The Better Part

A little Sunday reflection from last week for everyone. 

It happened again!  Last night I went to bed very tired and expected to fall right to sleep.  It had been a beautiful day here at the shore.  As it happens somedays, I crammed a bit too much into the day and had a moment of exhaustion made worse by hunger and this combination may or may not have resulted in a less than hospitable environment.  Like I said, I went to bed expecting to fall right to sleep but my brain had too much to process and would not allow it.  I ran through every possible issue, solution, situation, scenario, expectation, emotion...real and perceived and came up with no answers, only more questions.  I tried everything to try to fall asleep and quiet the gerbil in my brain.  I tried praying, I tried meditating, I tried tossing and turning, I tried and tried to turn it off with no success. This is not unfamiliar territory at this point in the summer at the shore.   I seem to have difficulty combining the things I think I should do with the things I want to do and this results in me not sleeping because I am convinced there is a way to have my cake and eat it too, because in my mind everyone else is doing this with ease.  

After my restless night we went to church this morning.  As I walked into the church I suddenly thought to myself, "I bet this is the Martha and Mary Sunday".  The minute the priest started talking I knew I was right.  The gospel was indeed about Martha and Mary.  After seriously considering not going to church and just catching up on my sleep, I knew there was a reason I was there.  It was like every word spoken was an answer to my prayer.  The perspective I was missing.  The calm for my soul.  This reading has meant different things to me at different times in my life, as I am sure it has to many people.  There were times in my life that were far more carefree and there was not as much "stuff that needed to be done" to keep me from what I thought was the better part.  Then there were the years when the "stuff that needed to be done" was overwhelming and I became resentful that others were not helping and were all enjoying the better part...in my mind's eye.  There is a fine line between doing what needs to be done and enjoying the better part.  The better part, in the reading, is quiet time spend in reflection with God.  There were times I mistakenly figured the better part was just sitting around in conversation having a good time, which I am always up for!  But today, it hit me that the better part may be those quiet moments that feed us and give us the bandwidth, so to speak, to find that balance between the things we ought to do and the things we want to do.  

Life at the shore always perplexes me.  I so much want to do it all!  I want to work around the farmhouse and fix it up and enjoy the yard and share it with everyone.  I also want to take walks, sit on the beach, read books, visit with every single person within a 3 mile radius, share meals with friends and family.  I want quiet time to "just be"....and social time with laughter and/or thoughtful conversations.  Inevitably, I struggle with finding the time to take care of the need for clean clothes, a clean house and cooked meals and the want of social time spent on the beach, the golf course or with friends and family at night.  Maybe the answer is in the better part which can provide the balance and perspective I really need to enjoy all parts of life here and maybe even help me sleep at night.

And for your viewing enjoyment, a few photos from the week of trying to embrace the better part!

What happens when you tell Augie we are going in the truck...
wasting no time!

Paella by chef Chris!

Morning quiet time and sunlit tomatoes

One super happy mom with her water baby!

Augie really loves his storage tub bathtub!
Necessity is the mother of invention!

Sheer joy!

Picked some lettuce!!!
Yes, it is delicious!

Built a rocking chair and have enjoyed several evenings rocking on the deck.

Just love the clothes on the line after a day on the beach!

Farmer's Market side trip bonus!

More grandchildren arrive and the water games continue.

Picking berries in the yard.

The Next Stage

 Celebrating a significant (at least to me) birthday recently, plus my mother moving to an assisted living home, has really thrown me for a loop.  Most of the time it is easy for me to ignore my age, I am only as old as I feel and most days, until recently, I feel pretty good=young.  I didn't have to deal with daily reminders of my numeric age until I had to sign up for Medicare and renew my 10 year old driver's license in June.  Now, every time I open my wallet I see 65 year old Lisa staring back at me instead of 55 year old Lisa, who was very tan, a bit thinner with fewer "experience" lines and chins.  My new photo, thanks to the new technology, is many shades of gray and makes me look like a faded version of myself which only serves to remind me that maybe I am becoming a faded version of myself.  "Damn, I hate you, new driver's license!"  Add to this the almost daily mail I now receive from Social Security and I am finding it harder and harder to deny my age, try as I may.

