Genghis and Grandma.
Xena, Grandpa and Great-Grandma.
Genghis and Uncle Chris discussing cars.
Genghis and Uncle Sam, or "Yam" as Genghis says.
Genghis giving Xena a kiss.
Xena and Grandma. (Xena looks a bit like a pirate.)
Xena and Grandpa.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Friday, April 6, 2012
friday photos
Some photos from two weeks ago, when family was in town for Xena's blessing.
Genghis and Grandma.
Xena, Grandpa and Great-Grandma.
Genghis and Uncle Chris discussing cars.
Genghis and Uncle Sam, or "Yam" as Genghis says.
Genghis giving Xena a kiss.
Xena and Grandma. (Xena looks a bit like a pirate.)
Xena and Grandpa.
Genghis and Grandma.
Xena, Grandpa and Great-Grandma.
Genghis and Uncle Chris discussing cars.
Genghis and Uncle Sam, or "Yam" as Genghis says.
Genghis giving Xena a kiss.
Xena and Grandma. (Xena looks a bit like a pirate.)
Xena and Grandpa.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
the last to-do list
After having a long conversation with Abe tonight about what we want life to look like for the first few weeks after our baby is born, and after reading a friend's blog post about her first few weeks after after baby #8, I came to a conclusion.
I want to throw away my to-do lists.
At least for a few weeks (really, much longer than that and they'd probably have to put me on life-support or something).
What I really mean is that I really want to carve out some space after our baby comes for a break from life. Except that I know that life isn't going to really slow down for us. Genghis will still need the help and attention that he always needs. Plus we'll have this newborn that we'll be responsible for, and I have conveniently forgotten how demanding no sleep, breastfeeding, and soothing a crying infant can be.
So I don't want to have any false illusions that I can make this a blissful, stress-free, euphoric time.
But I do want to get rid of the non-essentials. Cereal for breakfast instead of pancakes. Laundry every other week instead of every week. Laying on the couch while Genghis plays on his own instead of picking another area in the house to de-clutter and re-organize.
The best way for me to think of this is to get rid of all my to-do lists. All I really have to do when this baby comes is meet the needs of myself and my family as they come, instead of planning, preparing, and proactively running our household. (Like I said, just for a few weeks, because I secretly really enjoy all of those p-words).
Of course, the best way for me to put aside my to-do lists is to make one final to-do list. Already on the list (you're surprised I've got one made?)...
- Make 1 month's worth of freezer dinners (done! and something to blog about later)
- Stock the pantry (done!)
- Organize the baby closet (done!)
- Get out the basic baby supplies (burp clothes, pacifiers, swaddles, bottles) and have them on hand
- Install both car seats
- Pack hospital bags and overnight babysitter bag for Genghis
- Deep clean the bathroom - I mean, nursery
- Renew our rental contract
- Finish taxes
- Make a double batch of bran muffins and freeze (assuming I can find space in the freezer)
- De-clutter the house and take a few loads of stuff out to the garage
I'm curious. Two questions.
#1. What sort of things would you put on a to-do list for this week if you wanted to get your home in as much order as possible? Thus, making room to take a few weeks off to spend your time with family (or another noble pursuit - reading good books, saving the world, watching Downton Abbey).
#2. Particularly for those who are father or mothers, what would you ideally have on hand to make the newborn stage as relaxing as possible for yourself? (some ideas: bubble bath, a fridge full of chocolate chip cookie dough, good audio books on demand.)
I want to throw away my to-do lists.
At least for a few weeks (really, much longer than that and they'd probably have to put me on life-support or something).
What I really mean is that I really want to carve out some space after our baby comes for a break from life. Except that I know that life isn't going to really slow down for us. Genghis will still need the help and attention that he always needs. Plus we'll have this newborn that we'll be responsible for, and I have conveniently forgotten how demanding no sleep, breastfeeding, and soothing a crying infant can be.
So I don't want to have any false illusions that I can make this a blissful, stress-free, euphoric time.
But I do want to get rid of the non-essentials. Cereal for breakfast instead of pancakes. Laundry every other week instead of every week. Laying on the couch while Genghis plays on his own instead of picking another area in the house to de-clutter and re-organize.
The best way for me to think of this is to get rid of all my to-do lists. All I really have to do when this baby comes is meet the needs of myself and my family as they come, instead of planning, preparing, and proactively running our household. (Like I said, just for a few weeks, because I secretly really enjoy all of those p-words).
