We're coming home!!!

We got our final itinerary and will have tickets in a day or two!! Yea!!

We leave here on Sunday the 29th of July at 8:35 in the morning and get into St. Louis at 8:02 p.m. that same day. Billie and Bob DeMond will pick us up at the airport and we'll go to their house for a couple of days.

They're kindly allowing us to use one of their cars to travel while we're in the States. We're planning to first head to Joplin area and visit family there. We'll be there about a week then travel up to the Kansas City area.

We will be leaving to return to Sicily on August 18th in the afternoon. I know we'll have mixed feelings about leaving but for now Sicily is our home. Please, those of you who can, consider visiting us while we're in the States and in Sicily, too.

We'll see you soon.

Belpasso for candy

Jae and David, this is for you.





We went to Belpasso the other day to pick up some Torrincini candies that Jae and David like so much. We are bringing some home to share again.


Apparently when we were there before Christmas and I thought I wrote down the address I made a mistake and wrote a 5 instead of a 538 for the building number. Of course, that made the GPS take us to the wrong end of town and there was no Condorelli store there. The store is well known in the area because the owner is part of the family of the person that created the Torrincini many many years ago. So....how to find the place? Just ask anyone in town. Problem is, we don't understand the answer. Everyone talks in gestures and we do understand those up to a point. Our plan was to ask several people....drive a bit, ask directions...drive a bit, ask directions, until we found it.


We stopped first at a store where people were standing outside visiting and were directed up the street and around a corner. When we got arouhd that corner, lo and behold there was a shop that said Condorelli. Oops... it was a little shop that sells breakfast rolls, coffee (and other drinks) and lunch sandwiches (panini) and......the shop was named Condorelli. There were several older men sitting outside visiting so I asked them how to find the Condorelli that sold sweets.


Of course, as is the custom in Sicily, they all told me at once and I couldn't make out the words. Bob came up about that time and read their gestures and took us right to the place we wanted.

Speaking of little old men, every town has a place or two where little old men gather to spend some time with friends and swap "war stories". Sometimes it's in front of what we would call a coffee shop, sometimes in the piazza and sometimes they just have a special place. It seems to me to be a symbol of Sicily and I think it would be such a great photo if I were brave enough to ask.



On the way back to the car from Condorelli's we saw a church with a wedding in process and this car sitting out front. I fell in love with the car and took several pictures. For those of you who would like to buy me a present, consider this an arrow pointing to the car------------------->
I think it's the car of my dreams.



In another completely different vein, we're still trying to get our plane tickets to the States. They keep asking for "just one more thing" in getting us and our Bizmark back home. In fact, we've been asked for the same things more than once and have been glad we make copies of everything we turn in. It's not easy getting home for free.

More about Venice

I'm surprised no one has said, "what gondola?" I wrote in the blog about Venice that you could see nine gondolas then didn't put in the photo so I've gone back and added it. Since I'm writing I'll add a few more things about Venice and/or Verona.

The two big, big tourist attractions in Venice are the canals (with gondolas, of course) and the Carnivale (pronounced car-nee-vol-ay) in the spring which is much older and much bigger than Mardi Gras but happens about the same time. Everyone there, too, wears masks and the masks have become as famous as the carnivale itself.

Every little vendor stand has masks for sale and they range from cheap plastic ones at about $14 to very expensive ones at about $200. If you look carefully over my right shoulder in this photo you'll see two of the nicer masks. Probably the 35 Euro kind.

The vendors also sell everything from necklaces and rings to knick-knacks to nice pieces of art in a blown glass made in a nearby town. In addition to the sun hats, the umbrellas, the maps and the information books about Venice, those vendors do a great business. It must take in a lot of money because there's a vendor about every three steps.

In addition to that, like Tracy said in her blog about New York, the men selling purses are every other step along the way and you are accosted by their sales pitch---in your face if you happen to look their way. I've seen them chase after women to try to put purses in their hands.

All this among buildings of such beautiful architecture and placement that it takes your breath away. Many of the buildings took over a hundred years to build and have stood much longer than that. And the stonework is nothing less than art. It amazes me to think that most of the buildings I saw were older than our United States. People were living and working in them while settlers were chopping wood to form a primitive log cabin in our wildernesses.












When I think of Venice, though, I shall forever remember the music. As we walked the streets the sound of a lone violinist would fill the air, then just past that a string ensemble at an outside cafe, a flutist a little farther on. A museum with a display of violins, violas, basses, etc built by hand over the past three hundred years with music from Vivaldi playing in the background. The most amazing site and sound was a man playing a set of glasses on the street. It was so beautiful yet plaintive we were captivated by it's sound and stayed to the end of the piece. And it was no ordinary piece, it was a concert with harmonies running in and out and all through our souls leaving them more content for having heard it.

