Today was Sara’s birthday, she turned 13. The alarm this morning at 7 was too early and the fact that I had to pack weighed to heavily on my mind to allow me to continue to sleep. My bag came together easily and quickly, so we all parked the car and made our way down the dock. We walked to Split to start Sara’s birthday jaunt but were interrupted by a disturbing phone call. Bruno called to say that the charter company hadn’t paid him even though David and Gianluca had given them the money before we boarded. They paid in [View Full Entry]

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There have been approximately six to seven bottles of wine for seven people every day. We’ve eaten pecorino and local honey together, followed by olives, perfect for the summertime atmosphere. Its been this way for days and I can’t imagine this ending yet. We all talk and dream about the next time we’ll be on a boat and where to venture. I assume, and rightfully so, that they’ll be on a boat again much sooner than I will. I’ve been a guest on a great adventure and I feel supremely grateful to David for the opportunity. [View Full Entry]

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We went into the cute town for breakfast because Piera doesn’t like Nescafe. I don’t blame her, as we had espressos, pastries, and some sun. There was a fish market with cold fresh dead fish and calamari on a clean white marble U-shaped counter inside an old building without refrigerators. Only a sign with the symbol of a fish indicated the business inside the building. We bought sea bass and eight calamari. There was also a fresh market, but with nothing special. We got back on the boat. Sailed and I slept. I slept all day long. I couldn’t help it [View Full Entry]

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We set sail from the small bay to visit more islands. Anchored in a blue bay with a small beach and only a handful of houses, we stopped for lunch after taking in 2-3 hours of sun. Lunch and brief swimming and then back to resting. But the anchor lost its grip on the sea floor and we drifted. Suddenly the waves began to rock the boat and we all sat in the back deck holding on so as not to be thrown off. Sara wanted to go sit on the trampoline and almost had me convinced. But with a full [View Full Entry]

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Arrived this morning on time despite the hour + delay. Everyone in chairs slept miserably, shifting from one uncomfortable position to the next. Although people were relieved to arrive as scheduled I was a bit disappointed. Completely unfamiliar with the country, language, exchange rate, location of my arrival in relation to the port I need to be at in a few hours. So I sat at the Port cafe and oriented myself according to logic and observation. The coffee sharpened my thoughts and the brioche gave me the boost to get on and explore. With a canvas military style duffel bag [View Full Entry]

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Today started early at 7. There was thunder and cool humid air in the room. The first thing I did was take pictures from lying down in the strange dream daybed. We all had breakfast, said goodbye, and left. Just like Iris to keep it brief, efficient, and quasi-emotionless. I took nothing from them and will be happy to return some day to buy the fine good at Casa Lanzoratti or stay as a guest. Kim and I had the same train from Borgotaro to Bologna, which was nice. Although stuffy and sticky from the humidity, packed car, and non-functioning air [View Full Entry]

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An adventure. Sunday night Kim and I encountered a couple, trio, of inebriated, forward, and persistent English speaking older gentlemen. The one who had his eyes all over me offered us a ride to Parma. Kim decided we couldn’t resist because it would save us travel fare and I couldn’t argue against it strongly; even though they gave me the creeps. We were ready and waiting for the guy at 8. By a quarter to 9 we turned into the house, bade Iris farewell and walked down the hill to Gotra to catch the 9:25. In the house, in front of [View Full Entry]

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There were 7 guests from France. Beautifully dressed ladies, one who played piano and guitar, and serenaded Kim and I as we seeded the ground with carrots, lettuces, and radishes. It was hard work setting up the irrigation system; crawling on our hands and knees to measure the perfectly straight lines. In a little time the plants will sprout and grow vegetables to sustain Iris and Gianluca, their guests, and clients. I was in a terrible mood and the only thing to keep my mind off of it was to imagine the ground and rake were my personal zen garden. Two [View Full Entry]

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A butterfly, white and the size of my palm, landed in my hair last night. I see them flutter over the field of wild blue flowers behind the caravan. The green lizards are cute as they scamper into absurd hiding places. The flies, mosquitoes, and all flying insects are dumb, persistent, and aggravating. And while its been at least 35 degrees all week, the sky is cloudy and the horizons hidden. Only the valleys below are visible and to snap pictures is to see only what I can barely see with my own eyes. I prefer the sounds here as opposed [View Full Entry]

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Today Kim and I cleaned the lab, house, and store after shaking plum trees and collecting chard. We finished around 11:30 and without Iris and Gianluca around, we rested. When they returned we ate spaghetti with mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp accompanied by a sauce of lemon juice, tomatoes, and parsley. After lunch we listed to Iris translate the guilt-laden letters of Kim’s great-great grandmother to her son, who apparently never wrote. We listened to the letter of a nun, pleading for financial assistance for her orphanage, a woman who had befriended and reconverted the old woman back to Catholicism. During [View Full Entry]

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