All of my peers have either lost their parents or if they are still alive, are now dealing with care for them in one sense or another.  As our parents get closer to the end of life it makes us also come face to face with our own mortality.  Not trying to be morbid here, it is a fact of life.  For so much of our lives, if  we are healthy and barring any tragedies, the natural end of life seems in the distant future.  For me, I never gave it too much consideration until recently.  A few things have moved it forward in my consciousness.  First, the death of my father, second my mother's health and her recent move and lastly, coming to the shore this year and realizing my generation has moved up in the pecking order of the circle of life.  

One of the blessings of the shore is the presence of several generations every summer.  Currently, I can count 4, maybe more, generations being represented here.  We grew up spending our summers surrounded by people of all ages.  It is part of what makes this place so special.  Our lives back home are not usually spent with such a broad spectrum of people.  We tend to spend most of our time with people in our same stage of life with the occasional visit from a grandparent or an aunt or uncle.  This summer, I am noticing there are fewer and fewer of my parent's generation showing up at the shore and it is eye opening.  For the last 20 years those aunts and uncles have been staples here at the shore.  They were our foundation in this place, the reason we all love this place and return year after year is because they loved this place and brought us year after year.  They started some of the very traditions that we love so much!  We have passed this down to our children and now some of them are passing it along to their children.  Suddenly, we have become the older aunts and uncles....YIKES!  

Being one of the "older" aunts and uncles is a blessing and a curse.  A curse...because obviously we are the next to "age out"....but not for a long time!  The good news is that currently, the blessings outweigh the curses.  The blessings are that we now have the freedom to spend months at a time here and don't have to rely on a few vacation weeks.  Every week is suddenly a vacation!  Being at the younger end of the older generation gives us many years to enjoy our new role.  I consider that my parents enjoyed 20 years of summers with their siblings and cousins at the shore after my dad retired.  If I think about how long 20 years really is, I have a long time to enjoy this phase of life! Another blessing is being able to watch as the next generations pass through some of the next phases.  

Rainy days at the shore mean different things to different ages!

There is lot of perspective that can be gained as we get older.  For example, rainy days.  As a child, rainy days up here were spent playing countless card games, tromping around in the rain wearing our boots and raincoats, driving our parents crazy because we were bored.  As young adults and teenagers we spent many a rainy day sleeping in, playing cards or games, and socializing, eating plenty of junk food.  As a young parent of children, rainy days felt endless.  Stuck in the small cottage, feeling alone and isolated with restless children thinking of ways to keep them entertained and not go nuts in the process.  Dealing with wet clothes and enduring a noise level that would have benefitted by the invention of noise cancelling headphones!   Add to the mix the teenagers who seemed to consume all of the food in the building and rainy days were never my favorite.  But I was a lot younger...so there was that!  As the nest emptied rainy days provided me with a much needed "day off".  A day off from the sun on the beach, a day off to read, a day off to do things around the house and catch up.  A day to sit and visit people one on one.  A good rainy day has also resulted in the writing of more than one memorable skits over the years. Retirement rainy days mean a restless husband instead of restless children! (almost the same thing, only slightly quieter). 

The point is, as I sit here on this rainy day, I think back to the many stages of my life up here and realize maybe the grass wasn't greener on the other side, maybe it was all green...just different shades of green that I  didn't see yet.  So, I will try to embrace this new stage of life at the shore and make the very most of the next 20 years, even if my driver's license does look like some old lady with a double chin.

I Feel Like Me Again

 After two days at the shore I feel like I had my first "real" day here.  The trip took forever this year, thanks to labor shortages at airports and increased travel by all of humanity this summer.  I did enjoy watching the U.S. Open in the Maple Leaf Lounge during my layover in Toronto...all of the Open!  I made it to the farmhouse by 4a.m., a mere 16 hours after leaving my home in Houston, I was finally in bed at 5!  I realized the last time I went to bed at 5 a.m. at the shore was after the annual barn party one year when my friend and I, after a long night of dancing, drinking, and socializing, sat out on the deck at the cottage, high on life, and watched the sunrise. It was an epic night...in a different way...and a lot more fun than being delayed for 7 hours in an airport.  Needless to say, on my first day here I felt similar to the one after the barn-party-sunrise night without the hours of fun and the hangover. Oh to be young again!  

My sweet set up for 5 quality hours in the Toronto airport.

Waking up to this....totally worth it!