Cavalier Giusseppi Fortunato

Bob keeps teasing about the "connections" our neighbor (and friend) has. We went to Motta the other night with Giusseppi, Mimma and a few other of their friends making up a group of seven. It was a special "festa" combining the people of Sigonella Naval Air Station and the town of Motta which is the nearest to the base and where many Sigonella workers live, both Italian and American. Giusseppi knows everyone and had to stop to talk several times before we made it to the little pizza place he had picked out where we would eat. When we got there (at 9:30 of course) all six tables were full and there was nowhere for us to sit. While the Itallian friends were discussing what to do Giusseppi went up and talked to the owner and suddenly people were leaving their tables (and the restaurant) and the owner found us three small tables to put together to accomodate our group. Surreal.

Anyway, we had a some really good pizza and a lot of fun. In the photo around the table from front left are Alfio, Gionni (Johnny), Giusseppi, Marisa (Alfio's wife), Mimma, and Bob.

We had a great time at the carnival being introduced to several people whose names we will never remember. Getting cooling drinks the Sicilians call digestives but seem to be juice with grappa (ask me later) in it and going for gelati (plural for gelato). Giusseppi lost his wallet somewhere along the way but when he went to the Cabiniere office (military police who are the big-wig police) it had already been turned in and they had it waiting with nothing having been disturbed.

And.............we got home VERY late. Getting home at 12:30 seems to be the pattern for outings with our Sicilian friends. We're getting to understand the need for riposo, that time between 12:30 and 5:00 when all Sicilians go home, eat a big meal then take a nap or just rest awhile--no shopping, no getting the house clean, just rest.

The "club" came to our house for a fish and calamari dinner on Thursday. After dinner they brought out the cards and put Bob at the table with a game that was part Rummy, part Canasta partnered with Giusseppi against Mimma and Alfio. The other four were playing a game I didn't recognize but looked a little like Poker. My place? They put me in a chair by Bob and told me to translate for him. This is an old photo but same group without young Giusseppi from down the lane.

Next week we're out two nights with our friends. One night at the house of the only lady whose name I haven't gotten yet (I think someone called her something that sounded like Joanna). That will be on Wednesday after their English lesson. On Thursday we're going to Gionni's house in Fiumefreddo (translated cold river--literally "river cold"). We've not been there before but he tells us it looks out over Taormina and the sea. I'll bet it's beautiful. We'll get home late again, I'm ready for that nap just thinking about it.

The gardner is getting our pool ready for us to swim. It's a 32 X 6 foot above ground pool and takes several days to put up and get ready for swimming. They took it down for the winter right after we moved into our house and we could have had it up earlier but for two things. The first is the worry that Bullet would eat it, the second is that the gardner wanted two or three hundred Euro ($270 to $400) to put it up since it would take extra time. We said we weren't sure it was worth that much and then............ Bob said he saw Giusseppi talk to the gardner one day when he was here mowing and the next day he and his crew were putting up the pool. However, now whenever I let the dog off his chain I have to sit out and watch to make sure he doesn't eat the pool parts.

Speaking of the dog and his chain, we all--Giusseppi, Roberto (our landlord and Giusseppi's son) and we----decided that Bullet needs to be on his chain when we're not there to watch him. He's eaten our deck chairs, irrigation tubes from off the orange trees and a couple of the underground sprinklers for our lawn. In fact, the only words our gardner has ever said to me were, "cane mangie tutti". (translation: the dog eats everything).........but he said it with a smile.

On living life in Sicily

We haven't been good about regular posts so I have decided to write them at home then paste them into the blog when we get to the base where we have access to the internet. I've actually posted three today counting this one so just wander through them at your leisure.

On Wednesday I went with two of Mima’s friends (who are in our little English class) to the beach (spaggio) for a swim in the sea (il mare) wearing my “costume dil mare”. They told me to be very careful because I was so white. We stayed out for about three hours and I slathered on suntan lotion with as high a number as I could find here (30). I only got a little pinkness and it has turned into a bit of a tan for almost the first time in my life-----although my tan is more red than brown. Now I know why Sicilians have such beautiful dark skin. They don’t start out with skin that color…they get it at the beach.

Later the four Italian ladies and I had their second English class. I was surprised to find they had really studied and had come to class knowing the alphabet and a word for each letter, the seasons and colors. So…after reviewing we looked at the verb to be which gave them some sentences they could say.

