I’m just back from a fabulous trip to Paris, where our favorite event was taking a cooking class. There were three students in our class and we met in the home of our chef, Catalina. Catalina tried hard to teach us correct cutting techniques. We sorta got it, but then we would forget and revert…
When I posted about the house my brother is restoring it was one of my most popular posts ever! So, I thought you’d like an update on this home in rural Virginia. It’s called Mountain Glen, was built around 1860, and is located on a farm my brother bought. Initially he repaired just the basics,…
In Florence, we enjoyed visiting the church of Santa Maria Novella. It didn’t have the opulence of some churches we saw in Italy, but it also had NO CROWDS! A big plus, which gave us the opportunity to explore at our leisure. Even a “simple” church like this had beautiful arches and high ceilings. And…
My brother has recently undertaken quite a project. He’s fixing up an old home that’s on a farm he purchased. Here it is, Mountain Glen. We don’t know the age. We think mid-late 1800s. It’s located in the middle of pastures and fields, with lovely views. This is the view from the front porch. And…
While in Siena, we stayed in a lovely inn. This was the view (on a rainy day.) It was very early spring and things were just beginning to bloom. This photo is looking back at the building. We had our fanciest meal in Siena. We think our table was located in an old wine cellar….
Siena is a small medieval town in the heart of Tuscany. The city center is maintained to look the way it did in the 1300’s. It’s very picturesque (or, it would be, if seen on a sunny day. It was rainy and overcast for us.) The piazza and the town hall tower are the center…
I grew up on a dairy farm, about 15 miles from the little town of Orange, VA. It didn’t even have a stop light at the time! Now, although the population is still around 5000, Orange has several stop lights, a couple of fast food joints, and even an art center! I’m delighted to have…
Our 3 hour bus ride to Pompeii included some beautiful scenery. (And some napping.) Our first view of Mt. Vesuvius, across the Bay of Naples. Pompeii is not visible in this image. It’s to the right. As an engineer, hubby was really amazed by how big the city of Pompeii was. This view doesn’t show…
While on our vacation out west, my husband and I got to go on a hot air balloon ride! It was EXHILARATING! And very interesting! We both really enjoyed it. We met the crew of Elevated Ballooning at 6:30 AM, when it was only 27 degrees! This Floridian was wearing six layers of clothing, which did the…
My husband and I recently visited several national parks in southern Utah. Arches National Park was our hands-down favorite. The rock formations and colors were amazing! My favorite was Double Arch, shown below. I think my husband’s favorite was Delicate Arch, the iconic arch for which the park is known. We worked hard for this…