Even if I did feel a bit "rode hard and put up wet", waking up to sunshine and this view kept me going all day until I could finally go to bed at a normal time and reset my internal clock.  I enjoyed walking around the property discovering what TJ had planted and where he planted it all.  He got here a month ago and has been living his best life!  One of his goals for retirement was always to come up here early, plant his garden and build whatever he decides is his project of the summer and not have to split time between the home office and the great outdoors.  His garden is a huge undertaking, beginning from seeds in coffee cups or seed trays and then finally graduating to the garden.  After being idle for 3 summers, the garden needed a good tilling!  Let's hope that dirt has been rejuvenated and is extremely fertile for this year's crops.  I also enjoyed seeing all of the flowers that are blooming right now.  My peonies are the size of my fist and bigger!  They are very prolific too!  Might have something to do with the fertilizer the gardener put on them!  What a novel concept.  I spent the day marveling at the lushness and bright colors of everything.  Quite the departure from Houston, where it was 100 degrees for several consecutive days and had not rained in a month, lush and green is not exactly how you would describe it.  My eyes were alive!

I can't even count the number of blooms on these plants!

Another observation after the first day or two is one that we both have every time we arrive.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, "life is a lot more physical here and everything takes longer".  I know it, I remember it, but it catches me every single time!  My house here is a lot bigger, a lot older and sits on a lot more land than my one at home.  Add to that the fact that it is 25 miles from the nearest town, not an easy 2 miles like at home.  I am forced, by nature, to slow down, prioritize, breath and take my time.

The last 3 months have taken a toll on me and I feel like coming up here is breathing life into my beaten body and soul.  This is the final piece of my therapy... mental and physical.  I never knew how much I needed this until I got here.  Being here makes me realize how hard I have been working to make my life bearable, my body heal and my attitude positive.  It was work, and I did it...but being here surrounded by people I know and love, with the promise of better things to come throughout the summer in the place that just breathing in the air makes my heart dance is just what the doctor ordered after the last 3 months!  I am pretty sure the last straw of the surgery, recovery, summer heat and humidity trifecta was getting Covid weeks before my departure.  Can I just say the last thing I needed after all those days spent on the couch recovering from knee surgery was being alone in my house for 2 weeks with Covid!?  Just when the knee was getting better it was such a smack down!  Let's just say "I am over it!"  and I feel like I can finally move on.

I love all of the potential in this photo!

 As I strolled around the yard yesterday, everywhere I looked I saw potential.  I love having hope...maybe it is the optimist in me.  The garden is full of baby plants promising many good meals with friends and family.  I look at the idle swing set and see the grandkids playing and laughing.  I look at TJ building the new deck and see morning coffee/tea time, evening barbeques and a staging area for s'mores at late night bonfires.  I see many plants growing fast enough that you can almost see it happen with the promise of beautiful flowers in the coming months.  The colors are so vivid they take my breath away.  For people who live here, maybe it is just the way life is.  For me, coming from Houston where the colors are not nearly as vivid and the seasons are not nearly as profound, this is a sensory treat!

Potential food and play!

Future salad!

Potatoes under construction

Today was a turning point.  I played golf again!  It has been 3 months since I played golf.  I knew golf was a big part of my life but never realized how big.  When you play 2 or 3 times a week, and most of your friends are "golf" friends, golf is a big part of your life.  Having it taken away left me scrambling for ways to spend my days.  I was not very creative, I confess.  I did not write my book, edit and organize all of my photos, read several books or cure cancer.  I did watch an obscene amount of TV and eat way more calories than I burned when I was not playing golf.  Happy to report those behaviors are now changing.  I hit that first drive on the first hole today and my mind and body jumped for joy!  Nothing hurt, the ball went straight...and far!!! After my inaugural 9 holes I came home and mowed the grass and all was right with the world.  I had a day when I felt like I was me again.  It has been a long time since I have felt like me!  

And one more sunset because, why not?!

You Gotta Be Kidding Me

 On June 2nd I headed out on a 12-day long multi-stop trip.  In those twelve days I planned to attend my class reunion in Baton Rouge, my aunt's funeral in Boston, visit my Mom and maybe help my sisters clean her house in Baton Rouge and then go to Orange Beach, AL with my sisters-in-law to celebrate a significant birthday of one of them.  Even I wondered if this was a lot to cram into twelve days.  It seemed like a good plan at the time.  You know what they say about the best laid plans....six days into my "life on the road" and I was back home...alone, not sitting on a white sandy beach.  Such is life these days, you just have to roll with the punches.  This is what happened.

