A Tough Goodbye

  So.

  Back home in California now for several days…still feeling a bit out of sorts. 

  Jet lag? 

  I don't know…I think it might just be a sadness that comes with the fact that wanting to be in two places at one time is just not possible…

  Saying goodbye to Umbria was really hard this year. We made so many great memories…met so many fine new friends….revisited favorite spots from years before…it's a tough goodbye. 

  We have two lives now. Each has it's own wonderful rewards, but it's becoming more and more difficult to live "in-between", I think…..

  Plus, I've been frustrated because my laptop conked out in Italy the last couple of weeks, which made it impossible to write/blog there…or see photos, etc. Finally got it back from the computer hospital here, so I can do some catching up on this bloggy…This is a long one, dear readers…..

  On one of our last days in Panicale, we took a favorite walk, and found some places to set the camera up for pictures of the both of us. Ten seconds to pose….and….SMILE!

Taking the walking sticks back out to the forest

A nice stroll up the hill above Panicale...

The walking sticks are back where they belong, and
it's time to get moving on...

Up near the top, at the old cemetery.
I'm going to miss this walk….

  It's not that I feel sorry for myself….that would be silly. I can't imagine I'd get much sympathy on this one. But... I think it's ok to be a little sad about leaving. 

  The weather was turning warmer, we were beginning to enjoy life outdoors in the evenings…nice. Plus, all the roses were coming on very strong.

Looking at Panicale through rose colored roses.

The roses in Roy & Diana's garden

  I really enjoyed visiting gardens of friends in town. Though I had every intention of doing much more, I really dropped the ball on working more in these gardens. I did get to do a little weed pulling here and there, but not near what I meant to do. I love having the opportunity to hang out in the gardens, chatting  about plants, and just getting my hands in the dirt. 

  I miss my own garden while in Italy, so it's a nice way to spend an hour here and there...

One of the prettiest gardens in the walls of Panicale.
I love this garden, and adore it's owners, too.
Thanks, Goode & Jurgen….

Here is my own little "garden"…. I hope the next
guests enjoy and water it a little….

  Another favorite garden belongs to Mariolina.  She is a wonderful gardener in her own right, and we spent some nice afternoons here. Plus a very special Birthday Evening, too. Lots of friends, great weather, good proseco and tasty treats for all….

It's a garden party…with a view, too.

A special evening for a very special gal.

Food & Friends...

The radiant Birthday Girl herself.
And such a great person.

 Most nights we spent in front of the fire, reading books or getting frustrated by the internet connection,  or lack thereof, which came and went on it's own odd schedule. Damn You, Internet!

  It's so quiet at night, just the occasional echoing sounds of someone walking along the cobblestones towards town. 

Love the fires at night.

 This year we did much more socializing, which was very nice. It gave me more chances to share in some cooking, and also made us both feel more a part of the community…seemed like every week there was a dinner party going on.

  So, anyway, we were always happy to have an excuse to go to a friends house for a little food, drink, and conversation...

We had a blast visiting Giullia & Roberto…plus we were able to
revisit the place we stayed  back in 2012.

Everyone chipped in to make this fine meal happen

Boys Gone Wild.
Really. Johnny was in rare form this particular evening.
Watch out, Roberto!

  One night, we got together with a group of friends at Il Pellicano, a favorite pizza place about ten minutes drive from Panicale. This place is classic, and perfect for large groups. It gets noisy fast, and stays that way until the wee hours….we like it because there are a zillion different types of pizza, and half a zillion are vegetarian.

   Rumor has it that Mario Batali has "stolen" several of the pizza recipes from here, and charges ten times as much at his place, of course! Trust me, he can't come close to copying the wild ambiance here.

  This was a long, loud and ridiculous night….fun though.

Where's my pizza?!?
And we look like such a nice group of people….sigh...

  This is part of the reason it was harder to say goodbye to Italy this year, I guess. We connected with so many people, new and old friends…the older friends became closer to us, and we look forward to seeing the new folks we met again next time. Certain people come and go at certain times, so you start to get to know who will be arriving when, or leaving when…
  The Europeans are so close…so lucky to be just a couple of hours away. Like us driving to Sonoma for a family visit. Pretty sweet. They can come and go several times a year.

  As our time to leave got closer and closer, I had to take some pictures of the familiar faces we look forward to seeing again….

Our dear pals, Katia & Massimo…
Ciao, Carissimi!

Trust me, you don't want to know…
"I Fratelli".

Hanging in front of Bar Gallo with Tonino & Ruth.
Two of the sweetest people you'll ever meet.
Tall, too…..

A very special day out to visit a wonderful Artist.
The studio, at the left, is magical, as well as the entire property.
Thanks, Renata, Goode & Jurgen, for giving us this treat.

Margaret, you rock.
Can't wait to spend more time together…ASAP!

  Our last night in Panicale, we were meeting our friends Kath, Richard & Gill. We had several people tell us they wanted to say goodbye, before we left, so we told them we would be at Aldo's ….we didn't expect such a large group to show up, but it warmed our hearts.

  I'm just so glad I was able to get this photo, below….

Spending a last few moments at Bar Gallo with Kath, Richard & Gill…
Next year, friends!! We will see you then!

  And of course, we had to take a couple of shots of the ultimate Baristas…Sandra & Andrea….wish I had one of Rita, too….

Ciao, Sandra!

Don't be a bad boy, Andrea!!

  We will miss our four footed pals, too….

Sleep well, ZaZa…..

You, too, Micha…...

  Don't know where we'll stay next time, but we did feel like we were at home in our apartment, Casa del Sarto. 

One of many apartments and farmhouses that
Katia manages...

I already miss the views on our many daily walks around the walls.
Sigh.

  So.

  What's a heart sick gal to do? I guess get back to work, so we can go back. Also, enjoy the beauty and bounty of our home, here. I get it, really. I just need a few more days to disengage.

  And I look forward to writing and posting more photos..there's so much more to share.

  

See you soon, Umbria….