Of course, the best way for me to put aside my to-do lists is to make one final to-do list. Already on the list (you're surprised I've got one made?)...
- Make 1 month's worth of freezer dinners (done! and something to blog about later)
- Stock the pantry (done!)
- Organize the baby closet (done!)
- Get out the basic baby supplies (burp clothes, pacifiers, swaddles, bottles) and have them on hand
- Install both car seats
- Pack hospital bags and overnight babysitter bag for Genghis
- Deep clean the bathroom - I mean, nursery
- Renew our rental contract
- Finish taxes
- Make a double batch of bran muffins and freeze (assuming I can find space in the freezer)
- De-clutter the house and take a few loads of stuff out to the garage
I'm curious. Two questions.
#1. What sort of things would you put on a to-do list for this week if you wanted to get your home in as much order as possible? Thus, making room to take a few weeks off to spend your time with family (or another noble pursuit - reading good books, saving the world, watching Downton Abbey).
#2. Particularly for those who are father or mothers, what would you ideally have on hand to make the newborn stage as relaxing as possible for yourself? (some ideas: bubble bath, a fridge full of chocolate chip cookie dough, good audio books on demand.)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
and now, the life story you've been waiting for
Inspired by a great book I'm reading for Book Group this month (A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel), I decided to write out the details of each day of my life for one week. Just on the chance that some day it may make for good material for a memoir.
Turns out it's hard to be so egocentric on my own, so I also decided to post said details on this blog.
Today: Tuesday, February 14, 2012.
1am. I wake up to Genghis crying for bit, and finally go in to check on him. I rock him and sing a few songs while he talks about the possible cars he could be seeing out his bedroom window if only the curtains weren't closed. I determine that he is feeling well enough to go back to bed.
7:15am. My alarm goes off, much to my dismay (I will copy/paste this line to use every day this week).
7:45am - 10am. I sit up in bed and stumble through a brief morning prayer. Genghis is rousing so I quickly dress and prep for the day (read: wash my face, pull my hair back). When I get Genghis up and take him into the living room he discovers a new (used) swing that I'm sanitizing for his baby sister. He rocks the swing somewhat violently back and forth yelling "Weee!" for the next 10 minutes. He will be a great big brother.
We have breakfast: cereal, bran muffins, eggs, milk. I try to get some cleaning, sanitizing and scripture study done between assisting Genghis with his various morning games such as "Dump all my animals out of the bag" and "Throw all of the balls behind the couch where I can't reach them, make Mom get them out, and then Do It Again". Eventually, we get him dressed and head out to the car. We drop a DVD off at the library, attempt to cash a check at the bank until I realize it's actually a 1099 form, and swing by the store for 4 cans of frozen OJ because Dad's got a cold.
10:30am - 12pm. We end up at the church for the weekly play group. Genghis has learned how to commandeer any of the "ride on" toys, sometimes two at once. After an hour and a half of general bullying of children both young and old, Genghis is tired. We head home.
12 - 1pm. Genghis is joined by his play mate for the afternoon, as part of our weekly babysitting swap. He enthusiastically greets her by talking, laughing, and spinning in circles. I get some Mac N Cheese, softened carrots and grapes halves going for lunch. Both kids are enjoying their meal so I start in on baking some bread. I pull a bowl of melted butter out of the microwave, which I immediately dump all over myself and the floor. I run to the bedroom, strip down, throw my clothes in cold water, and find something random to wear. I come back to the kitchen and mop the floor (Genghis cries during this because he can hear the sound of the water squirting out of the Swiffer Wet Jet, which for some reason really bothers him). I walk out to the dining room to check on the kids, and see that they have methodically thrown every carrot piece and macaroni noodle on the white carpet, cheese included. Hmm... I go back in the kitchen to finish the bread dough.
1-1:30pm. I clean up children, floors, counters, chairs, table, dishes. Children play and chase each other around the house. I sneak in bites of leftover Mac N Cheese between tasks. We migrate to the bathroom for diaper changes and then put each child down for a nap. I collapse on the chair, read and eat chocolate for 15 minutes.
1:30-3pm. Work time. I take care of emails, then spend an hour on a Skype call talking to a client group about our strategic evaluation plan. At the very end, I can hear Genghis waking up. We end the call and I go back to being Mom.