On June 2nd, I drove to Baton Rouge, listening to '70's tunes on The Bridge/Sirius because it always reminds me of my high school and college days in BR.  After endless hours spent driving I-10 between Baton Rouge and Houston since 1986, taking a walk down memory lane listening to the Eagles or James Taylor makes the drive much more palatable, especially when my mind wanders to some fond memories. I was finally going to what would be the second anniversary of my 45th high school reunion.  Two years ago, the 45th was cancelled because of "you know what-19".  Then last year we also chickened out because of "you know what-19".  We persevered this year and as all of us are entering the Medicare years, we got together and had a great time!  Thank goodness for name tags!  Many people I would never have known otherwise, but some people...never change.  It was so much fun to reconnect with people I have not seen for seven years since the last reunion and some for much longer.  We got together after 47 years spent living our lives, raising our families, traveling the world, and having careers and are taken back so quickly.  Reunions are a combination of awesome and awkward, especially after 45+2 years!  We have all lived such wide and varied lives.  Everyone has a story.  I find it interesting to speculate who would still be close friends and who would not if we lived close to each other.  We all took our own paths.  Some people are still part of each other's lives and some of us because of time and distance have drifted away.  We shared some magical formative years together it was great to see everyone!

I would have know any one of these women without a name tag!

The day after the reunion, my sister and I flew to Boston for my Aunt's funeral.  Talk about a mood change.  My Aunt was my Dad's youngest sister.  She was a constant in our summers in Nova Scotia.  After my Dad passed away Dec. 31, 2020, his funeral was held when we were still in full social distancing, masking, unvaccinated times.  I felt it was important to attend my Aunt's funeral because I could.  Being able to talk to my cousins and my Uncle and share in their grief and their love for my Aunt felt important.  I remember when we finally were able to gather and celebrate my Dad's life in August last year, it was important to share stories and memories of Dad, just like it was important to do the same for my Aunt.  There are 19 first cousins on my Dad's side of the family.  Twelve of us, 4 who are her children, were at her funeral.  We love being together, we have had the luxury of spending summers together since we were born, we are very close!  She would have approved.  She was a kind, smart, faithful woman with a beautiful smile who was a born teacher.  Coincidentally, she once taught at the school my grandson now attends.  She loved crossword puzzles, as did my father.  No wonder I enjoy a good word puzzle!  As far as funerals go, this one was full of love.  I would say leaving behind such a close family is the best legacy one can leave. 

To a life well lived!

Another reason to make the trip to Boston is that my daughter and her family now live there.  I had not seen them since December and it was time!  They have grown so much...the kids that is!  I guess that happens.  We had a great time visiting a few parks, playing in the yard and seeing some of the sights together in Boston.  Everything in the area was blooming and the air was thick with pollen.  We were all feeling it.  Deirdre was not feeling well at all, poor kid, but she powered through the day.  Turns out, she had an ear infection.  No fun!  It was great to see all of them and to now know what their house looks like, what the neighborhood is like and what the park is like.  I enjoy being able to place people in my minds eye when we talk.

Saturday afternoon ice cream!

Deirdre found this egg in the yard. 
 She loved it...until eventually it cracked on her and she said,
"What? No bird?!  You gotta be kidding me!"
Life lessons...

Frog pond in Boston Common

After 4 days of  reuniting with friends and then family we flew back to Baton Rouge.  Upon landing we were informed that we had been exposed to "you know what-19".  Doesn't matter by who because at this point it could have been by anywhere from 1 to 50 people, it is everywhere!  I tested myself and I tested negative.  But...in a moment of good conscience I decided the trip to the beach was not going to happen for me.  Plus, there was that slight scratch in the back of my throat that I figured was pollen related but now I wondered.  I went to my Mom's house, she now lives in Assisted Living, to spend the night and maybe clean up and make a dent in the 50 years of stuff.  I could not figure out if it was the years of dust or the "you know what" that was making me sneeze!  I vowed to stay in isolation there until the recycle bin and the garbage can were full.  Only took one night and a few hours the next morning.  My sister referred to my time at Mom's as my Silent Waste Management Retreat.  No internet or television to distract me.  Good thing I was tired from all that reuniting!

When I went to bed that night at Mom's house, upstairs in the room that used to be my sister's, I looked up and saw the 3 chairs in the photo below.  It hit me that it is a picture of life.  Highchair, desk chair, wheelchair.  Stages of life all in one photo.  I am somewhere between the desk chair and the wheelchair right now...currently in the lounge chair!

A metaphor for life in three chairs.

