First Morning Walk, September 2018

  Well, it only took a couple of days to get over the jet lag enough to rally ourselves up and out for a morning walk. We were out a bit late, so it was bright and warm...

The sun was out and shining as we started out.

  It's warm for sure, but not like July 2017. That was brutal. 104-105 degrees day after day. We are seeing high 70's to mid 80's at the most, which is not too bad for us. We are used to much cooler weather, but it's ok. I'm loving sitting in the piazza well into the night, with out needing even a sweater. Luxurious!

  This morning I was noticing what was blooming in the fields as we walked along...

Perfect little blue wild flowers.
Sweet.

  Though the flowers are mostly over, there are still fields full of sunflowers all around us. A few are still up and blooming, but most are bowing over and waiting to be harvested. 

Sunflowers gone wild.

  There are a few fields with these interesting plants that look like corn stalks, but are some other kind of grain, I think. I'll have to ask someone what it is. It's not wild; definitely cultivated...

Anyone know what this is?

  This weekend was the Wine Festival in town, and you can see the vines are ready to be harvested all over the area...

Tempting. Very tempting.

  

  The olive trees are full with fruit, too. I guess it will be a good crop this year.

  We have a date to meet with a local producer tomorrow to buy some of last season's liquid gold...I can't wait!

  

Today's walk took us to Paciano to buy bread. There is a wonderful German woman and her Italian husband that make the best whole grain breads and other treats. It's a great reason to hike on up the hill.

In town, I noticed this wonderful combination of variegated ivy and clematis flowers gone to seed.
Magical!

  Heading back home, I stopped to take a photo of this field full of some purple blossomed plants. I'm  sure they are a cover crop adding nitrogen to the soil, but I don't recognize these... Awfully pretty, and loaded with hard working bees, too.

  Before heading up our dirt road, we stopped for a quick 'Mirror Shot".

  Why not?

Bag-O-Bread and Baby.

  We'll probably sleep in tomorrow and skip the walk. We need to do some house cleaning here at The Nut, and I have an urge to do something fun in the kitchen...
  More will be revealed.

On Arrival....

  After spending a night in Rome and having the best pizza ever (see previous post), we hopped a train to the station near us in Umbria, picked up our rental car, and drove the twenty minutes to our beloved "Nut". Our home away from home...

  We were greeted by our two furry pals, Nemo and Tiger Lily. 

  They watched as Johnny brought our bag up. 

  These stairs do get easier. 

Silly kitties.

  Below: 

  The view we dream about when we are not actually sitting here on our terrace enjoying it. 

  It's perfect for coffee at sunrise, lunch in the afternoon, wine at aperitivo time, and especially late at night when there is lightening way across the valley, like last night. Bats, too.

  I love to watch the train crawl through at night, too...like a caterpillar all lit up.

  After unpacking and doing some freshening up, we went to visit a very wonderful pal who had planned a little 'do' in her garden to celebrate Johnny and Gudi's birthdays yesterday.

  Lots of proseco, wonderful food, amazing cake. Fun was had by all, and we stayed way past our bedtime.

  It was perfect.

Watching the sunset from one of our favorite spots.

  Still jet lagged, we woke up this morning at 4am. All good. 

  Got to watch the sun come up, and later took this early morning shot from the front door...

We are blown away by all the growth on the trees and bushes.
The olive trees are massive!

 We popped down to a seasonally open fruit and veg farm stand that we normally don't get to enjoy in early spring. Picked up these goodies, below:

Looking forward to using the garlic, especially.

  Lunch fixings include the local tomatoes from the farm stand, arugula, focaccia and a fabulous baked ricotta we brought up from Rome. Oh my god, it's so good. Worth carrying with ice on the train!

I think this will add up to a pretty good sandwich.

Lunch is ready!

Our usual 'lunch with a view' that we so look forward to.

  So what's next?
  Well, after that lunch, it was nap time.
  It's a couple of hours later, and I think we'll go check out the local nursery to see what plants are around this time of year.
  And later...first night of the Panicale Wine Festival. Hmmm.....?

My Birthday Baby

  Twenty-four hours.