3-6:30pm. Genghis wakes up knowing the word "banana". He insists on having one for snack right away. I agree, and set him up his high chair for a "mana" while I put some lentil soup on for dinner. His play mate wakes about half an hour later and within 15 minutes we're back at snack time, this time for yogurt covered raisins and graham crackers. Afterwards, Genghis keeps spitting up when physically exerting himself and I suspect he has over-eaten. I empathize with my pregnancy-induced acid reflux (feeling the dark chocolate from earlier in the day).
As the afternoon progresses, the kids manage to get into almost every toy container and book shelf we own, so I decide it's time to play in the snow. Genghis's friend gets the snow pants. I put Genghis in his footed PJs with two layers of pants on top. Once all the layers and boots are on, the kids keep face planting on the carpet while trying to make it to the open door. We walk in the snow, roll snow balls, and do some taste tests. Genghis declares the snow "yummy" while his friend insists it is "yucky".
Genghis's friend goes home just before 5pm and we play out in the snow a little longer. We come inside and Genghis is in a grumpy mood until dinner, which includes fresh bread and honey. After dinner we do bath time because, if nothing else in my house is clean and orderly, at least my child's skin can be. After bath, Genghis is insistent on seeing Dad, who is not home from work yet. He melts down and I lose my temper. Dad comes home about 10 minutes later to an unhappy family. He wisely plays with Genghis while I radiate bad vibes while cleaning everything in the house.
6:30pm - 9pm. We put Genghis to bed, a bit on the early side. I apologize right before for being in a grumpy mood and Genghis is quick to forgive. So is Abe. After bed time, Abe and I discuss our day, I read my book, and we play a game of Agricola (we are addicted to this game and have spent several irretrievable hours of our life staring at the board and lamenting how hard it is to be homesteaders).
9-10pm. Abe sits in on a weekly conference call he has with friends about geeky things. I put in my retainer (trying to wear it again after 6 years off) and write this post. I consider that tomorrow, I will not write as many details. I also consider that tomorrow, I may not write anything at all.
Turns out it's hard to be so egocentric on my own, so I also decided to post said details on this blog.
Today: Tuesday, February 14, 2012.
1am. I wake up to Genghis crying for bit, and finally go in to check on him. I rock him and sing a few songs while he talks about the possible cars he could be seeing out his bedroom window if only the curtains weren't closed. I determine that he is feeling well enough to go back to bed.
7:15am. My alarm goes off, much to my dismay (I will copy/paste this line to use every day this week).
7:45am - 10am. I sit up in bed and stumble through a brief morning prayer. Genghis is rousing so I quickly dress and prep for the day (read: wash my face, pull my hair back). When I get Genghis up and take him into the living room he discovers a new (used) swing that I'm sanitizing for his baby sister. He rocks the swing somewhat violently back and forth yelling "Weee!" for the next 10 minutes. He will be a great big brother.
We have breakfast: cereal, bran muffins, eggs, milk. I try to get some cleaning, sanitizing and scripture study done between assisting Genghis with his various morning games such as "Dump all my animals out of the bag" and "Throw all of the balls behind the couch where I can't reach them, make Mom get them out, and then Do It Again". Eventually, we get him dressed and head out to the car. We drop a DVD off at the library, attempt to cash a check at the bank until I realize it's actually a 1099 form, and swing by the store for 4 cans of frozen OJ because Dad's got a cold.
10:30am - 12pm. We end up at the church for the weekly play group. Genghis has learned how to commandeer any of the "ride on" toys, sometimes two at once. After an hour and a half of general bullying of children both young and old, Genghis is tired. We head home.
12 - 1pm. Genghis is joined by his play mate for the afternoon, as part of our weekly babysitting swap. He enthusiastically greets her by talking, laughing, and spinning in circles. I get some Mac N Cheese, softened carrots and grapes halves going for lunch. Both kids are enjoying their meal so I start in on baking some bread. I pull a bowl of melted butter out of the microwave, which I immediately dump all over myself and the floor. I run to the bedroom, strip down, throw my clothes in cold water, and find something random to wear. I come back to the kitchen and mop the floor (Genghis cries during this because he can hear the sound of the water squirting out of the Swiffer Wet Jet, which for some reason really bothers him). I walk out to the dining room to check on the kids, and see that they have methodically thrown every carrot piece and macaroni noodle on the white carpet, cheese included. Hmm... I go back in the kitchen to finish the bread dough.
