Sweet Mexico City

So, the thin blood in my body has been screaming at me for the past two days. The weather gods have not been very friendly, so far. Iris and I were in for a rude morning (again) with blustery winds and chilly temperatures that zipped right through our summer-weight clothing.
I was lucky to have a [...]

Read Full Post »

Arriva!

Just a quick post (paying by the minute here) to let folks know that Iris and made it safe and sound to Mexico City after a quick flight from Los Angeles.
So far, the weather has been fabulous. Nothing but blue skies, great breezes and moderate temperatures.
Today we had breakfast on the grand zocola, then traipsed [...]

Read Full Post »

Coming & Going

Homeward bound
Well, I got a one-liner from my dad today reporting that he and Mom have secured seats on a military chart flight home to Virginia. Fabulous news!
Last time they flew back from Italy, their charters kept getting filled by active duty, then dependents of active duty, which kept bumping Mom and Dad to the [...]

Read Full Post »

A rant on e-mail etiquette

So, my father is kind enough to send out updates to family and friends while he and Mom are thousands of miles away in Italy. I love it and expect it …
Today, along with Dad’s e-mail update came a semi-rude followup message from Robert Kean, a random dude who apparently isn’t supposed to get these [...]

Read Full Post »

Grillin’ per i Romani

Got a great, long note from Dad on lessons in grilling, American style, with our Italian relatives. The food sounded wonderful, even if I would have been stuck eating just the veggies … No problema!
Here’s the dispatch from Dad with the photo gallery leading off:
————————
Absolutely gorgeous day here in Roma today.  About 75 degrees and [...]

Read Full Post »

I stand corrected!

Dad weighed in on my photo gallery, correcting my misplaced identification of my mother, 50 years ago. Turns out, I tagged her favorite cousin, Angela.
As I had suspected, my grandmother, Vicenza, is almost off the photo span, hovering in the left side of the frame. She didn’t change THAT much in the years I knew [...]

Read Full Post »

Family reunion

Dad sent along photos from the anniversary celebration for my Zia Maria (aunt) and her husband of 50 years. The big event gave the Italian clan a good excuse to eat a lot and take photos of our still-very-large family. Dad was wise to snap photos of the family album that captured Zia Maria’s big [...]

Read Full Post »

Update from Rome

Dad reports from Italy after an afternoon spent with Mom’s family:
———————
We had a lovely 50th for Zia Maria and Zio Attilio this afternoon (Saturday) at a rustico restaurante just south of here. (Which was great because I just had to take a right on the Via Aurielo and then another right to go up the [...]

Read Full Post »

Happy birthday, Pops!

So, as Dad drinks the oh-so-authentic vino of Italia, I send out a hearty salute (spoken loudly in Italian) …
Somewhere, nine hours from me, he’s gearing up for dinner with relatives in Rome. There’s a party tonight for Aunt Maria and her husband, who celebrate 50 years of married bliss. Everyone together now …
That’s amore!
Dad [...]

Read Full Post »

Parents in Rome, Part II

Mom and Dad have safely arrived in Rome for their annual fall trip. I got a dispatch from Dad and was relieved to hear their travel went relatively smoothly. Military charters are always a crap-shoot, especially in wartime. We’re lucky they don’t get rerouted to Kirkuk.
They bought a car in the spring and finally took [...]

Read Full Post »