was rainy and wet and we sat around all day Saturday, and only ventured out for church on Sunday. I had signed up for 3 activities through the Benvenuto club, so hanging around was fine with me.
Jeff and I went into 'limbo' mode when we got the 2 AM our time call that Dad Norris was hospitalized with uncontrolled bleeding. So we created piles in the guest bedroom in case we need to pack quick. The "I'll be there for...." pile etc. There's also the should everything in Texas return to status quo, "what we need for a weekend in Paris to celebrate our 30th anniversary" pile!
The bleeding seems to be lessening, and Ma Norris has a good prognosis from her health crisis. Needless to say, Jeff and I have been 'antsy' to know what's wrong and being so far away.....!
But as of last night all is well.
While Jeff's been trying to work, We had an apperetivo Tuesday night followed by dinner at a mexican restaurant. Wednesday was a trip to the lake with the club, and today was our monthly meeting followed by a great lunch with 5 other E.M. wives. These ladies' husbands are on a different assignment than Jeff, but I've enjoyed getting to know the ladies. It's great to be doing things too. I guess I need my house guests so we can travel together!

It's friday and I haven't blogged in over a week. It's not that we've been busy, I guess I've just been uninspired. Last week was chore week. I caught up on laundry, and got brave and decided to wash all my windows. The bugs were starting to come in so I wanted to lower the screens, but I wanted to wash the windows before I did that. I knew from observation that Milanese wash their windows regularly. I knew this was a dirty city, but I didn't realize the degree of black sooty residue that was covering the glass. I was not going to attempt this project, living on the 7th floor, without a log handled squeegee soaper thing. That proved more of a challenge to find than I had thought. But on one of my strolls in March I found one in a neighborhood 'hardware' store. Maybe I won't wait so long to wash them again. I've been busy with the Benvenuto ladies, too. Next week is a trip to Lake Orta, an Americans in Milan meeting and an evening event. I've met a fellow expat wife whose husband works with The Oil Company but is on a different project than Jeff. She has a home in Atascoscita and we had to come all the way to Milan to meet. She called yesterday and asked if I wanted to go to a movie with her, and I did! We saw Leatherheads in english, and enjoyed it, and the pints we had with our late lunch, too.

Amsterdam

A week ago today, Jeff and I headed to IAH for our flight to Amsterdam. With Jeff's Platinum status, and me a Christmas baby on a free ticket, we miraculously got upgraded to business class. The drinks flowed and the courses served and Jeff was nodding off before the ice cream, but did wake enough to indulge. We both slept over 5 hours and were feeling good when we arrived at noon Friday. The room was ready for check in and we cleaned up. We were both feeling out of synch and knew we had time to wander and time to nap. The Netherlands had celebrated 'Queen's Day' 2 days earlier and the city was littered orange. Apparently the Dutch treat this day as their 'Mardi Gras'.
Day 2 we headed for the tulips. Our overall impression of Amsterdam was of a quiet city. Their favorite mode of transportation is bicycle complete with designated lanes for them as well as traffic signals. The canal boats are quiet and traffic moves sedately. Such a change from Milan and scooter frenzy.The fact that the 3rd and 4th day of our visit were Remembrance Day, observed with a invitee only service at the old church, the laying of the wreath by the Queen in the square, and a city wide moment of silence, and Liberation Day (Monday) with no morning traffic, may have had affected this impression. All in all a relaxing weekend of good weather and food and drink.

The House J and J picked out

Clicking on the link 'floor plan' should take you to our house plan. Then click on 'interactive floor plan. Flip the floor plan using the arrow and then click on the study and the 3rd bay w/gameroom option.The gameroom and shop become Jeff's woodworking shop with unfinished floors and not connected with the rest of the house for a/c and heat. Other changes are we moved the utility to bed 2 closet, made bed 2 into a den accessible from master and other bedrooms, combined bath 2 and 3 into a larger bath and moving the utility enlarged the dining room. The front door faces south west exposing the garage/workshop to the western sun! I promise I'll get inspired to talk Amsterdam soon!

The Lot

I'm probably confusing a few of you, but what can I say, I'm posting on the fly. This is a picture of the lot that will hold the house that Janet and Jeff will be having built for them.

The Linger back yard

 

It doesn't look like much, but getting the weeds out was a chore.