After our lesson we went over to Giuseppi’s and Mimma’s for a “grand festa” to celebrate Bob’s and my 40th wedding anniversary. They had made some very special dishes and we ate to overfull (though not as much as the Italians). The strange thing about the evening was that I understood more than I have at earlier get-togethers and could do a little better at interpreting for Bob. The group of six friends who have taken Bob and I in are always so gracious. Whenever we are together one of them takes on the task (and it must be a difficult one) of making sure I understand what they're talking about most of the time so I can tell Bob and we feel a part of the group. With my limited Italian and the aid of our English/Italian dictionary, we usually get the gist of what's going on. (other times I just turn to him and say, "Not a clue.") I have learned a few new Italian words in the process----just let me say that little old Sicilian women can tell some pretty dirty jokes.

Of life and pots and peacock plumes

This is really my second post of the day so when you get through reading this just move on down to the next one. It has more photos.

So… I have a two-for-one story. A couple of months ago we went on a tour with the base tour company (called ITT) and along the way the bus stopped at a roadside area where there were “famous” cave burial sites. Bob and I didn’t feel like walking up the steep hill so we stayed at the roadside area. After a bit we noticed a man in the doorway of a building next door who looked like he was making pottery. We walked over and started a limited conversation with him and sure enough, he was painting and decorating huge pieces of pottery, pots and vases, etc. He told us he had relatives in Philadelphia and that he made a living decorating these pots. So, of course, we had to buy one. After we paid him for the pot he asked us for a dollar---an American dollar—for a souvenir. We gladly gave it to him. It’s really a lovely vase painted brown with gold designs and trimmed in gold rope. It’s about two and a half to three feet tall and sits on our porch.

Same story, second part. Last fall Giuseppi bought what he thought was a female peacock (actually, peahen) to mate with his male peacock (redundant terms: male and peacock). Turns out he now has two beautiful peacocks with lovely tails. I’m assuming it’s molting time because he came over a few days ago with a bouquet of plumes and put them into our vase. They look great together, the brown and gold of the vase is a beautiful contrast for the iridescence of the peacock plumes. (By the way, the chickens aren't real)


When Mike and Chris were here they were amazed at the wonderful smell of orange blossoms that filled the land. Lately the smell we have is that of dead things. Something has been getting into our neighbor’s chickens and killing them, one or two at a time. His chickens have an area of relative safety but have the run of the yard and apparently have been in the yard when the whatever comes calling. In the States we would be furious, sitting out at night guarding the chickens or fortifying a chicken coop to make sure our chickens are safe. I have been interested in our neighbor’s reaction: one that seems to be an understanding of nature in this harsh land. Not so much resignation as knowledge that it is to be expected sometimes.

What an interesting people.

Venice and Verona

Venice, what can I say about it that hasn't already been said a thousand times.

Well, I have a few things to say. It's an interesting city but way too "touristy". We heard English spoken there more than Italian. The Basilica in Marco Polo piazza is nice but there was a l-o-n-g line to see the inside. We saw the beautiful canals and the small walking bridges going over them and did appreciate their beauty. To ride a gondola would have been nice but you're not the only one on the canal like in the movies. I don't know if you can see well enough to count but there are eleven gondolas in this one photo.

Not to say we didn't like Venice. It's a beautiful city with amazing architecture. There were so many places with carved stone and marble figures and designs that I could never photograph them all.

We went from the airport into Venice for a half day on Sunday when we got there and kind of scoped out the place. In Venice, it's easy to get to the city from the airport and easy to get around. We never got lost at all. On Wednesday we had a whole day and spent many hours walking around enjoying the beauty.

We watched an artist drawing with charcoal and were amazed that he would just wiggle his piece of charcoal on the paper and a boat or a building would appear. His finished pieces were beautiful.

On Tuesday afternoon/evening we drove from the Army base to Verona and saw the tomb and the house of Juliet (in Italian it's spelled Giulietta just so you aren't confused by the sign). I think we may have liked Verona better than Venice.

Just so you don't think I'm confusing fantasy with what's real. There were really families with names similar to that of Montegue and Capulet living in the Verona area near the time Shakespeare wrote his play. Families fueded all the time to get more power and land. No one knows if there were a young man and woman from the feuding families who fell in love but the town of Verona has set up the houses of the two families as those of Romeo and Juliet. I need to learn more.

Coming out of the area where Juliet's house was we passed through a small walk-through tunnel and saw thousands and thousands of clumps of chewed gum covering the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. It must be some kind of tradition but I can't imagine why. Many of the clumps of gum had names or notes with names beside them. Next time I go I've just got to find out what that's about.

There's a colosseum that is more complete than the one in Rome and still houses operas, theatrical productions and concerts by famous artists three seasons of the year. At the time we were there we met some people who had come to see Aida. Those who have been there for a concert say the acoustics are excellent.