Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Week 4 & 1/2 in Italy: dog food, ferry ride and Sardinia!

Apologies that I am a few days late in publishing an entry.  I normally try to write on Sundays but this past one we were on our way to catch an overnight ferry to Sardegna/Sardinia.  We are here now and despite two raining, windy days, we are enjoying the beach!
Here are some scenes from our last few days....

Maria and Gio spend a lot of time together on her play mat.
 I can always tell he has been there when I find all of her toys in one corner.
Fortunately Maria does not mind Gio's hoarding tendencies.   
Here he has generously left her with one Duplo block.  
She made due (or is that "made do"??  I really have no idea!)  
Recently Maria discovered Enzo's bowl.  
She was very pleased to find it was stuffed with pasta wheels.  

5 seconds after this shot she dumped the entire bowl.  
Off to pick up Gio at camp. 
At camp pickup Maria loves to watch the beach volley ball.
She is quite a flirt. 
If you look very carefully you can see Gio playing in the sand to the left of the net.  Explaining his new fondness for the shirtless look, "That's how all the big boys dress, Mama!"
The famous Gio butt crack.
When she finds the bowl only filled with kibble she likes to take each piece out one by one and then put them back in.  

Very proud of her work!


Riding a mechanical horse before we drive to Livorno to catch our ferry.
11PM and time to board the ferry at last.  
Someone was so excited he kept us up much of the night.  That was fun. 
7 hours of sleep was not enough for this little girl.  So once back in the car.....
First day, first swim.


Drive back from the beach and conked.  This vacation stuff is exhausting! 
How Gio gets through a rainy afternoon while his sister naps....
Italian cartoons, strawberry popsicle and a thumb!
Rather than focusing on the traditional milestones of walking and talking,
Maria has mastered multi-tasking!   
Can you guess Maria's favorite food?  These were the remains of one breakfast!
Today, after weeks of prodding, I finally convinced Gio to allow me to wash his Big Tom.
He stood vigil at the machine for the entire cycle.
Happy to report the boy and his dog are  reunited (and now only one needs a bath!)

Monday, July 21, 2014

Week 3: Hay Barn Fire, Birthday Party & A Surprise Visit!

It is difficult for me to write this week as my mind is elsewhere.  I cannot stop thinking about what has happened in Ukraine.  The terrorist act of shooting down a plane filled with innocent people, many of them children, is horrifying enough, but the aftermath is also sickening.  Armed thugs holding bodies as hostage, preventing journalists, investigators and rescue workers from accessing the sight only serve to make a grotesque act truly monstrous.  And behind it all, and I firmly believe his is, Putin stands defiant, using his propaganda machine to lure much of his population into believing the Ukrainians, and possibly even the Americans, shot down the plane.

Meanwhile, back here in our blissful summer home, life continues with my four dear charges thankfully oblivious to what is going on in the world around them....

Every morning Enzo, Maria and I take a jog in the woods. 
Poor Pepper is on his second month of wearing a cone.  He continues to fight hard to recover but he has had some setbacks. Our vet here discovered that his wound was infected with a bacteria so rare she had never seen it in her entire career.  We are hopeful she was able to get it all out during his latest operation as the antibiotics needed for this particular bacteria have terrible side effects.  For now we are watching him closely and hoping.  He keeps himself busy hunting flies, sleeping and finding ever more ingenious ways of escaping his collar.  
On Wednesday as we left the house to take Gio to camp we saw a giant ball of black smoke in the otherwise blue sky.  It turns out a giant hay barn had exploded in the town down the hill from us.  
Gio was fascinated and insisted we visit the fire every day after camp.  It burned for 4 days so we had plenty of chances.
Pepper continued his quest to sleep in as many strange places as he can.
The shower is his latest, though the bidet remains his favorite.  
Thursday night was Gio's best friend's birthday party.  Andrea's family owns the terrific pizza place near our house so we enjoyed a wild evening of food and festivities at the restaurant.  






Best part of the week?  A surprise visit from Papa for the weekend!! 

It was a hot one, so we spent much of the weekend at the pool with Papa.  Maria sported a new bathing suit for the occasion.  Grazie, Nonna!


Even during a difficult week, this smile keeps my going!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Week 2 in Italy: Green Beans, Storms and Back to the Vet

The 5 of us have settled into an easy routine here.  Lazy mornings, Gio camp in the afternoons, naps, runs on the trails with Enzo, games with Gio (latest favorite is "Pop the Pig") and, of course, lots of yummy food.

Lunch!  As long as watermelon is on the table she is happy.
We discovered that Pepper is a huge fan of green beans.  
Near daily storms mean lots of anxiety for Enzo but also some remarkable skies.   
Maria has discovered how to crawl backwards.  Baby steps.  Baby steps.  She is still much more interested in working on her voice and fine motor stuff but she is starting to see the appeal of mobility!
Gio decided he wanted his hair done like his sister.  
Yep,  He maintained the look through a stop at the ice cream shop and to camp.  
It has been a strange summer weather-wise.
One afternoon on the way to pick up Gio at camp I had to turn on the heat in the car!
[and do not worry- I was stopped when I took this photo.  There is major road construction going on here so there is a lot of time spent waiting in line.]
Pepper is getting bold.  Here he is stealing green beans directly from the plate.  Naughty fellow! 
And, yes, Pepper is the more dominant of our two pets.  He gets first dibs at Enzo's dinner every night.  
Goldfish!  Maria's favorite snack.  Gio likes to line them up for her.  
Gio also likes to take Goldfish to camp where his friends go nuts for them (they are not available here).
Maria loves picking up Gio at his camp.  She gets lots of attention and is especially fond of the volleyballs! 
This week the house up the hill, where Gio's best friend Andrea lives, began to install a swimming pool.  Gio is ecstatic!
A pool with a view.
Watching the installation. 

When there are no storms rumbling over the mountains Enzo is quite relaxed.  
Our near-daily stop at the local gelato shop.  Heaven.  
Grocery shopping.  Gio is a huge help.  He pushes the cart and unloads it at checkout.  Maria loves to ride in the cart, especially on the escalators going up and down to the garage.  


Poor Pepper had a rough week.  He developed a bad infection on his wound and needed yet another surgery.  He has mastered the art of escaping the cone so I spend a lot of time hunting him down and putting it back on. 
What is Gio up to right now?  This.
See you next week!