This Slide show isn't working on automatic, which is OK. It allows you to linger longer over these beautiful flowers. WOW! what a site.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Last Weekend

I know I'm jumping around, not presenting things in an orderly time line, but hopefully this is the last one for a while. This is a picture of people who came to see Liz dance at her company's show on Friday night. This was the main reason for make the trip to Houston in the first place. It was a great show! On Saturday afternoon we drove 2 hrs. west of Houston to see The other Elizabeth Osterwisch, Danny's sister performing in 'A Midsummer's Night Dream". The production was put on by an advanced english class at UT, at an outdoor venue in Winedale. We carpooled with LaD and that allowed us to share some time together. Sunday evening took us to a baptism for Micah Saxe. Liz and Danny (LaD) were asked to be the Godparents!
Yesterday we went back to Oakhurst to get serious about a house. The one builder had a plan that would work, but no satisfactory lots to put it on. The other builder, Newmark has 1 terrific lot!! So, today we are going to give a check and select brick! I'll keep you posted.

What's a visit to Houston without alot of dog time. We cuddle in the morning, and hang out during the day. This is Allie.
When I decided April was a good time to return to the states it was with gardening in mind. Fortunately the weather has cooperated! We've planted azaleas in a large bed in T and S's back yard and filled it out with some shrubs we transplanted from their front bed, and some flowers and such to top it off. Then to the parents with raking and weeding and transplanting there too! We're done. I paced myself to about 2 hours of yard work a day, so I can walk the next day, and also type. My hands are sore from digging out all the nut grass! So...when not getting dirty we've been exploring the housing market. We started with fixer-uppers in Forest Cove, which is closest to the parents. Our thoughts were, to buy now would allow ample time for updating etc. and in this neighborhood there is greater flexibility to add on, i.e. a wood working shop. Also we wanted to see how the market is fairing. We found overpriced virtually tear downs, and out of our price range houses. But there was 1 home that was extremely tempting. Jeff was ready to make an offer, I had reservations. Yesterday we checked out Oakhurt. It's across the highway from Kingwood. We drove to the models for the newest section they're opening up, and found that both builders offer flexibility in their plans! Again, we have 1 plan per builder and 1 or 2 lots as options that would work quite well, and wouldn't be ready to close until 1/09. So guess what we are doing at 12:30 today!

Liz's dance company did an educational show for school children on Wednesday that T and I went to. It was at Miller outdoor theater. The theme was dances through the decades and was fun to watch

Where have the days gone! Jeff arrived on a Saturday and Tricia, Liz, friend Sam and I were at an Astros game. I have enjoyed reacquainting myself with the Twins and the Astros.

I was more than happy to leave this behind! I arrived in Houston on Tuesday, and can't figure out where the last 3 days went. I do know that today I played in the dirt, aka gardened. That is an activity I can not partake in in Milan, and the weather was terrific today. Jeff's plans changed and he is in the air as I type, arriving this evening. So, we'll be together here in Houston until the 30th. Hope I can remember what I do on those days!

I'm cold

It's 40 degrees out, the wind is blowing, and yes I'm whining! Last night was ballgame #2 for Travis, and they won 15-6. Marlys and I didn't last past the 4th inning. The sun that had provided some warmth went away, and the breeze kicked up a bit. I didn't pack clothes for this weather, and I wasn't going to. I can stay inside with a book!! I say that, and tonight it's off to a play with the parents and sister Cathy, and a winter storm advisory is in affect! Hopefully the freezing stuff will hold off until 10PM.

Family

What could be better on a rainy Sunday afternoon then hanging with the family. All 20 of us. Good food, and good fellowship. Of course that rain in Minneapolis was 12-24" of snow in northern Minnesota! There were flurries this morning but nothing was sticking, thank goodness. I really can live without snow!