Going back to your childhood home, after a class reunion, really does give a person flashbacks.  My Mom never threw anything away, and I am not exaggerating!  We love her, but every time I leave, I vow to go home and clean out another closet or some drawers!  My kids will thank me later.  This was also a common theme at our reunion as those of us who still have parents living are dealing with similar situations.  On the outside, Mom kept a very neat house...just don't look beneath the surface.  I know this is from the Depression days and I do wonder what habits we have now, that our kids... in the future, or maybe now, find perplexing.  Don't answer that.  I will say the house was probably cooler than it has been in 10 years, as Mom and Dad kept it balmy warm all year long and since I was alone I gave the A/C a real workout!  Luxurious!

Going through our parent's stuff in the house, aside from being overwhelming, is an archeological dig...so much history.  I did take one thing home with me.  It is a framed piece of art that someone gave me, in high school or college.  It has lived at Mom's house since then and now it lives at mine.  Sentimental value.  I did consider taking the mirror from my room upstairs.  It is a full length mirror that we girls loved.  Anyone who looks at it will agree the mirror takes off a good 10 pounds!  It is magic!  I need that mirror in my life.  I left it behind.  

Will it take of 10 years too?
Maybe I should have taken it!
"Vanity of vanities...all is vanity."

I am back home with no tan from the beach trip that never happened.  I have tested for 5 days since my return from Boston and am still negative which makes me think "you gotta be kidding me!".  I still think I must have "you know what-19" because beginning on Tuesday, I have had a series of mild symptoms, but for some reason I continue to test negative.  Nothing too terrible, I just feel like I am getting a cold, and then again maybe I am.  Conveniently, TJ is in Nova Scotia, so isolating is pretty easy.  I am on day 4 of my 7-10 days home alone just to be safe, plus it is 100 degrees outside, who wants to go anywhere anyway?!  Maybe I should use this time to clean out my own closets and drawers and do my kids a favor!

Fifty Shades of Blue

We dusted the flour off our shoes and headed to Naples the next day, on the train.  In Naples, we rented a car and drove to Sorrento which only made us appreciate the train more.  On the way we stopped to see Herculaneum, another victim of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD similar to Pompeii but apparently a wealthier seaside city of around 5000 people.  It was well worth the stop and easy to access. Very well preserved and so amazing to see a slice of life long ago.  TJ and I have always wanted to stay in an Agriturismo on our travels and Rachel found this one for our stay.  It was amazing! I am ready to add this area to my Italian retreat.  The working olive and lemon farm and accommodation was run by a fellow, his wife (who was pregnant with #2) and his mother.  His parents ran it his entire life and now it is his.  We were their first guests of the season.  We were treated to a full breakfast each day and three course dinner each night.  Everything was delicious and he was so accommodating to our needs and wants, even as far as sharing his 3-year-old daughter's breakfast cereal with one of the boys.  I can't say enough about this experience.  The grounds, the rooms, the views...it was all too perfect.

The view was worth the climb!

One happy customer!

The lemon grove

Perfection!

What a special place!

Pretty sure the view of Capri in the window was not an accident!

Our private sitting area and a view of Capri.

Our main activity here was our boat ride to Capri.  We were blessed with blue skies and smooth water.  I had no idea what a boat person my son-in-law was, but this was his happy place.  It was definitely still the off season, as many/most shops were closed and there was a flurry of activity all over this island preparing shops, hotels and restaurants for the coming tourists.  I can only imagine what it is like in summer.  Idyllic is how I would describe Capri.  It is everything you imagine it to be, personified.  Breathtaking.  I could share hundreds of photos and still not do it justice.  Every cove provided another jaw dropping shade of blue.  I would have loved to swim in those waters, but wrapped in a sweater, a vest and a jacket left me feeling inappropriately dressed.  Someday.  Capri was a bucket list item I never thought I would have the chance to see and can say it lived up to its reputation.

All along the coast

How many colors of blue can you see?

Happiness is...a boat ride

Simply amazing

Coming into the marina

Capri

Why walk when you can all ride in a convertible taxi?

Note to self...come back in April or May.

Faraglioni, iconic Capri rock formations

We spent much too little time in Sorrento and the surrounding area.  Our goal was to show the boys some highlights of Italy and with so much history, scenery, geography it is hard to do an in-depth exploration of it all.  Shoot, I have been to Italy 4 times and still have so much more to explore!  Each time we go we vow to return and so far, we have.  Our hope is that after this trip the boys will too vow to return to Italy or some other equally fascinating country.  