  That's basically what it takes to get from our home in California to Pizzeria Remo in Rome, Italy.

  It was a very close call this trip, as our flight from London to Rome was delayed one hour, and we know Remo closes at 1am.

  After dropping our bags off at our favorite spot to stay, we ran-walked...it was 12.30!

  

We made it just in time, and a mere 45 minutes into my Baby's Birthday, he was smiling as we dug into the best pizza in the world...we are 9 hours ahead, so his B-Day came a bit early.

Margherita with buffalo mozzarella.
What can I say?

Johnny entranced by what was going on at the next table.
The waiter was flirting with two cuties.

  All the hard work was worth it.

  Travel gets harder as we get older, but I gotta say, if there is pizza like this at the end of a brutal 24 hour journey, we're in!

Happy Birthday, Baby.

Waiting To Return

  It' been a tough few weeks...But there is a very large light at the end of the tunnel. Something to look forward to is what the doctor ordered.

Says me.

  After surgery almost a month ago, immediately followed by hellish shingles...which I'm still suffering from...I'm ready to move forward. Knowing that we hop on a plane soon is much needed RX. 

  I'm a little concerned about how I'll be feeling, but we are determined to make it work.

  Slowly healing, getting as much rest as I can, and excited by our upcoming show of Johnny's 2018 Spring paintings.

  Then it's off to Italy. Sigh.

  Still much to do, which is always the case. New to me--trying to get it done without stress and worry. Breathe, breathe, breathe...count to ten, repeat.

  Stress and worry are my enemies. My constant companions, yes, but it's time to re-program the system. Easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

  A favorite way to relax....go through photos from the previous trip and start writing!

  So, following Doctor's Orders.......here goes!

  This will be our first time heading back to Umbria for a long chunk of time in the fall. We have spend a couple of weeks a few times, usually in Venice for the Biennale. But this year, for no particular reason, we are just going for it. 

  One reason is that our trip in spring was so damn cold! We want...no, we need...to be there when it's warm, damn it.

  

On arrival, March 2018.
Front yard at The Nut.

By the time we left at the end of April,
things were looking up at The Nut.

  We are looking so forward to warm days and nice evenings...Not the brutal heat of summer (see posts from July 2017), but the gorgeousness of autumn.

  I can't wait for my daily stretches on the terrace at sunrise....

Watching the sunrise turn Lago Trasimeno pink is a joyful thing.

  The slow and simple day to day routine....

Tending flowers and herbs on the terrace...

Enjoying the view with coffee...

Heading home after a morning walk...

Relaxing at the lake.
Though I doubt I'll need my 'puffy coat'!

  Taking drives to small villages, or through the countryside is always relaxing. Just being able to see the local beauty is what I love. And it does slow down my heart rate, big time.

  The surrounding landscape will be so different than springtime, and I just can't wait to see the changes.

  The markets will have seasonal treats we don't get to enjoy in spring. This will be fun! 

  And our local piazza won't look like this, below...it will be full of travelers from all over.

We do love the piazza in late winter, early spring...
Not many folks around. September will be a big change.

  I'm looking forward to some serious meals, of course. Both at home, and at our favorite hidden spots.

Dinner at The Nut.

Favorite pastas at a truck stop.

Ravioli and risotto at a wonderful Trattoria...

One of our favorite hidden spots...
Picnic in the car where ever we decide.

Suppli in Rome.

It does not disappoint!

Perfect twice fried artichokes.
Yes.

  I guess my very favorite thing is watching Johnny unwind. 

Why not hop the train and head to Venice for a night?

  Did I mention the day to day?

  Catching up with our pals is always a treat. We can't wait to hear all the news and spend precious time with them...

  When we left in spring, I was a sad cookie....

At the train station...boo-hoo!

  But after a tough couple of months, we're going back, come hell or high water, baby!

  I visualize myself on the terrace at sunset, a glass of wine at hand and a bowl of chips in easy reach.

  All is well with the world....

  Hey, if you want to stay posted about the upcoming show-Keep checking the link below. The show opens Sept 1.
 
  Coming Soon!