1-1:30pm. I clean up children, floors, counters, chairs, table, dishes. Children play and chase each other around the house. I sneak in bites of leftover Mac N Cheese between tasks. We migrate to the bathroom for diaper changes and then put each child down for a nap. I collapse on the chair, read and eat chocolate for 15 minutes.
1:30-3pm. Work time. I take care of emails, then spend an hour on a Skype call talking to a client group about our strategic evaluation plan. At the very end, I can hear Genghis waking up. We end the call and I go back to being Mom.
3-6:30pm. Genghis wakes up knowing the word "banana". He insists on having one for snack right away. I agree, and set him up his high chair for a "mana" while I put some lentil soup on for dinner. His play mate wakes about half an hour later and within 15 minutes we're back at snack time, this time for yogurt covered raisins and graham crackers. Afterwards, Genghis keeps spitting up when physically exerting himself and I suspect he has over-eaten. I empathize with my pregnancy-induced acid reflux (feeling the dark chocolate from earlier in the day).
As the afternoon progresses, the kids manage to get into almost every toy container and book shelf we own, so I decide it's time to play in the snow. Genghis's friend gets the snow pants. I put Genghis in his footed PJs with two layers of pants on top. Once all the layers and boots are on, the kids keep face planting on the carpet while trying to make it to the open door. We walk in the snow, roll snow balls, and do some taste tests. Genghis declares the snow "yummy" while his friend insists it is "yucky".
Genghis's friend goes home just before 5pm and we play out in the snow a little longer. We come inside and Genghis is in a grumpy mood until dinner, which includes fresh bread and honey. After dinner we do bath time because, if nothing else in my house is clean and orderly, at least my child's skin can be. After bath, Genghis is insistent on seeing Dad, who is not home from work yet. He melts down and I lose my temper. Dad comes home about 10 minutes later to an unhappy family. He wisely plays with Genghis while I radiate bad vibes while cleaning everything in the house.
6:30pm - 9pm. We put Genghis to bed, a bit on the early side. I apologize right before for being in a grumpy mood and Genghis is quick to forgive. So is Abe. After bed time, Abe and I discuss our day, I read my book, and we play a game of Agricola (we are addicted to this game and have spent several irretrievable hours of our life staring at the board and lamenting how hard it is to be homesteaders).
9-10pm. Abe sits in on a weekly conference call he has with friends about geeky things. I put in my retainer (trying to wear it again after 6 years off) and write this post. I consider that tomorrow, I will not write as many details. I also consider that tomorrow, I may not write anything at all.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
friday photos
A few weeks ago, Genghis and I took a trip to my parents'.
We spent one morning sledding, although the snow was very hard and crunchy. Genghis enjoyed pulling the sled himself on the driveway as an alternative. Turns out that was much easier for me as well.
We also went to the downtown winter festival. Genghis is trying to sneak some kettle corn here.
Grandma feeding him pineapple smoothie from a straw.
Discovering a more efficient method.
We spent one morning sledding, although the snow was very hard and crunchy. Genghis enjoyed pulling the sled himself on the driveway as an alternative. Turns out that was much easier for me as well.
We also went to the downtown winter festival. Genghis is trying to sneak some kettle corn here.
Grandma feeding him pineapple smoothie from a straw.
Discovering a more efficient method.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas greetings!
We were limited in our hard copies this year (maybe a good thing - this is pretty random).
Caroling, caroling now we go
Gongs send Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling thru the snow
In Michigan still living.
Joyous Genghis's one and a half
Can say 2 letters of the alphabet
Ding, dong, Genghis Gong sends his Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling thru the town
Gongs send Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling up and down
Our family keeps growing
Mark ye well child #2
Still has 3 months in utero
Ding, dong, Baby Girl Gong sends her Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling near and far
Erin goes consulting
For museums and libraries—the non profit sector
But any paycheck’s rewarding
Abe’s teched up with web development,
Cloud computing plus a new hair cut
Ding, dong, Parents Gong send their Christmas greetings.
Happy Holidays!
From the Gongs
2011
Caroling, caroling now we go
Gongs send Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling thru the snow
In Michigan still living.