It all seems so long ago, and honestly...it was!  A lot of water has passed under the bridge of life since this trip happened at the end of March.  Yes, I am a bit back logged on the blog.  Hang in there with me, I felt like I needed to close this chapter before starting a new one.  

Fun in Florence

  Four weeks out and I'm still here...icing my knee.  The good news is the crutches, and the "big black brace of torture" were out of business after 2 weeks!  The bad news is, I am still not supposed to walk as far as I want and feel like I am able.  Something about swelling, blah, blah, blah.  I miss my daily moving meditation fiercely!  Counting the days (I hope) or weeks (probably) until a 2- or 3-mile walk is my normal routine again!  So far, a slow mile, for which I am very thankful, is my max.  Range of motion has improved greatly; pain level is low...unless you count those 5 minutes at physical therapy spent on my stomach with a 3-pound weight strapped to my ankle straightening my leg.  All in all, making progress but apparently healing takes more than a strong will and hard work...it takes time.  Tick, tick, tick.

Meanwhile, back to Italy...we took the train from Rome to Florence.  This wasn't my first train ride in Europe, but it is our first trip to rely on public transit as our main transportation.  I may be a convert!  I was hesitant to give up having control of my own destiny but with 7 people it just seemed the most efficient.  I really like being able to stop in any interesting places along the way, but the train was very efficient, and that was important if we wanted to see as much as possible in the least amount of time.  No complaints!  

Time to journal and do a Sudoku or 10.

I have not been to Florence since 2008.  I forgot just how lovely it is.  I need to go back and maybe live my Tuscan dream someday.  With only 2 days there, we had an agenda...David, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, pizza and gelato.  We came, we saw, and we ate!  Our Airbnb was HUGE and conveniently located next door to a nice gelato shop, much to the boy's delight!  The location really could not have been better.  Of course, TJ and I had the bedroom at the back of the apartment, away from the street.  I hear from those staying in the bedrooms in the front, the noise from the "open until 4 a.m." bar across the street was constant.  I guess you really can't have it all.  But we came close.

Like I said, Huge!

Rachel in the noisy window for perspective.

Once we got settled in our huge apartment, we went about 4 doors down the street for lunch.  We were starving!  Glad we visited the place for lunch because as it turned out, they were closed for dinner...and the food was delicious!  First order of the afternoon was to see David at the Accademia Gallery which we had pre-purchased timed entry tickets, one of the advantages to come out of Covid...no standing in long lines to buy tickets.  On our way, since we had the time, we stopped in to tour the Basilica of Santa Croce which was between our apartment and the Accademia.  We were also very lucky that the piazza and the basilica were relatively empty. 

Funny thing, I can't count the number of times we found ourselves in churches with beautiful courtyards attached or in a beautiful piazza and I would find the boys, seated on a bench playing a number game with their hands.  I still do not know the name of the game (Chopsticks maybe?) or exactly how it is played, but they played it in countless amazing locations.  Who needs electronics when you have two hands?!

Monte Cassino 
Meanwhile, John is contemplating life after Italy.

Piazza Santa Croce

Basilica of Santa Croce courtyard

Florence did not disappoint.  David glowed in all of his marble glory.  The weather could not have been nicer, making everything more beautiful.  I managed to take a stroll along the river and caught the golden hour!  My daughter and her family climbed to the top of the Duomo for a rewarding view.  TJ and I walked to the top of Piazza Michaelangelo for our rewarding view.  We had dinner at a very local restaurant, no English spoken, and it was delicious!  The gelato next door got a couple visits from the boys.  

Because you can never see too many photos of this iconic bridge!

The icing on the cake...or the pizza pie, was our pizza and gelato making class.   You know how sometimes you book things online and then wonder if they will be as good as they look or if you will end up feeling like you got taken to the cleaners?  Leading up to the class I found myself feeling that way.  From the very nice medium sized bus that picked up our group of about 20 people and drove us into the hills outside the city to the aperitivos set out to greet us, to the science-based explanations along with entertaining commentary about making the pizza and the gelato, we were captivated.  The location of the farmhouse was classic Tuscany.  The staff, very professional and entertaining.  The wine...flowing.  The food, delicious.  They boys had a blast; their parents had a blast, and their grandparents had a blast!  Totally worth it!

Under the Tuscan Sun

Luigi was ready and waiting for us.

Mad scientists at work

hand crushing the tomatoes

Such a lovely facility!

The boys had so much fun,
 they even volunteered to help clean up!

So many choices of gelato.
One of each, please!

Grazie!