Back in the USA

I'm 3 days into my visit in Minnesota and I've only bought 1 pair of shoes! Jet lag has been manageable. staying up until 9:30 is doable, and waking at 6 although uncharacteristic for me will make the transition easier than sacking in 'til 10. Tricia is here also, wanting a visit with my youngest step-sisters boys while they are on spring break. She leaves Wednsday and will hopefully be greeted in Houston by her husband Steven, if he can get home from Lagos, Nigeria. He's having difficulty finding a flight. Jeff's off to Spain, again, for 5 days. I'm having a nice time with the parents and the families, and so far the weather has cooperated! Today at 3 is Travis' first baseball game of the season, so we'll be going to that. Hope everyone is well!

trying something new

Whenever I see a new way someone has displayed their photos I have to try it. The web albums seem to take a while to download on some peoples computers, and once you've seen them, it's a deterrent to visit. So I keep trying. I deleted the separate city slideshows and picked my top 14.
I'm off to Minnesota tomorrow. I finished the ironing, scrubbed the bathroom, and generally cleaned everything else. Now to get serious about packing. It's still cold in MN. and getting hot in TX. It's somewhere in between here in Milan. I'm over my whatever that had me sneezing in Athens, so I should be fine for flying. I'll be seeing a lot of you soon.

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It's about time. What happened in Athens

Sorry to take so long with this entry, but at first I was under the weather, and had requested Jeff make it, then when I did feel better I got busy with .....
So, our tale begins with boarding an Olympic Airlines 737 and the first thing you noticed, was leg room, they had it! Honest, you could cross you legs without being able to perform any acrobatics. You could step into your row of seats without climbing in. The next thing was a metal bar that swings down from the seat in front of you that could be called a footrest! Wow! and we're not even off the ground. I took the window seat and closed my eyes, and when I opened them the flight crew was passing out meal trays, as in salad, entree, bread and dessert. Yes, I thought I was dreaming. We're talking a 2 1/2 hour flight, and it came with a meal!!!
Upon arrival we easily found a cab and headed into the city. Jeff and I both agreed it was one of the sanest cab rides we'd ever had. 5 million people live in Athens, there are lots of cars, yet not one Italian type driver in the lot. How refreshing! Once checked into the hotel we headed for a stroll toward the Acropolis. We wandered several hours, window shopped, and ruins viewing then headed for dinner. Next morning was the service on the hill, and after that we returned to our hotel for hot coffee and a huge breakfast buffet. Nap time, then off to Hadrians Arch and the Temple of Zeus, more wandering in the Plaka area, alot of sneezing on my part, for some reason I thought I took 3 naps that day, I was kind of 'out of it'. Monday morning broke bright and clear and we were off to climb the Acropolis and see the Parthenon and other ruins up close. Great view of Athens from up there, too. We said goodbye to downtown Athens at 3PM and headed for the airport. Athens is easy for english speakers thanks to all the preparations for the 2004 Games. It was less expensive than Italy can be, too.

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Easter in Athens

No matter how I felt, I wasn't missing this Sonrise service that has been celebrated here since 1973. This is a picture of the Taylor University Chorale from Indiana who were on tour and blessed the service with their voices. 18 congregations united to celebrate the western Christian church's Easter in the land of Greek Orthodox. It was a bit chillier than anticipated and I'm sure that didn't help my situation much either, but some things are worth a little discomfort. This is one I will look back on and be glad I got to experience it.

Tuscany and Venice

I can't very well talk Athens before I finish my Italy tour with the church. So, here goes, but bear in mind a cold caught me in Athens. Steven found his passport in Frankfort and headed to Nigeria, not exactly my choice of Easter destinations. The remainder of the tour was scheduled to be a revisit, for me, of Florence and Venice. But there were 2 surprises in store. There was scheduling issues for a tour of the Uffizzi, but we squeezed it in on Sunday evening. With most museums closed on Monday, we were given the option of wandering Florence, or a side trip to San Gimignano. Whoop!! So, half of us headed off through the countryside to take in the Tuscany of film. There are so many Tuscan ans Umbrian towns that are worth a visit, I was glad to check another one off, and take some great pictures besides. I'd only spent the one night in Venice with my sisters, and was anxious to return. Our guide arranged for a good price on a gondola trip with musician, so, even though I'm waiting for that romantic ride with my husband, I couldn't pass it up. The trip was great, a the fellowship unequaled. 2010 Germany!!

