Rapeseed & Red Poppies
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...
Lycra or Linen?
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...
The Air is Fresh and Clean
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...
A Question of Perspective
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...
Fast on the Canal
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,...
No Shoehorns
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...
Luigi’s Garden
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...
Twins Arrive, Fans Riot
Boy! My two cousins come into town and a riot ensues! Connie and Gerry arrived yesterday morning, crashed out for a nap then wandered the town for a while. I met them in the evening at their...
Canal Flea-Market Purchases
The original plan was to head to Firenze for the day (!), but I caught a short, quick cold Friday night and couldn't dare think of hopping on the train this morning. (I could hardly get out of bed!)...
Antiques Along the Grand Canal
On the last Sunday of the month, one can browse Antiques and Flea-Market-Finds for as far as the eye can see (2 kilometers), on both sides of the Naviglio Grande, the Grand Canal. (This canal...
Just Park It!
"My car fits. Doesn't that make it a parking space?" "It looks like a parking space." "Oh. You mean this is a sidewalk?" "If I park here in the road, when I come out I can just put the car in gear...
Luigi Gathers Wood
Running parallel to the Naviglio Pavese canal, between the bike path and the highway, is a drainage ditch overgrown by a tangle of brush and trees in every state of growth or death. Luigi knows...