The corn stalks are more than knee-high. The rapeseed has been harvested and the poppies cut along with it. Workers are driving tractors along the canal, using flail-choppers to cut the meter-high grass and weeds. There’s a firm breeze on this 80 degree day and the sky is bright blue. The air is clear enough [...]

This day was not set aside to mark the beginning of barbeque season. Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor those that have given their lives while in service to their country… OUR country. The bell is rung at the calling of each name, newly engraved on the memorial wall. A salute goes [...]

Another day at the Antiques Market along the Naviglio Grande. Summer is in full swing and tourists have found this hot spot. It’s “the” place to be on the last Sunday of the month for anyone wanting a very diverse selection of some pretty choice items. “Antique” in Italy covers a broader range than “antique” [...]

I liked his smile. I liked his black and white striped hat and the color of his violin. I liked his playing. So I smiled back and pitched some money in his box. He smiled again.

12:20 a.m. Why go to bed when they’re just outside my bedroom window pressure washing the streets and sidewalks? (At 12:20 in the morning!? Hey! They’re early tonight! It’s usually at quarter to one!) Might as well wait, rather than lying there watching the pattern of their flashing orange lights and the patterns they make [...]

While riding the subway this morning heading into town, the train came to a stop and an elder man got on. I was pleased when a young woman offered him her seat, but he declined it. He and I were standing next to each other and he leaned over to me and said “my face [...]

It was another sunny afternoon and a good time to go to the Piazza del Duomo to wander around. I hadn’t known that there was a sidewalk art sale going on. Much of the work was very mediocre, as if the artists were uncertain. I saw the work of a few painters that showed surety, [...]

It is 4:14 a.m. No. I haven’t gone to bed yet but the first bird just sang! I could say I’m in the throes of jet lag, but really it was the seduction of a book given to me by my friend Anne and her kids before I left Seattle. “The Glassblower of Murano” by [...]

What to do when the temperature is in the 80s on a Saturday afternoon, post jet-lag? Go for a bike ride with a cyclist friend, start along the canal, ride through the farmland to a little lake, get and fix a flat tire and make like a sculpture. Cyclist Emilio and I rode out west [...]

The whole city is going CRAZY! Inter Milan won the soccer Champions League final against Bayern Munich and the neighbors have been screaming. I hear car horns honking, whistles blowing and a general elevated noise level throughout the city. I have a feeling that if I were at the Piazza del Duomo tonight there wouldn’t even [...]

Seven in the evening after a mid-80s day. My french doors are open and I hear a music box playing “Lullaby and Goodnight…” with that classic, shallow sound of the child’s music maker. Where is it coming from? (It’s much better than the mid-day Italian soap operas I hear during the week.)

My flight arrived yesterday evening, followed by a train ride into the city. I caught a cab and loved the winding ride through the tight streets. Summer had arrived. It was warm. People were out strolling and the sidewalk seating was filled with people enjoying their aperitivi with friends. The whole mood had shifted in [...]

Seattleites wear fleece, gore-tex, lycra and denim. Their fashion sense is inspired by the sporty, athletic look, whether or not they’re either sporty or athletic. Some are so casual as to be sloppy. The Milanese wear cotton, linen, silk and wool. Denim seems reserved for the colder, winter months. More women wear skirts and dresses, [...]

It’s a lovely day here in Seattle. The sun was shining first thing this morning while I scurried around to get the irrigation system up and running. Now it’s pouring rain and my dry yard is thankful. I stepped outside, heard the birds singing and enjoyed the cool, fresh, clean air and smell of salt [...]

My house in Seattle is a mansion. My living room here is as big as my whole apartment in Milan. All of this space for one person? Really, it’s just a two-bedroom, 1950s rambler with a basement and a great yard. But after almost a year in Milan, my house seems enormous. I can’t imagine [...]

The fence joints along the canal were interesting to Dad, so I had stopped to take some detail shots. One of the cyclists, Emilio, stopped to ask if I needed any help. I explained about the fence, then we stood at the canalside and continued chatting for 20 minutes or so. On this cloudy day, [...]

This has been crystallizing for a while and I finally honed it to this kernel: “If you have to use a shoehorn, maybe it’s not the right shoe.” Think about it. This applies to much of life. No. I’m not saying that “right things” are effortless. I’m simply noting that sometimes we want so much [...]

There’s a farm field along the canal, across from the Zibido Cemetery, that has piled up a rank-smelling mound of rotting straw and organic matter. Luigi sees it as prime compost for his garden and is hauling it home one bucketful at a time. As I was riding along, I didn’t recognize him at first. [...]