Live Pronto!: A Chilly Return, Umbria 2018

Back home at The Nut! Seems like a lot longer than three months have gone by, but that's when we were last here...and we thought it was cold then!

Hehehehe...ehhhhhhhh. It be very cold here now. BUT...that's ok. We are always happy to be back, come rain, wind , crippling heat...it's all part of this wacky adventure we've gleefully chosen to embark on.

So, a couple of firsts:

1) Norwegian Airlines non-stop from Oakland to Rome. Loved it. No four hour layover in Frankfurt! But, our flight was about two hours late taking off , because of weather on the Rome end.

Still, the flight was nice...admittedly, we bumped ourselves up to premium, since I have a boat load of miles saved up. Sweet. Another first, to be able to practically lay down. I actually slept most of the way.

2) Ummm. SNOW! Yes, snow. We knew it would be here, we just didn't know how different it makes everything.

It's cold! It's wet! It's dangerously icy on really steep steps!

But it sure is pretty....

Being a couple of krazy kids from the central coast of California, we don't see a whole lotta snow in our day to day life. So forgive us for being sort of spellbound by the experience.

(Snow...jeez, it's just so, so... snowy..!)

For instance, this morning we had to walk down our road to the main paved road to catch a taxi to take us to pick up rental car. We were too late from the flight delay to get it yesterday.

Anyway, our 'morning walk' was quite interesting. We took each step down the stairs as though our lives depended on it, because they did. One slip and it would be all over. Once on the dirt road, we still were faced with slippery bits of ice along the way down.

Big Fun!

Watch it, kiddo.

Looks chilly, and it was.

I hope the olive trees are ok.

We went to pick up the car, and it was being 'de-snowed' by this fellow.

Snow on the door handle...hehehe.
We are such neophytes.

Driving back from getting the car, we took it nice and slow, like everybody else. Almost. How can people drive so freaking fast in the snow? Are they coo-coo?

We drove like the old people we sort of are.

Giggling.

Some quick shots out of the car window...

About ten minutes after I took this,
Panicle disappeared behind low clouds.

It's pretty...

We needed food & cash, and cappuccini, so we did head into town.

The view from the window at Bar Gallo.

It was a ghost town...so quiet. Also, it was scary to try to walk around. The streets were really icy and we had to be super careful with every step. I wonder how the local older folks get around on these rare snowy days...

We stopped into the bank, Bar Gallo, Linda's and Yolanda's. Good to go.

The safest way around took us past favorite views...only snowier.

That was it for driving anywhere. Usually on our first full day, we take a long drive all around the area, visiting our favorite spots.

Today, we just wanted to get back to The Nut to hunker down.

Up through the front garden.

We're cold, but happy!

Lots of trees covered in ice.

It will soon be warm, I promise...
Poor Nemo & Tiger Lily, the resident kitties.
They do sleep inside at night, but roam around in the day.

All the tilled fields look like this.

After getting some wood chopped, and having a little lunch, my seriously insane hubby decided he needed to paint these rare moments of snow before it warms up. I thought he was nuts, but the painting turned out really nice, and he enjoyed it completely.
There will be a post soon about this painting on his blog really soon.

Capturing the winter scene.

While Mr. J painted, I fixed a big pot of soup. This is what you do when it's cold outside. I read it somewhere...
I also kept the fire burning, because we wanted to grill some bread for simple bruschetta, which I must say, came out stupendously well.
Is it the bread? The olive oil? The parmesan..? It's everything...Being back, being happy, being hungry and just being here.