Joyous Genghis's one and a half
Can say 2 letters of the alphabet
Ding, dong, Genghis Gong sends his Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling thru the town
Gongs send Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling up and down
Our family keeps growing
Mark ye well child #2
Still has 3 months in utero
Ding, dong, Baby Girl Gong sends her Christmas greetings
Caroling, caroling near and far
Erin goes consulting
For museums and libraries—the non profit sector
But any paycheck’s rewarding
Abe’s teched up with web development,
Cloud computing plus a new hair cut
Ding, dong, Parents Gong send their Christmas greetings.
Happy Holidays!
From the Gongs
2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
yes, i'll have fries with that!
Some people wish there were another hour in the day so they could accomplish more.
I am not one of those people.
Sure, I usually have an unfinished to-do list at the end of the day. But I'm certain that an extra hour wouldn't help that. I would just put more on my to-do list. In the end, an extra hour simply means more work. No, thank you.
Last week, though, I had the rare experience of having, not just an extra hour, but a whole extra day. I was coming home from a conference. Abe and Genghis were coming home from a family reunion. I got home just fine. The others' flight was canceled, so they had to stay a full day more. For me that meant one full, unexpected day with no dependents under my roof.
What, oh what, would I do with all that time?
I found out about this situation while still driving home, and I spent 2 hours in my car envisioning afternoon matinees, decadent desserts, no alarm clock, dinner at a fancy restaurant. Heck, mini golfing. The world was open to me (should I be embarrassed that my imagination extended only to putt-putt golf?).
Of course, I ended up spending 8am-6pm working. To be fair, I did have a scheduled work engagement from 8-1. It wasn't all my fault.
What else made the list?
1. A super-sized McDonald's lunch. I have been craving a McD's cheeseburger for weeks. Someone should give their Director of Advertising a raise.
2. Quesadillas, with a virtuous salad.
3. Two episodes of Glee. I think it's a first and last for me. I felt like I needed to get in touch with today's youth. Check. Genghis, never go to high school.
The good news was that my extra day was pathetic enough to make me grateful for my family when they came back. Who knew that a family could be more fun than two corn tortillas with cheddar cheese?
I am not one of those people.
Sure, I usually have an unfinished to-do list at the end of the day. But I'm certain that an extra hour wouldn't help that. I would just put more on my to-do list. In the end, an extra hour simply means more work. No, thank you.
Last week, though, I had the rare experience of having, not just an extra hour, but a whole extra day. I was coming home from a conference. Abe and Genghis were coming home from a family reunion. I got home just fine. The others' flight was canceled, so they had to stay a full day more. For me that meant one full, unexpected day with no dependents under my roof.
What, oh what, would I do with all that time?
I found out about this situation while still driving home, and I spent 2 hours in my car envisioning afternoon matinees, decadent desserts, no alarm clock, dinner at a fancy restaurant. Heck, mini golfing. The world was open to me (should I be embarrassed that my imagination extended only to putt-putt golf?).
Of course, I ended up spending 8am-6pm working. To be fair, I did have a scheduled work engagement from 8-1. It wasn't all my fault.
What else made the list?
1. A super-sized McDonald's lunch. I have been craving a McD's cheeseburger for weeks. Someone should give their Director of Advertising a raise.
2. Quesadillas, with a virtuous salad.
3. Two episodes of Glee. I think it's a first and last for me. I felt like I needed to get in touch with today's youth. Check. Genghis, never go to high school.
The good news was that my extra day was pathetic enough to make me grateful for my family when they came back. Who knew that a family could be more fun than two corn tortillas with cheddar cheese?
Friday, June 17, 2011
friday photos
We had a wonderful family reunion at the Outer Banks in North Carolina last week.
Edible beach! Well, that's what he thought.
Exploring the ocean.
I think it was windy when we took this picture, but it's possible that my hair just always looked that crazy.
Enormous family sand castle.
Polar bear swim club. Okay, it was still about 90 degrees at 6:30 in the morning. The real test of courage was waking up that early while on vacation.
Edible beach! Well, that's what he thought.
Exploring the ocean.
I think it was windy when we took this picture, but it's possible that my hair just always looked that crazy.
Enormous family sand castle.
Polar bear swim club. Okay, it was still about 90 degrees at 6:30 in the morning. The real test of courage was waking up that early while on vacation.
