We went to Caltegirone and didn't get arrested...

...this time.

After we left Caltegirone last time people asked if we had seen "the steps." No, we didn't even know there were any special steps. "Oh, you HAVE to see them. They're the focal point of the town!" One hundred forty two steps of lava stone with the riser of each step embedded with hand-painted ceremic tiles from the various artists of the area. The steps date back to the seventeenth century.

Every few steps on either side are little shops selling ceramic pieces hand-sculpted and painted by wonderful artists. Some of it is really good and some is amazing.

Yesterday we found the stairs..............three steps from the last shop we visited on our previous visit. If we had stopped to look at them (and we would have) our car would be in Italian never-never (tow-away) land.

Bob took a picture at the top of the stairs of a mural made with indivually painted tiles. It amazed me that someone could paint the left shoulder of a man or part of his foot and have it fit into the whole so perfectly.





Every time we go somewhere, we say, "Oh, we have to bring ________ here. He/she would love it." David and Mike will like Siracusa. Tracy will love the agritourisma I went to the other day and Motta. Jessica will love our house and the tiny shops of Misterbianco or Motta. Billie and Sarah will love Lipari. Bill will love our next door neighbors. Ken will also love Lipari, and Motta, and the Acis (Achees- a group of towns near the coast: Aci Tresa, Aci Reale). Chris and Lynnette will like Caltegirone. Such a diverse area. We like it all.

Another special day:

Happy Birthday to Mike. Funny how my mind goes back to the day you were born but I'm not going to tell a long story like I did with Ken. However, it is important to note that Billie DeMond played a special role in your birth, too.

I just want to say happy birthday, Mike. We're both very proud of the man you've become. And are specially pleased that you are leading your wonderful family the way Christ would have you.

Happy birthday.

Happy birthday, dear Kenny, happy birthday to you

November 7th, 1978. I had not felt well most of the night but didn't think this was the day our baby would come. Dad was so excited, he had been the one to come up with the idea of having another baby "...so we'll have lots of family home at Christmastime." He kept asking if I thought the baby would come that day and all I could say was "I don't know, all I know is I feel awful." He decided he couldn't go to work and leave me alone with the two other little ones (Tracy and Mike) so he called our friend Billie DeMond to come stay with me.

Billie was quite sure I was having the baby and she certainly didn't want me to have it there in our house so she repeatedly said, "I'll just call Bob and have him come back home." Finally I agreed since I wasn't feeling any better. Billie called and, of course, it wasn't a good time. He was right in the middle of something important. I told him not to hurry but he finished up as quickly as he could and got home to take me to the hospital.

Leaving out the part about the nurse checking to see how close to time for the baby to come, I'll just say the doctor had to leave some poor woman on the examining table to come "catch".

Ken, you were such a beautiful new baby, no wrinkles or redness. Much like your beautiful little girl. And Dad, from the first, said you looked like you already knew what was going on. To quote him, "he looks like he's been here before".

Happy birthday, Ken, I'm so glad you've come into our lives. And...I'm so glad that silly little song I sang to you made such an impression you wanted to have a song done for your little girl. The song "One Bright Shining Star" is beautiful.

never let this American try to speak Italian

This morning Bob and I went to Misterbianco to do some shopping and just looking around. Had a great time. Something always happens, though, when we go somewhere alone.

Going into a nice little tavola calda (literally, hot table but it's a little, informal eating place with a couple of tables and a few dishes under glass for you to choose from) I saw some tortellini in a cream sauce that looked good. Knowing the girl didn't speak English I tried to ask if the tortellini had chicken in it. So........I asked, "Tortellini e gatto?"

Those of you with some understanding of Spanish (or Italian) know that I had just asked if there was cat in her pasta-------------tape my mouth and don't let me say anything!!!!! I haven't learned, "I'm sorry, I meant to say....." Luckily, my Italian accent is SO BAD that she might not have understood. One can only hope.

On another note, we were walking and saw a perfect picture of the typical Sicilian parking. Really. We see this all the time..........and no one minds.

The first pic -- well, that looked to us like Europe's most efficient gas station ... just fill 'er up while you wait in traffic.

Ciao

SNOW -- well on the Mountain anyway

We keep hearing about the early winter, there in the States .. the snow .. the blizzards .. and the freezing temps. Well, we didn't want you all to feel that we were being left out of all that winter frolic .... so thought we would share a little piece of OUR winter, here in Sunny Sicily.
Now, this is Mt Etna, the most active volcano in all of Europe, and it looms over us ... beconing us to venture closer .. to experience it's little touch of a winter wonderland. Notice that little bit of snow ..... right there at the top ... well, squint real hard and you surely can see it ...


Now, there is another side to Etna ... one that can't readily be seen during the day, from this far away .... and that is the volcanic activity which is constantly taking place. We didn't take this particular pic ... but it does show what things look like close up.

So, enjoy your winter - and know that we too have a bit of Old Jack Frost, nipping at our heels.

Since I don't know how to link

I'd like to say "welcome" to our newest blogger, Suebop. Welcome Sue!! You can read her "ramblings" at www.suebop.blogspot.com . Be sure to leave a comment so she knows you're there.

Bob will post our newest blog in the morning (middle of the night to most of you) with a few pictures. We're having new adventures all the time but have to spend time at the library to post on the blog and work seems to keep getting in the way of our fun.

Today Giuseppe and Bob sat on our porch smashing a bucket full of olives. Giuseppe is teaching Bob to make olive oil. I'll let him tell you about that soon. Giuseppe and Mima (meemah) have taken us on as a project, I think. We are now able to understand a bit of what they say--(and sometimes both couples sit there with our translation dictionaries in order to communicate. We're going with them to the movies (in Italian, of course) next Sunday afternoon.

Our little home in Italy

Moving day has come and gone. The moving truck amazingly made it through our little gate and brought us all those pieces we thought we couldn't live without. Funny, we've made it this far and only really missed a small part of it. Silly things you miss. I missed my chai tea from Sam's and Sam's wrap. Bob missed his pans even more than his knives. We both missed our bed and are thrilled it came through with the temper-pedic still there.

We got most of our stuff with no damage. The Italian movers who delivered our furniture just couldn't believe how poorly packed things were..... Was that true or just someone to blame when the table leg came out without the table.......and when they unpacked the swivel television stand piece by piece (literally).

Our little house is beginning to feel like our home and not just a place to stay. Bob has noticed that most homes of the people we know here reflect years of travel throughout the world, a rug from Turkey, a table from Spain, furniture from Japan, masks from the Festivals of Venice. Our home, true to form, reflects where we've been the past thirty years. It's very United States. Nice, but we do notice the difference. Maybe we'll have to travel a bit----eventually.