This blog started when Gauss got a job in California, so after a lifetime in Minnesota, I was wrapping my brain around the idea of moving west.
The blog is now a place where I post new adventures as they come up.
The basement is getting cleared out
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For Emilio’s benefit, here are pictures of the room where he hosted so many game nights, mostly cleared out except for Emilio’s possessions and a cabinet that will stay in the house
Our flight to Milano didn't leave until dinnertime, so we crammed in one last outing near Stazzo Chivoni before heading back to the airport in Olbia. Leo drove us on a twisting, one-track road to see a grove of Sardinia's ancient olive trees about 15 km away, where we met Marzia and some of their friends. The 4,000 year old tree is now roped off. When this was private property people would climb the tree and carve their initials in it. A nearby tree, about 2,000 years old, is accessible. The ranger told us that the branches grow downward toward the ground, forming a natural shelter. 250 sheep could take refuge in this outdoor "room." These are the original heirloom olives, from which cultivated olives are derived. The fruits on these trees were tiny, about 3/8" long, and mostly pit. The trees are on a hillside overlooking Lake Liscia. Whether we were under the boughs or out in the meadow, the entire place had a fresh, earthy aroma that was somehow fa...
Gauss and I had been through Rome only once before following our ill-fated flight from Sri Lanka to Italy in 1982. My memories are hazy and few. Back then we landed at Da Vinci airport and had to get to Milano. Nerves jangled, we were not about to board another plane just then, so we took a bus to the train station. I recall rolling past the coliseum and being a little surprised that it was right there , although I was unable to muster anything resembling enthusiasm. This time we vowed to pay attention. I planned only one thing in Rome—a visit to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museum. I made an online reservation a month in advance so that we would not miss it, printed the entrance voucher (NOT TRANSFERABLE printed across it in bold letters) labeled it with a Post-It, and added it to the folder of important travel documents. We had another aim for the day as well: to get Italian SIM cards for the cell phones we'd purchased in anticipation of the trip. Despite the seve...
Icebergs in the North Atlantic. When I first caught sight of a couple in the ocean I thought they were ships. Nope. Ice! It's been over a week since I returned from Italy via Iceland. When I got back there were a lot of things to take care of, but now I'm taking a few minutes today to reflect and wind up this chapter of the blog. The trip home was a visual delight. I took off about 5 pm Iceland time and flying west, chased the sunlight until landing in Minnesota at around 7 pm Central time. I always try to book a window seat. For the cartographer in me the view from the plane is a glimpse of the world map in real time. This trip didn't disappoint. The east coast of Greenland. What a delight to be able to see where glaciers met the ocean. At first I thought there was a settlement on the coast, but no, all those white things were icebergs. Once we'd cleared some clouds west of Iceland, I started to see icebergs in the North Atlantic below. They increased in frequency a...
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