Monday, January 24, 2011
friday photos
The final installment of Christmas-time photos. Over the holidays, Genghis met many relatives for the first time. I did an awful job of documenting these meetings, but do have photos of...
Genghis and Great-Grandma!
Genghis and cousins!
Genghis and Great-Grandma!
Genghis and cousins!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
No Mess Zone
From 7 to 11pm last night, we attempted steps 3-6 of home baby preparation. The result? We now have an office (close to) up and running in our bedroom, and the beautifully-painted baby room is now a temporary storage unit for everything we don't know what to do with.
This process feels a lot like moving into to a new house. We like to use the "No Mess Zone" strategy for projects like this. Pick a small area in the house. Take anything that doesn't belong in that area get it out of the way - not put away, just out of the way. Arrange any big furniture pieces in that area and start filling in with the essentials. Think in terms of high priority items and needs for accessibility.
Once that's done, the area becomes a "No Mess Zone". You aren't allowed to put boxes, junk, or stuff you don't know what to do with in that area. If you have something you know you want to put there, then you have to give it a place.
Piece by piece, the whole house becomes a No Mess Zone. In the meantime, when I feel stressed out by moving, I can retreat with a piece of chocolate into a No Mess Zone to regroup. I've found that, depending on how well the organizing goes, No Mess Zones actually have a shelf-life of about 6-18 months. After that, it's usually time to do a little de-junking. And sometimes life circumstances (e.g. new human being in the household) can require major No Mess Zone renovations.
Now, from the safety of my office No Mess Zone, I can finally post the remaining photos of our trip to Italy back in April/May. These photos are all from Venice. By the time we got to Venice, we'd been traveling with the whole family for 2 weeks. Everyone was tired. The pace was slow. And we didn't talk much or really do much other than walk around the streets and canals.
So a few thoughts on Venice, and then I'll let the pictures tell the story.
Venice is now a beautiful and sinking tourist town. Abe's mom described it as "Consumerism built on Decadence built on Decay." Abe described it as, "If you went to an extravagant, Venice-themed amusement park, it would feel a lot like Venice." The buildings were beautiful, but falling apart. We heard more English spoken here than anywhere else. The shop keepers were often Chinese, selling Venetian masks and glass made in China.
Still, there was a surreal and ghostly quality to the city that made it an unforgettable experience.
This process feels a lot like moving into to a new house. We like to use the "No Mess Zone" strategy for projects like this. Pick a small area in the house. Take anything that doesn't belong in that area get it out of the way - not put away, just out of the way. Arrange any big furniture pieces in that area and start filling in with the essentials. Think in terms of high priority items and needs for accessibility.
Once that's done, the area becomes a "No Mess Zone". You aren't allowed to put boxes, junk, or stuff you don't know what to do with in that area. If you have something you know you want to put there, then you have to give it a place.
Piece by piece, the whole house becomes a No Mess Zone. In the meantime, when I feel stressed out by moving, I can retreat with a piece of chocolate into a No Mess Zone to regroup. I've found that, depending on how well the organizing goes, No Mess Zones actually have a shelf-life of about 6-18 months. After that, it's usually time to do a little de-junking. And sometimes life circumstances (e.g. new human being in the household) can require major No Mess Zone renovations.
Now, from the safety of my office No Mess Zone, I can finally post the remaining photos of our trip to Italy back in April/May. These photos are all from Venice. By the time we got to Venice, we'd been traveling with the whole family for 2 weeks. Everyone was tired. The pace was slow. And we didn't talk much or really do much other than walk around the streets and canals.
So a few thoughts on Venice, and then I'll let the pictures tell the story.
Venice is now a beautiful and sinking tourist town. Abe's mom described it as "Consumerism built on Decadence built on Decay." Abe described it as, "If you went to an extravagant, Venice-themed amusement park, it would feel a lot like Venice." The buildings were beautiful, but falling apart. We heard more English spoken here than anywhere else. The shop keepers were often Chinese, selling Venetian masks and glass made in China.
Still, there was a surreal and ghostly quality to the city that made it an unforgettable experience.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
la dolce vita (the sweetness of doing nothing)
We closed out our Roman adventures by renting 2 cars to drive to the Tuscan countryside. Being in Europe, the cars were manual transmission. Being carefully trained in a 1992 Geo Prizm in high school, I was one of the few qualified drivers for the Fiat Punto.