Day 3 and 4

I'm trying to get my entire trip chronicled before we leave for Athens tomorrow, for fear that my brain is full, not to mention the camera disc. Meanwhile we found out that our son-in-law, Steven, is stranded in Germany. He is awaiting his passport with visa for his work assignment in Nigeria, I think. They ran into no delivery due to Easter weekend, so I'm looking at him joining us in Athens.
So...onward south from Rome. First stop was Pompeii and a wonderful Sicilian guide who explained the relics, the buildings and the streets to us. Fascinating stuff, and something Jeff is very interested in visiting before our final return to the states. We spent 2 nights in Sorrento, our base for our drive on the Amalfi coast line. These days and Rome were the main reason this tour with the church was something I very much wanted to do. Who knew what a reward it would be to spend 9 days with these wonderful people. In ways the coast reminded me of the bits of California coast we saw around San Francisco especially the sun playing hide and seek. Our tour bus driver was amazing, and very knowledgeable of the road. Buses are only allowed to go 1 way, for obvious reasons, and where we were to turn off after the town of Amalfi to take the 'high' road, the link was closed for construction, so we got double the drive all the way to the outskirts of Salerno! I thing the second 1/2 of that drive was more treacherous than the first.
This region of Italy, Campania, is noted for Limoncello, and pottery. I made sure to sample the first and purchase the second.

Day 1 and 2 were Rome. I've got many pictures, and 'archive' photos from LaD's visit and other visits to Florence and Venice. I'm a bit draggy right now, and have to get 'stuff' done before we depart for Athens. But I'm home and I had a terrific time. The fellowship was the icing on the cake. I was acquainted with alot of my fellow travelers and am happy to say I have been blessed with their friendship.

Shrubs and other things

My yellow and pink blooming bushes are still unidentified. Please help!!!??!
I'm getting myself overwhelmed these past few days trying to get all my ducks in a row for the next month. I leave tomorrow afternoon by train to Rome to join my fellow travelers from Christ the King here in Italy. We have 3 days in Rome, 2 in Sorrento, 2 in Florence and 2 in Venice. While I'm away, our son-in-law Steven is in Leipzig Germany, so I've been checking out the feasibility of Jeff going up there this weekend, by train or air. That's still up in the air. 2 days after I return from the tour of Italy Jeff and I are off to Athens for 2 nights. It's Easter weekend for the western church, but not the Greek Orthodox. But.... while doing some on line research I found a mission church, english speaking, that has an Easter Sonrise service on Filopappos Hill with a view of the Acropolis, at sunrise. I found a hotel very close to this area, wanting to walk where ever we go. I'm calling it my intro to Greece trip, hoping to explore the islands at a later date.
A week and a day after that I'll be heading to the States, with 2 weeks in Minneapolis then on to Houston for ?. The question is dependent on Jeff's plans. He thinks he'll be in Amsterdam mid April and could add a flight in and out of there to Houston cheaper than from Milan. He also wants to see Liz's company show on the 28th. If it's a perfect world, which living in Italy we have doubts, Jeff and I will return via Amsterdam, and lay over there a few days. I've lost track of the air fare search engines, best prices and where will who be coming froms!
But I'm excited at the prospects of being on the move again!
If not before Easter, I should have loads of time to post pictures after I get back from Greece.
Which leads me to another important questions. Which way is preferable to view pictures? I used to use a slideshow on the side, and now have tried less pictures posted separately, and the new 'smile show' or whatever it's called. If there is a preference let me know!

It's Sunday, it's sunny, and I'm on the computer. If all had gone as planned we would have spent last night in Brig, Switzerland, having taken the 2 hour train ride. But alas, Jeff got home on friday and when I asked, do you know where our passports are? his reply was no, then yes,in my briefcase at the office still there from our trip to Spain. So yesterday we took a 4 hour stroll of Milan and I showed him St. Ambrogia's. It is the oldest church in Milan, named after Milan's patron saint. This is a walk I took with my sisters when they were here. We had an address for a store that specializes in hard to find items so stopped there on our way home. We found a taco kit, barbecue sauce, and pancake syrup that was not pure maple. Jeff is doing his favorite thing right now, sleeping to golf, but I won't let him sleep for long, it's to pretty a day. I was walked out when we got home yesterday, but got lucky with the TV. Sky cinema was showing 'Dreamgirls' and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jeff even stayed in the same room with me, albeit on the computer doing his most recent favorite thing, researching woodworking tools and shop designs.

Please help me! can anyone identify these 2 shrubs?

How they trim trees in Italy

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