A Weekend With Friends

Several months ago we took a weekend trip to Munich, Germany to visit our good friends Dan and Marybeth. This weekend they drove down to Italy, together with their new baby, and spent a weekend at our house.

We went out on the lake, taking a pleasurable boat ride and visiting Isola Superiore. We also spent several hours walking through Villa Taranto. This is a beautiful and expansive botanical garden. John visited the site once before, but it was new for Ann, Thomas, and Sammy. It was a fabulous weekend, and the last one before Thomas starts school (we can't believe how fast the summer has passed).

Sunset Over Lago Maggiore

No crackers Gromit! We've forgotten the crackers!

The return of the Cheese Post....
We haven't written about cheese in a long time, but that doesn't mean that John has abandoned the obsession. Here's an overview of this summer's cheese adventures...

Robiola di Roccaverano and a Tometta (a nice alpine Toma cheese from western Piemonte)

A marvelous and delicate soft cheese, Quartirolo Lombardo

Here's another alpine cheese, Tomino Tirolese (I loove how they get gooey inside), and also a Robiola Bosina

Piacentinu di Enna. This stuff is amazing and one of the most interesting cheeses we've tasted. Infused with Saffron and peppercorns, it has a truly unique flavor.

Piattone, Taleggio, and Scimundin

Watermelon Sam

Sammy enjoys a slice of watermelon on our patio.

Health Update: Thomas is doing much better now, but Ann is now pretty sick with our 'American Disease'. So far, Sammy and John are perfectly health (and enjoying watermelon).

Our American Holiday

Here's a brief description of our short trip to America. We had a fantastic time, and it's probably the last return trip until sometime in 2009. So, we had to make the most of it.
We arrived at the Newark Airport and rented a small SUV (it was an American vacation afterall!). The SUV was a huge change from our little Fiat, but it was almost necessary to carry all of our bags, the stroller, and the kids. We actually didn't have much trouble adjusting to the time change, just a little exhaustion on the first night. We met with our friends Steve and Jess, who had recently visited us in Italy. Steve gave Thomas a Doctor Who (still his favorite TV show) themed Nintendo DS as a gift. Thomas was beside himself with excitement!
Early during the trip we did some 'back-to-school' shopping. American stores are quite a bit different than those in Italy. They tend to be bigger and have far more reasonable prices.
Our friends Mike and Cindy threw a party on our behalf. A lot of our friends were able to attend, and the assembled hoard of children had a marvelous time playing together. The party was a success, although we endured a deluge-like thunderstorm in the late afternoon.
John had to go into the office on one day, which gave Ann and the boys some time to do some things on their own.
When john finished his work, we took time for a full day diversion to an amusement park. We went to the Great Escape theme park in Lake George, NY. Thomas got to experience his first-ever roller-coaster ride. Sammy enjoyed splashing in the little kids pool. Also, waterslides are great fun! It was an immensely enjoyable day, although we all got a little sunburned.
Along the way, we had lunches, dinners, and short visits with countless friends. Many of the friends we hadn't seen in over a year. We want to thank everyone for their time and hospitality. It was great to see all of you. We're sorry that we can't list everyone here, but we don't know if everyone would want their names online, and we don't want to leave anyone out. Thanks again, we're lucky to have such great friends.
After the theme park, we took an Adirondack drive up to Potsdam, NY, where we visited Ann's mother. Sammy and Thomas both enjoyed seeing Grandma, who equally enjoyed thier company. During a vacation that was 'jam-packed' with events, this was a short respit. We needed the down-time and Grandma's is a good place to relax.
We finished our vacation by visiting John's family. John's brother Jim hosted two small family get-togethers. The weather cooperated, and we had a nice back-yard picnic on our last full day in the USA. Steaks from the grill: overall, Italian food is fantastic (maybe the best in the world), but European beef doesn't compare to an American steak.
So, it was a good vacation. As we already posted, Thomas came back with a bout of strep throat. We probably tried to do too much and wore out the poor guy. We were sure tired after the vacation. Still, we really enjoyed seeing everyone. Now we're glad to be back at our Italian home.

Back in Italia (With Unwanted Souvenirs)

This photo was taken at the end of our last day in the 'States on our recent trip. On Monday of this week we returned from the 10 day vacation in the USA. It was a whirlwind trip, during with we say many friends and family members, having a great time. We'll do a separate post about the trip soon.
The trip back was safe and relatively uneventful. Unfortunately, Thomas was feeling a little under the weather on the ride to the airport. By the time we landed in Milan on Monday, he had a notable fever, which persisted for a few days. When the fever got worse, and his overall condition worsened, we brought him to the doctor. It turns out that he picked up Strep Throat in America. Unfortunately, the infection was worse than that, and he also developed Scarlet Fever. He's on antibiotics now, as well as a few other medicines, and is feeling a little better. He'll be resting for the better part of the next week, but he's well on his way to recovery.
One funny point about our visit to Thomas' doctor was when she referred to his infection as "an American Disease." We're sure that she meant that he picked it up in the USA, but the phrasing was ear-catching.
Friday is the big Ferragosto holiday here in Italy. All businesses are shut-down, and plenty of people are away on holiday. We would probably have gone exploring, but are now happy to have a quiet long weekend at home, letting Thomas rest and recuperate.