After a warm-up drive around the rental car parking lot (oh, that light means the parking break has been on), I was ready for the roadway. Things were jerky but fairly uneventful. I didn't have to drive through Rome, but the winding, narrow country roads, the town piazzas (GPS says turn left, I say that's a 5-ft wide alleyway), and the washed-out, muddy ascents from our off-the-beaten-path rental home to the main road got me very acquainted with negotiating first and second gear.
In the end, everything went well with the car. We did have a slight hiccup one day when we filled the tank with regular instead of diesel fuel. A 2-hour wait for siesta to finish, a ride with an Italian tow truck driver, another 2-hour wait at a car shop in no-where Italy, and $400 later, we were back on the road.
Besides being in a car, here are other things we did in Tuscany.
Lucignano, the nearest town to our lodgings (we stayed in a villa on countryside castle grounds).
Dinner prepared by our Italian cook, Amela, who came 3 out of the 7 nights we were there.
In the Punto.
Some of the countryside.
More of the countryside. This is a small town called Cortona. It sits atop a hill, looking out over the valley. Abe and I spent an afternoon alone there, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Us being happy.
Us eating Gelato from Snoopy's. Nutella flavor wins again.
This is a 2-way road.
Many evenings spent by the fire playing Rook.
Abe cooking popcorn over the fire.
Lake near the villa - I couldn't get over how beautiful the clouds were. It rained every day in Tuscany, but usually cleared up in the afternoons. Considering we never woke up before 11am, that worked out pretty well for our schedules.
Kids locked out of the house while parents on day trip. Chris climbed up and through an open window.
Skyline of Florence. We only spent about 5 hours here, mostly hitting the 2 major museums to see Michaelangelo's David and a collection of some of the most famous paintings from the Italian Renaissance. Which was exactly what I wanted to do with only 5 hours in Florence.
We also managed to get some street kebabs and gelato (twice, actually. favorite flavor: half dark chocolate and half caramel).
The duomo.
I loved the colors of the buildings here. Abe and I have taken inspiration from our trip and will paint our nursery in a Tuscan palette (warm yellow walls, red-orange and sage green accents).
After a warm-up drive around the rental car parking lot (oh, that light means the parking break has been on), I was ready for the roadway. Things were jerky but fairly uneventful. I didn't have to drive through Rome, but the winding, narrow country roads, the town piazzas (GPS says turn left, I say that's a 5-ft wide alleyway), and the washed-out, muddy ascents from our off-the-beaten-path rental home to the main road got me very acquainted with negotiating first and second gear.
In the end, everything went well with the car. We did have a slight hiccup one day when we filled the tank with regular instead of diesel fuel. A 2-hour wait for siesta to finish, a ride with an Italian tow truck driver, another 2-hour wait at a car shop in no-where Italy, and $400 later, we were back on the road.
Besides being in a car, here are other things we did in Tuscany.
Lucignano, the nearest town to our lodgings (we stayed in a villa on countryside castle grounds).
Dinner prepared by our Italian cook, Amela, who came 3 out of the 7 nights we were there.
In the Punto.
Some of the countryside.
More of the countryside. This is a small town called Cortona. It sits atop a hill, looking out over the valley. Abe and I spent an afternoon alone there, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Us being happy.
Us eating Gelato from Snoopy's. Nutella flavor wins again.
This is a 2-way road.
Many evenings spent by the fire playing Rook.
Abe cooking popcorn over the fire.
Lake near the villa - I couldn't get over how beautiful the clouds were. It rained every day in Tuscany, but usually cleared up in the afternoons. Considering we never woke up before 11am, that worked out pretty well for our schedules.
Kids locked out of the house while parents on day trip. Chris climbed up and through an open window.
Skyline of Florence. We only spent about 5 hours here, mostly hitting the 2 major museums to see Michaelangelo's David and a collection of some of the most famous paintings from the Italian Renaissance. Which was exactly what I wanted to do with only 5 hours in Florence.
We also managed to get some street kebabs and gelato (twice, actually. favorite flavor: half dark chocolate and half caramel).
The duomo.
I loved the colors of the buildings here. Abe and I have taken inspiration from our trip and will paint our nursery in a Tuscan palette (warm yellow walls, red-orange and sage green accents).
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